Thanks to a perfect 3-0 outing last week, the Platte County boys’ tennis team has officially won seven straight matches.
Platte County’s #1 Gavin Nichols went undefeated in both singles in doubles in the Pirates three matches last week.
Sitting at 7-1 at the midway point of the spring, the Pirates have their longest winning streak since they started off 12-0 in 2018. Since losing the season opener to Blue Springs South, Platte County has not been defeated in regular season play.
For the third straight regular season matchup, Platte County defeated Kearney on April 11. The Pirates won 8-1, with the only loss being in the #1 doubles.
“Doubles play was very competitive, as the Bulldogs came out really strong and won at #1 and came close at #3, but once the Pirates settled down in singles play, they comfortably secured an 8-1 win,” Platte County head boys’ tennis coach Zach Keith said. “The most exciting moment in the match was when sophomore Jack Bralley won in a tiebreaker at #4 singles.
Bralley and Jaron Cook won their doubles match 8-6 for the only other competitive win on the day. Kearney and Platte County are both in the same district, so this was a big win in the grand scheme of things for the Pirates.
The Pirates’ most competitive victory of the spring came against Staley on April 12. With both teams being around since the 2008-09 season, Platte County now holds an 8-4 margin over Staley after the 5-4 triumph.
“Although there were plenty of things to criticize about the performance today, the big takeaway was their ability to secure two out of three doubles matches, which proved to be the difference on a day when singles struggled. After winning at #2 and #3 doubles, there were some tense moments in singles play,” Keith said.
Gavin Nichols and Mason McBratney – along with Bralley and Cook – had comfortable outings in doubles play, while Jack Forrest and Nathan Vanek lost 8-6. Bralley and Forrest lost the first two singles matches to put the Falcons up 3-2.
Nichols trailed Staley’s #1 Liam Colebank 6-3 but made a comeback to win 8-6. McBratney was in control of his match, defeating Tyler Bower 8-3 and Vanek beat John Tarpley 8-1.
Platte County capped the week off with a 6-3 win over Park Hill on April 14. The Pirates won two of the three doubles matches to start the day off strong, including a 9-8 (7-4) win in the #1 match.
“Before the match, I challenged the guys to really step up against a quality opponent. We didn’t play our best against Staley or Kearney, and I wanted them to go into the weekend with good energy and positive mindsets moving forward. I was proud of the way we played; this was a fun, competitive match,” Keith said.
Park Hill freshman Drew Miller and sophomore Will Poole were the only Trojans to win in singles, taking down Bralley 8-3 and beating McBratney 8-5, respectively. Nichols snuck past Park Hill junior Tristan Houchin 8-6 to not only help secure the Platte County victory, but also closed the week out with a perfect 6-0 record, winning all three of his singles matches and all three of his doubles matches.
“After battling some injuries and just not really playing his best tennis last week in the Branson Tournament, Gavin Nichols played great tennis all week and showed why he’s one of the best players – if not the best player – in the Northland. He was our only guy to go undefeated on the week, and we needed that from him, especially against Staley and Park Hill,” Keith said.