The Platte County football team has been on the wrong side of back-to-back one possession games to start off the fall 0-2 for the first time since 2008.
Following a 21-14 overtime loss to Kearney (2-0) on August 26, the Pirates came up shy against the reigning Class 4 state champions on September 2. In the Pirates’ first road game of the season, Smithville (2-0) narrowly defeated Platte County 10-7.
The opening half was a defensive slugfest with neither team able to get on the scoreboard until the Warriors scored with 21 seconds left. Both teams had 96 offensive yards on 25 plays each but a 4-yard pass in the closing seconds gave Smithville a 7-0 margin at the break.
Midway through the third quarter, there was some miscommunications by the Pirates when they ran a fake punt and Dylan Zimmerman’s pass landed incomplete. Smithville capitalized and extended the lead to 10-0 on a 35-yard field goal on its next drive with 3:43 left in the period.
Platte County junior Dylan Zimmerman scored the Pirates only touchdown with a 7-yard rush in their 10-7 road loss to Smithville on Sept. 2.
On a 3rd and 6 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, there was an incomplete pass from Zimmerman to Carter Salzman on the Smithville sideline. The star wideout went down with an apparent shoulder injury, didn’t return and is looking like his senior season might be short-lived with the injury likely sidelining him for awhile.
The Pirates still had football to play and had a huge 4th down conversion on the following play with Zimmerman scrambling past the first down chains. The junior quarterback connected with Nate Walls to reach the Smithville 7-yard line and then Zimmerman rushed in for six on three plays later to give Platte County its first score of the day with 9:09 left in regulation.
Smithville regained possession and was able to milk a lot of time off the clock with Platte County not getting the ball back until there was less than 30 seconds remaining. The Warriors moved the chains on two long distance situations and a Pirate penalty helped Smithville move the ball to the Platte County 15-yard line with 2:30 to play.
With the game on the line, the Pirate defense forced a Smithville 4th and 6 with 31 seconds left when the home team elected to go for it instead of kicking a field goal. The Warriors scored a touchdown on the play, but it was brought back after an offensive pass interference penalty and Platte County finally got the ball back at its own 25-yard line with 21 seconds on the clock.
Walls brought in a screen pass to bring the Pirates near midfield and Zimmerman spiked the ball with three seconds left to stop the clock. On the final play of the game, Zimmerman’s pass down the right sideline hit the turf and the Warriors defeated the Pirates for the second straight season.
Platte County had eight penalties for 80 yards and Smithville had eight penalties for 70 yards on the night. The Pirates will host North Kansas City (2-0) on September 9 as Platte County will look for their first win of the season.