Gabe Harmon surveyed swollen fingers and a sizeable bruise on his right elbow as halftime neared an end.
The inconveniences were earned during the opening salvo of the Class 4 District 8 championship game against Lincoln Prep on Friday, Nov. 15. Platte County’s senior linebacker and captain of the defense offered a simple assessment about how much the soreness bothered him.
“We’re going to win that district title, and y’all ain’t doing without me,” he said to a teammate before Platte County went out and finished off a 23-8 victory.
Platte County experienced inconvenient turnovers, untimely penalties and frustrating miscues, but ultimately, scores on the Pirates’ first three possessions and a stout defensive effort were enough. Lincoln Prep’s unbeaten season came to an end, thanks to Platte County’s keepaway offense that produced 243 yards rushing — a career-high 185 on 28 carries for junior running back Cayden Davis.
The players and coaches kept the celebration modest as Platte County accepted the Class 4 District 8 championship plaque on an emotional night. Lincoln Prep played in the biggest game for its program in decades, playing not just for the City of Kansas City but also for the Blue Tigers’ first district title in 50 years.
Additionally, Lincoln Prep continued to feed off the motivation to win for junior running back Israel Smith — critically injured in an early morning car crash just days before the start of district play.
“Every week, we always try to make it where we are focusing on us and not the other team — play off of each other and play for each other,” Harmon said. “This was just like any other week. Yeah, they had a lot of support coming into it and going to an undefeated team on their turf is kind of nerve-racking, but I just knew if we had a good week of practice and trusted each other we’d come out on top.”
Platte County (9-3) now faces a third postseason rematch after having to beat Winnetonka and Smithville for a second time in the first two rounds of districts. The Pirates hadn’t played Lincoln Prep since 2003, but the quarterfinals will be another Suburban League Blue Division opponent.
For the second time this season, Grain Valley (9-3) will visit Pirate Stadium for the second time this season, now in a Class 4 quarterfinal. The Eagles fended off Harrisonville for the District 7 title and have won six straight despite losing junior quarterback Cole Keller to injury during a first-round game.
Platte County hosts the playoff matchup at 7 p.m. this Friday with a win sending them to their second state semifinal in three years. Before turning the attention to Grain Valley, the Pirates took the time to appreciate the accomplishment at hand.
“There’s nothing like winning a district title,” Harmon said. “District titles don’t come easy. I’ve been lucky enough to be on district finalists, but we’ve only won one (before tonight). I just have a newfound love and respect for these guys with how much work we’ve put in, and we get to come home with the hardware.”
In the district championship game against Lincoln Prep, Platte County struggled at times in the red zone in a game low on possession for both teams. Pirates senior kicker Grant Allen kicked three field goals — just as he did in a 23-20 comeback win the week before in the district semifinal win over Smithville.
However, Platte County’s offense came up big at the right time with a touchdown drive lasting 7 minutes, 45 seconds spanning the majority of the third quarter and the first play of the fourth quarter. The Pirates drove 64 yards for the score but needed one third-down conversion and two more on fourth and 1 to reach the end zone.
On the first fourth and 1, Platte County junior quarterback Chris Ruhnke completed a short out route to junior Dayton Mitchell for 1 yard, and Davis ripped off a 10-yard run on the next fourth-and-1 to reach just outside of the red zone. Davis then had runs of 10, 5 and 10 to finish the drive.
The methodical 14-play march came after the lone mistake Platte County made on defense allowed Lincoln Prep to close within one score. After Davis plowed into the end zone from 10 yards out with 11:52 left in regulation, the Pirates were up 23-8 and stymied each of Lincoln Prep’s three short possessions in the fourth quarter.
“(Lincoln Prep) has won a lot of games on momentum,” Platte County coach Bill Utz said. “Yeah, I was a little worried, but our defense stepped up and was able to get back under control.”
On the next drive, Lincoln Prep star junior quarterback Howard Brown went down with an apparent knee injury after taking a hit from Platte County sophomore linebacker Trevor Scott. Brown wouldn’t return, and after the two teams exchanged punts, junior quarterback Ani Alturi — the Blue Tigers’ backup — threw an errant pass that landed right in the hands of Platte County senior safety Will Hay, who had three tackles. He bounded away from everyone for an apparent 48-yard touchdown return on the interception that would’ve iced the game.
Instead, an illegal block penalty negated the score, and Platte County drove down the field for another apparent game-sealing touchdown. This time, an awkward exchange between Ruhnke and Davis resulted in a fumble at the goal line, and Lincoln Prep recovered with 1:55 to go.
By that point, not enough time remained for a comeback, and Platte County’s defense sealed the 15-point win.
“Gosh, what are we? Week 12, and we still have things to work on,” Utz said. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but the good thing is we have another week to work on them.”
The late mistakes were almost fitting in a win that proved more difficult than most expected.
Platte County’s rush offense dominated from the outset with Davis breaking off a 43-yard run down the right sideline on the game’s opening possession. The Pirates pushed the ball into the red zone but eventually needed a fourth-down completion for the opening touchdown.
Facing fourth and 1 from the 2, Ruhnke rolled right to draw the defense’s attention that way before throwing back to the middle of the field to find wide open junior wide receiver Colby Rollins for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
Lincoln Prep quickly went three-and-out on its first possession after a costly personal foul penalty negated some potentially early momentum. The Pirates drove back down for Allen’s first field goal — a 27-yarder that made it 10-0 with 2:58 left in the first quarter. Allen then added a 46-yarder that just sneaked over the cross bar with 5:59 remaining before the half to make it 13-0.
Both of the field goals were a result of promising drives that stalled out.
“After that first touchdown, I think we got too comfortable, got excited,” Platte County senior wide receiver Donny MacCuish said. “We came out strong and thought it would be easier than it would be. That got to our heads, and we weren’t going as hard as we were the first drive.”
