The uncertainty around the start of this unique season forced teams into difficult scenarios, waiting to find out more.
Platte County ended up with a few more tense moments in Friday’s season opener against Park Hill South at Pirate Stadium.
The visiting Panthers jumped to an early lead and looked like potential spoilers for an experienced roster of players that last played during the program’s first Class 4 Show-Me Bowl appearance.
Instead, Platte County took control by halftime and rolled to a 35-17 victory with senior quarterback Chris Ruhnke throwing four touchdown passes to open his second season as starter.
“We had a chip on our shoulder coming into this one,” Ruhnke said.
Platte County seemed ready on the opening possession, driving near the goal line before settling for a 20-yard field goal attempt that missed.
Park Hill South (0-1) responded with an 80-yard touchdown drive featuring plenty of runs from junior quarterback Nathan Ricco and sophomore running back Briggs Bartosh, who capped the drive with a run of 18 yards and then a 1-yard scoring plunge.
The Panthers then sacked Ruhnke twice on the next drive, and after a short punt, they started the second drive at Platte County’s 44.
Three plays later, Platte County junior safety Cade Fowler picked off Ricco’s pass over the middle.
The Pirates didn’t score on the ensuing drive, but after a punt, senior safety Collin Tyson recovered a fumble that junior linebacker Blaine Keuhn forced to set up a quick first and goal opportunity.
Platte County (1-0) scored on three of its next four drives — all touchdown passes from Ruhnke — to take a 21-14 lead into halftime.
“We got to the sideline after that first drive, made some adjustments, and I felt like we did pretty good the rest of the game,” Platte County senior defensive tackle Keaton Smith said.
Ruhnke finished 24 of 36 for 365 yards, completing passes to seven different receivers. Joey Schultz, a senior making his varsity debut, caught a pair of touchdowns on fade routes and finished with three receptions for 47 yards, while seniors Colby Rollins (seven catches, 120 yards) and Dayton Mitchell (five catches, 88 yards and a touchdown) were the top receivers.
Schultz’s second touchdown catch on Platte County’s first second half drive made it 28-17. From there, the Pirates held on despite a pair of Ruhnke interceptions and some difficulty running the ball.
Platte County senior running back Cayden Davis had 37 yards on 13 carries and the game’s final touchdown on a 1-yard run. Ben McDaniel, a junior, had 30 more yards and a receiving touchdown.
“We just can’t go up and down. We’ve got to stay up, and we’ve got to be able to run the ball,” Platte County senior center Grant Gomel said.
Park Hill South won last year’s meeting between the two teams 31-19 in Week 2 after scoring 28 unanswered points to close it.
Bartosh ran for 129 yards on 19 carries in his first varsity game, while Ricco ended up just 6 of 25 for 126 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Up next for Park Hill South will be a road game at Grandview (0-1).
Platte County’s season continues in Week 2 at rival Kearney — the same matchup that awaited the Pirates after last year’s loss to Park Hill South.
Platte County righted its season with a blowout of the Bulldogs in that one, ending a nine-game losing streak in the rivalry series in convincing fashion.
Kearney also enters this year’s meeting at 1-0 after a 27-21 overtime win against Fort Osage in Week 1.
Despite some struggles early and late, Platte County didn’t want to shift focus too quickly to Kearney.
Utz understood the need to enjoy Friday’s win first before turning the task to beating the Bulldogs in consecutive games in a series that often goes a long way toward determining the Suburban Conference Blue Division champion.
“First of all, it feels really good to get out here and play with all the ups and downs that’s gone on this week and all season,” Utz said. “These kids had a great time and played well and played really well against a quality opponent. I’ll tip my hat to Park Hill South. They’ve got some talented kids, and we were able to make some plays that turned that game.”