The Class 1 District 6 football champions are guaranteed to reign from Platte County as West Platte and North Platte meet in the postseason for the first time since 2015 on Friday, Nov. 14, at Rudolph Eskridge Stadium in Weston.
West Platte won the regular-season meeting, but a hungry North Platte side will visit Weston eager to end their rival’s season and clinch a spot in the state quarterfinals.
West Platte cruised past Penney in their district semifinal on Nov. 7 — a rematch that went much smoother than their 13-7 nail-biting victory against the Hornets back in September.
The Blue Jays went up in the first quarter when quarterback Jhett Chandler found Mark Sanders open over the middle, completing a 39-yard touchdown reception. At a time when every point is critical in postseason play, West Platte also got its point-after try unit clicking as senior Joe Blake was perfect, scoring his first of six extra points on the night to put the hosts ahead 7-0.
Chandler struck gold for the second time, finding Blaze Masoner over the top for a 37-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. The Blue Jays were not done yet, as they scored two more times in the quarter with a 1-yard carry from Brady McMillan and an 11-yard run from Canton Wilkins, making it 28-0 at halftime.
McMillan and Wilkins each added touchdowns in the third quarter — McMillan with a 3-yard score and Wilkins with a 38-yard score — to deliver a 42-0 win for West Platte.
Blake wasn’t just perfect kicking; he was also a presence with his hands. The senior had a 23-yard reception and an interception he returned for 35 yards, alongside his three tackles.
Elsewhere on defense, Chandler forced and recovered a fumble while Alex Allison led the team with nine tackles, followed by Masoner and Alex Kinslow combining for 10 tackles. The Blue Jays’ defense held the Hornets to just 155 yards of total offense, 139 of those yards coming from 35 run plays.
North Platte used an early lead before a late comeback bid from Gallatin fell short in their district semifinal matchup in Dearborn.
The Panthers took a commanding 20-0 lead into halftime and extended their lead to 30-0 in the third quarter. A late comeback effort, Gallatin managed to make it 30-22 before their season ended.
Dylan Armstrong ran the show as usual for the Panthers, scoring two touchdowns with his legs for 146 yards on 21 carries. The senior all-conference star also caught an interception.
North Platte’s defensive effort was led by Aspen Large, who tallied eight tackles with a sack. The Panthers caused two fumbles, one by junior Ben Horsley and another by sophomore Johnny McCracken.
Outside of Armstrong, the Panthers largely turned to the trio of McCracken, Horsley and Gus French. They combined for 126 yards on 23 carries as McCracken also found the end zone once.
North Platte will visit Weston for the district championship game on Friday, Nov. 14 at West Platte High School, just three weeks after falling to the Blue Jays on home field. West Platte won a 41-34 shootout against the Panthers to conclude the regular season on Oct. 24.
Now, North Platte hopes to secure its second district title in three years, but it will have to overcome a rival it has not beaten in three previous postseason meetings since 2012. West Platte aims to break a decade-long drought without winning a district championship.