The Platte County football team bounced back in a big way in 2023.

Now, the Pirates will try to build on that and return to the playoffs for the first time since a state title berth in 2020.

Platte County went 9-3 last year, a four-win improvement from the previous year. The Pirates reached the Class 5 District 8 finals but lost to Grain Valley for a second time during the season.

The only other team to beat Platte County last year was an Oak Park squad that had 11 wins in Class 6.

“We have had a productive summer, and we look forward to starting the season,” said Bill Utz, who starts his 17th season at the helm this year. “We always have high expectations, and we strive to live and play to a standard that allows us to reach those expectations.”

During the summer, the Pirates took first place at a 7-on-7 camp at Missouri.

The Pirates showed improvements in 2023 in terms of scoring and defense, tallying 3 more points per game while allowing five fewer points compared to 2022 — the first losing season in eight years.

Platte County had three players earned Class 5 all-state honors last year — Seth Martin, Muyonta Maxwell and Tucker McDowell. However, all three were seniors and will leave voids on both sides of the ball. Martin (linebacker) and McDowell (defensive line) are both playing at Truman State, while Maxwell (offensive line) is playing at Iowa Western Community College. 

Most of the starters are returning for the Pirates, which includes 15 players who earned postseason honors on the Suburban Conference While Division team.

The offense will be headlined by the backfield that features returning starters in junior quarterback Rocco Marriott (6-3, 203) and junior running back Adam Gisler (5-8, 160).

Marriott threw for 2,026 yards and 24 scores, while rushing for 8 more touchdowns and 670 yards on the ground. A talented baseball player as well, Marriott has good football genes too. His dad, Jeff, was a 5th-round pick by the Patriots in 2000 out of Missouri. 

Gisler’s 1,254 yards on the ground was ninth best in school history while adding 15 touchdowns. 

Both were first-team all-district picks in addition to earning all-conference honors last season.

There are other skills guys back for Marriott — who has offers from UNLV and Kent State — to distribute the ball toward. Junior Tres Baskerville had 400 yards receiving and 7 TDs in 2023. Baskerville (5-9, 180) was a first-team all-conference pick as a punt/kick returner and was a second-team pick at wide receiver. 

He had 38 catches for 372 yards and 7 touchdowns, with a team-high in catches and touchdowns receiving. 

Junior Braiden Stevens (5-9, 148) was another second-team pick at wide receiver and like Baskerville, brings speed on the outside. Both run 40s in the 4.5s and Stevens was part of a 4x100-meter relay team that set a school record in May and had 19 catches for 395 yards and 4 TDs last year.  

Senior Lane Webb (6-0, 180) and junior Ty Christopher (6-1, 170) are other wide receivers back. Webb had a line of 9/143/1, while Christopher was an all-conference defensive back that is moving to offense. 

Senior running back Dayton Doll (5-10, 175), a Missouri Western baseball pledge, is back after missing most of last year with an injury. He played wide receiver in 2022.

The offensive line returns all-conference picks junior Quinn Lightle (6-2, 220) and senior Riley Hixson (6-0, 210). Senior Drew Doll (6-1, 230) is back at guard.

Also back are tight ends Brooks Hall and Jack Utz, both juniors. Hall (6-4, 205) and Utz (6-4, 215) provide tall targets for Marriott and each were all-conference picks. Utz holds 17 Division I offers, including from the likes of Arkansas, Baylor, Nebraska, Kansas, Kansas State and Notre Dame to name a few.

Hall had 8 catches for 100 yards and 2 TDs last year, while Utz had 8 catches for 127 yards. 

Junior kicker Jackson Goodale is also back and is another all-conference performer for the Pirates.  

The defense features one returning all-district and all-conference pick in senior Darrell Smith (5-9, 170). He’s also an all-state wrestler for the Pirates who got plenty of game-day invites this offseason from FCS schools and an offer from Simpson College.

Five other players picked up all-conference nods last year for Platte County.

Up front, seniors Archie Wesley III (6-0, 215) and Kameron Doyle (6-2, 225) were all-conference picks. The d-line also returns senior Jordan Miller (6-0, 230). 

Smith will be joined in the middle level by senior Cobe Pollard (6-0, 185), an honorable mention all-conference pick who is a hybrid linebacker/safety who holds an offer from Benedictine College. 

The secondary will be led by returning all-conference pick senior Montez Clemons (5-8, 162), who is a strong safety.

Also, there will be junior Zach Burch (5-7, 150) and seniors Trevor Hay (5-7, 150), Caden McGhee (5-9, 180) and Taylor Stambersky (5-9, 170).

McGhee currently holds an offer from Dordt University.
“We have a lot of driven kids, they’re focused on not just their own individual stuff but at the same time for the team,” said Coach Utz, who is 131-62 at Platte County. “It’s been a fun summer; it’s been fun watching these kids grow. They love to compete. The offense, defense and special teams and everything, It’s been really pleasant.”

The Pirates will open at home against William Christian before engaging in a four-game road trip that features games at Grain Valley and Smithville, teams that were a combined 19-4 last season. 

The Grain Valley game will likely be for the White Division title and they could see each other again in the postseason unless MSHSAA shakes up the district lineup significantly.

“The conference is always competitive, the district is usually also some of our conference teams, so it creates some tough scenarios and challenging matchups,” Coach Utz said.