The stands of Pirate Stadium were packed to see top-ranked Class 5 juggernaut Platte County showcase yet another dominant performance on homecoming as they extended their winning streak to 20 games, defeating No. 6-ranked Class 4 power Smithville 49-7.
The festive atmosphere was electric early on and was amplified by a pregame ceremony honoring Platte County’s state champion baseball team, including nine members of this year’s football team, who received their state championship rings. Once 7 p.m. hit, it was all Platte County as they displayed a football clinic in every aspect of the game to overwhelm Smithville, something that made head coach Bill Utz proud.
“Homecoming’s always a fun time because there’s so many things involved,” Utz said. “In this community, there’s so many people invested, but especially on homecoming, it seems like there’s that many more people invested.”
Senior receiver Tres Baskerville celebrates a homecoming touchdown in front of Platte County’s student section.
The defending state champions showed their capabilities on both sides of the ball, beginning with an early defensive stand on fourth-and-1 to force a turnover on downs to end Smithville’s opening drive. Senior running back Adam Gisler announced his return from injury with a 16-yard run to the right before Marriott found Tres Baskerville, who willed his way through contact for the opening touchdown.
On Smithville’s second drive, they fooled Platte County on fourth-and-6 with a fake punt but were unable to advance further before electing to actually punt. On the ensuing Pirate possession, big rushes from Marriott and Gisler set up a 7-yard short toss to Braiden Stevens in motion to help put Platte County ahead 14-0.
If Smithville had any realistic shot at getting back into the game, they were slashed late in the first quarter when the Pirates swarmed sophomore quarterback Quentin Morse to force a fumble that was recovered by Jojo Wolo. Three plays later, the Pirates went up 21-0 on a 4-yard run up the middle by Gisler.
Senior receiver Ty Christopher races to the end zone.
Platte County’s defense forced another turnover on the opening play of the second quarter when Mudiaga Egbedeju intercepted a deep pass, giving the Pirates another opportunity to pile on more points. After a 23-yard pass to Baskerville and a 2-yard Gisler carry, Marriott found Ty Christopher for a first down, but the senior receiver had plans for more as he squeezed his way past several defenders for a 47-yard touchdown reception.
Smithville had another turnover on downs, which allowed another Platte County score as Brooks Hall caught his fifth touchdown of the season on a 12-yard reception. The Pirates finished off the first half with one final score, this one coming on a fourth-and-15 conversion as Marriott connected with Gisler for 28 yards to put Platte County up 42-0 at halftime.
Platte County had one final scoring drive in the second half when their six-play opening drive ended with Marriott’s sixth touchdown pass of the evening, finding Christopher for a 17-yard touchdown pass. The Pirates’ shutout bid ended late in the fourth quarter as Smithville senior quarterback Peyton Steffen rushed up the middle for a 7-yard touchdown.
The victory was Platte County’s 20th consecutive win over the past two years, and the third straight win against Smithville. During the 20-game stretch, Platte County has outscored its opponents 1,018 points to 262.
“Sophomore year (2023) was a building year for us all,” Marriott said. “Last year, obviously, a great year that ended the way we wanted it to. This year, same goal in mind; going for state undefeated and we’ve been putting in the work and are ready to go.”
Platte County quarterback Rocco Marriott celebrates a touchdown against Smithville.
Marriott — who was among those honored pregame as a member of the 2025 state champion baseball team as a center fielder — has led the way once again this season on the gridiron. In just six games, most of which he has not played every offensive possession, Marriott has thrown 27 touchdowns and tallied 1,765 passing yards with five additional rushing touchdowns and 354 yards running.
Marriott’s six-touchdown performance came on a meek 256 passing yards, which came as the result of his defense gifting him prime field position several drives. With all the distractions leading up to kickoff, Marriott and the Pirates operated as efficiently as they could against a longtime rival.
“I feel like I flip the switch pretty well,” Marriott said about dealing with the distractions. “There’s time for all the other stuff, then there’s time you’ve got to lock in on what you’ve got to do and I feel like I did a pretty great job of that this week.”
The backfield of Marriott and Gisler kept Smithville guessing with two elite weapons for Platte County. Gisler showed his explosiveness and ended the night with 114 yards rushing and 28 more on a touchdown reception.
“He does some things that other kids can’t do,” Utz said of Gisler. “Having him in there keeps everything balanced, so now the defense has to react different. It just makes a complete difference with him around.”
The Pirates will visit Truman on Oct. 10 before the regular-season home finale against Ruskin on Oct. 17. Platte County will conclude its regular-season slate with a visit to Raytown on Oct. 24 before the Class 5 District 8 tournament begins in November.
Platte County’s goal in the final weeks leading up to districts is nothing new as they take the season week by week and let everything fall into place.
“Win every week,” Marriott said. “We’re going to keep coming out here to do our thing on the field and shoot for perfection. The results will just happen as they happen.”
Running back Adam Gisler broke into triple-digit rushing yards for the first time this season against Smithville.