PLATTE CITY – The biggest home match in the history of the Platte County boys’ tennis program ended up being a day that the community will remember for ages.
Platte County’s No. 3 Hayden Cook reaches out for a hit in the Pirates Class 3 State Quarterfinal win over Warrensburg on May 14.
A season after claiming the program’s first district title and getting sent home in the quarterfinals, Platte County (15-3) redeemed itself. The 2023 Class 2 State Quarterfinal trip to Jefferson City against the eventual state runner-up resulted in a 5-3 loss to a 17-win, 1-loss Helias Catholic squad at the time, and the Pirates used that as fuel for the ensuing year.
Senior Gavin Nichols and junior Jack Bralley – who were the only two players who were in the 2023 lineup – had clinched individual state berths before the 2024 Class 2 District 8 Tournament started, but they had unfinished business. With some help, they punched Platte County a ticket to the Class 2 State Semifinals, which is a feat only four teams earn.
The Pirates were flawless in districts with three straight sweeps to win the second consecutive district title and hosted Warrensburg in the quarterfinals on May 14. The Tigers made the 90-mile trek to Platte County High School with high hopes and a perfect 15-0 record, leaving with the first defeat of the year, a 5-3 loss.
Warrensburg took control early, winning two of the three doubles matches to lead 2-1 ahead of singles play. Platte County’s No. 1 doubles team earned the win before the next three singles matches belonged to the home team.
Nichols, Hayden Cook and Daniel Bunge all came away with individual wins to push the score to 4-2 with only one victory left for a Class 2 Final Four berth. Paul Havemeier imprinted his name in the record books for the state-clinching singles victory.
Since then, Nichols, Bralley and Cook have encountered state exposure in singles and doubles play. Nichols made it in state singles whereas Bralley and Cook qualified in state doubles, seeing a pair of quarterfinal exits and state medals.
Nichols has been the best player the program has had in the 15-year existence and added a fourth individual state berth to his resume. He walks away with two seventh place state singles finishes – the first being his freshman year – to go with a sixth place finish his junior year.
Kicking his senior state trip at Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield on May 15, Nichols had a 6-2, 6-0 win over Jefferson City’s Arjun Garikapaty. He went on to lose both sets in the quarterfinals to Springfield’s Central’s Joshua Kim and ending his individual high school career with a 6-7 (4), 6-4, 10-4 tiebreaker win over Parkway North’s Phillip Pernik on May 17.
At the same time, juniors Bralley and Cook were back at state in doubles and brought home the program’s second ever state medals in doubles play. Their quarterfinal loss was against the eventual third-place finishers to match up with Rolla’s Cameron Cooper and Owen Kuchar.
The Pirates won that one to move on to two more matches, which ended up being losses. Bralley and Cook walked away with an eighth place finish overall in Class 2 Doubles.
Platte County isn’t done yet, having a draw with Branson (19-7-1) back at the Cooper Tennis Complex on May 24 at 9 a.m. The Pirates will play MICDS (11-3) or Westminster Christian Academy (14-4) in the third place or championship match depending on the results.