Lincoln Prep then received the first break late in the first half when Ruhnke was intercepted by a defensive lineman trying to throw a screen pass in a 2-minute drill scenario. The Blue Tigers started at Platte County’s 30 but couldn’t take advantage. Yet the Pirates went into halftime in a dominant position but still in a two-possession game with the undefeated underdogs still very much in the game.
Lincoln Prep went three-and-out to start the second half when a bobbled snap on the punt led to Platte County junior safety Spencer Cupp making a tackle inside the 20. The Pirates started in the red zone but ended up with a 30-yard field goal from Allen — a soccer star who helped lead that team to the state semifinals a day later.
“He’s been great. He’s been there whenever we need him,” MacCuish said. “What did he kick like a 46-yarder? We can’t ask for anything else. That’s great.”
Two plays later, Platte County’s defense showed its first crack. Brown found senior wide receiver Edrico Gilliam behind the defense near the home sideline for a 78-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion suddenly made it 16-8 with 7:37 left in the third quarter.
However, Lincoln Prep would have only one more possession with Brown at quarterback, and the Blue Tigers finished with just 221 yards of offense with 78 coming on the touchdown play. They ran 24 times for 93 yards — just 3.9 yards per carry after piling up production on the ground in a double-overtime semifinal win over fourth-seeded Excelsior Springs a week earlier.
Brown went 5 of 11 for 113 yards, while running nine times for 43 yards. Mario Woods led Lincoln Prep with 45 yards rushing on 10 attempts.
“I was confident the whole time,” Harmon said. “I knew that the D-line would keep getting pressure, and yeah, we had a mistake but I knew we’d learn from it. We weren’t going to give up and would go out there and get another stop.”
Harmon and Scott made six tackles apiece, while junior safety Trent Rueckert (five) and Cupp, junior defensive lineman Alex Stearns and senior defensive linemen James Gladden and Garret Watson (four apiece) next on the stat sheet in Platte County’s balanced effort. The Pirates also shuffled their defensive backfield again with an early injury to junior safety Luke Filger adding to the depth issues with sophomore cornerback Cade Fowler having now missed five straight games since a season-ending injury.
Rueckert and junior Tae Bailey logged snaps at cornerback opposite junior standout Collin Tyson, who had a crucial pick-six touchdown a week earlier against Smithville. Mitchell also saw his first defensive snaps of the season late in the game at cornerback with Rueckert able to slide back over to his regular spot at safety.
Ruhnke didn’t throw for over 100 yards for a second straight game with Lincoln Prep staying disciplined in its two-high safety sets. He finished 8 of 18 for 64 yards with completions spread to five different receivers — Rollins (two for 18 yards), Mitchell (two for 15 yards), Davis (two for 13 yards), Maccuish (one for 11 yards) and senior running back Trey Phan (one for 7 yards).
While senior running back Trey Phan was the star with a career-high in carries and rushing yards against Smithville, Davis was the workhorse this time around. Phan added 31 yards on 13 carries, while Ruhnke wasn’t sacked and had two scrambles for 27 yards. The Pirates have found success on the ground in recent weeks behind a retooled offensive line gelling since an upset loss to Grandview to close the regular season.
Platte County has started senior Luke Seigel at center and junior Trey Butcher in all 12 games, but senior Wyett Wallingford has shifted in to left guard in a swap with senior Max Renner, currently at left tackle. In addition, the Pirates switched senior Kevin Fagan from defense to right guard late in the year, and he’s now sharing time mostly with senior Gunner Tongate but also occasionally with senior Jonathan Owen.
Davis racked up another career-high in yards with 185, passing the mark of 183 he set in Platte County’s regular season win over Smithville. The Pirates had a 100-yard rusher in all three of its district games.
“We’re going to run the ball,” MacCuish said. “If they give us the run, the pass game doesn’t open up. They give us the pass, the run opens up.”
Platte County’s stout defense and productive running game were a credit to dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides. The end result is a playoff trip after a mostly up but occasionally down season that included losses to Class 5 Park Hill South, Class 6 semifinalist Raymore-Peculiar and then Grandview.
The third loss resulted in Platte County sharing the Blue Division title with Smithville. Yet, the co-championship wouldn’t have been possible without the first win over Grain Valley — a wild 18-17 comeback in Week 4. The Pirates scored 18 unanswered, all in the fourth quarter and including a blocked punt return for a touchdown from Rueckert, to overcome a lackluster start and avoid a minor upset.
“We’re going to prepare like we do every week,” Harmon said. “We’re going to watch a lot of film, have each other’s back, have a great week of practice. I’m ready to get going. I’m excited for (the rematch).”
Platte County was in the district championship game for the fifth straight year and had to down the area’s sentimental favorite on a memorable night at Lincoln Prep’s brand new blue-turfed facility. The Pirates wanted to keep their celebration respectful of a roster full of players that went through a lot in an undefeated regular season that spawned the hashtag #ForTheCity and then dealt with the off-field injury to a beloved teammate.
Once back in the locker room and later that night, players and coaches were able to enjoy advancing to the playoffs for just the second time during its recent run of success. While seniors like Watson and Renner were starters on the 2017 team that lost at Webb City in the state semifinals, much of the roster is playing in this role for the first time.
Perhaps a less-heralded group, the current roster has already added to Platte County’s storied program legacy. The Pirates have reached at least nine wins for a third straight season and earned the opportunity to make more history.
“They have worked hard; they’re smart kids; they’re good kids,” Utz said. “They have earned it. A district title is hard to get. We’ve been in this spot a lot of getting into the final, and it’s very satisfying to go ahead and finish the deal and be able to move on.
“I’m really happy for them.”