Make no mistake; Platte County belongs. The Pirates forced five turnovers and blocked a punt to overpower Staley on the way to a 33-13 victory in the Class 5 District 8 championship game Friday night, Nov. 15, at Pirate Stadium.
In the process, Platte County made it back-to-back playoff appearances and the first in program history in Class 5. The Pirates won Class 4 district titles in 2017 and 2019 before moving up to a new level this season.
“Staley’s a team that’s always here; they’re always in the championship so they’re not going to be intimidated by coming into our place or anything like that because they expect to be here,” Platte County coach Bill Utz said. “Very satisfying to get to this point — to have the success we had in Class 4 last year and get back to this spot and being able to keep it going.”
Platte County senior safety Collin Tyson blocked a punt in the first quarter to set up the game’s opening score, and senior cornerback Spencer Cupp forced a critical fumble right before halftime that ultimately buried Staley (7-5) — the No. 3 seed in the district.
Cupp also added an interception late in the fourth quarter to officially put the game away.
Winners of eight straight, Platte County (10-1) scored 12 points in the final 2 minutes, 20 seconds, of the first half to turn a 7-0 lead into a 19-0 halftime advantage. The two teams combined for six turnovers in the first half, but the Pirates ended up on the better side of the back-and-forth giveaways.
Platte County senior running back Cayden Davis finished with a season-high 128 yards on 23 carries, but his fumble on the goal line with 3½ minutes left in the half gave Staley a chance to go into halftime down just one score.
Instead, Staley senior wide receiver Rajon Hill fumbled as Cupp dragged him down from behind two plays later. Platte County senior defensive end Forrest Boynton recovered at the Falcons’ 1, and Davis scored on the next play to make it 14-0 with 2:20 to go before halftime.
“I knew it was pretty much me or the goal line,” Cupp said of his tackle with a lot of open field behind him. “I knew I had to make a play right there. He almost had me, but I held on for dear life. I was able to make a play and get the ball out, and we scored a touchdown off of it.”
After a short kick return, Staley started deep in its own territory, and Platte County recorded sacks of Falcons’ quarterback Jehr Fowler on second and third down. Pirates’ junior defensive end Jaydon Walls and sophomore defensive end Chandavian Bradley combined on the second one in the end zone for a safety to make it 16-0.
Platte County took the ensuing free kick and drove 48 yards with junior Cole Rhoden calmly knocking through a 29-yard field goal on the final play of the second quarter despite Staley taking all three timeouts prior to the play.
Down 19-0 to start the third quarter, Staley’s situation worsened when Platte County sophomore Garrett Smith stepped in front of a first down pass from Fowler on the Falcons’ second possession of the third quarter for his second interception of the game, returning this one 31 yards for a touchdown. The Pirates led 26-0 with 8 minutes left in the third quarter, and the rout was on.
Platte County senior defensive back Luke Filger also recorded an interception in the first half, and Tyson’s block of a rugby-style punt in the first quarter set up the game’s first touchdown. Six plays later, Pirates’ senior quarterback Chris Ruhnke capped a quick 24-yard drive with a 4-yard sprint to the far side pylon for his second rushing touchdown in as many weeks to make it 7-0 with 3:21 left in the first quarter.
Ruhnke finished 9 of 21 for 121 yards with one touchdown and one interception to go with 32 yards rushing and the other score. His 40-yard touchdown to wide open senior wide receiver Colby Rollins on the final play of the third quarter increased Platte County’s lead to 33-7.
“(Staley’s defensive back) had to make a choice, and he made the wrong one,” said Rollins, who led Platte County with three catches for 71 yards. “He hesitated too long and left me wide open. (Chris) threw it up, and I had two or three steps on him.”
Platte County senior wide receiver Kevin Hughes added two catches for 20 yards with senior Dayton Mitchell — the Pirates’ leader in catches, yards, and touchdowns on the season — limited to one catch for three yards.
Platte County hosts Grain Valley (11-1) next Friday, Nov. 20, in a Class 5 quarterfinal in what will uniquely be a rematch of a 2019 Class 4 quarterfinal. Platte County won both meetings between the teams last year, and the Pirates will be seeking a third state semifinal appearance in four years.
Grain Valley won the Class 5 District 7 championship with a 42-7 blowout of Raytown, who won the previous matchup between the two teams this season.
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