Amanda Sullivan
Special to the Citizen
Platte County football ended the previous season 11-3 with a quarterback who averaged 257.1 yards per game and a kicker who converted 60 of 61 extra point attempts. Both graduated in May and are continuing their football careers in college as walk-ons.
Tanner Clarkson went just north to St. Joseph, Missouri to play at Missouri Western State University. Parker Lacina took the trip three hours south to Missouri State University.
“Parker was a four-year letter winner, four-year starter and very decorated in his career,” Bill Utz, head coach of Platte County football, said. “He’s been in our program a long time — it feels like forever — and he’s made a huge impact. Tanner, at quarterback, had a situation where he pretty much didn’t get a chance to start until his senior year simply because he was behind some good players.”
Clarkson spent over half of his career at Platte County playing JV ball and sitting on the bench for varsity. During his junior year, standout QB Justin Mitchell injured his shoulder and sat out for the rest of the season. Clarkson stepped up and took over the role.
KAITLYN STRATMAN/Special to the Citizen
Missouri State kicker Parker Lacina, a 2018 graduate from Platte County High School, earned a starting spot as a walk-on. He is shown here kicking against Lincoln on Thursday, Aug. 30.
According to MaxPreps, Clarkson played three games and averaged 32.3 yards per game.
“Personally, I think Missouri Western got a tremendous deal by being able to get him at their school,” Utz said.
With Mitchell’s injury junior year, Clarkson got a chance to play, but he spent the first two and a half years waiting patiently for his chance to play. He will probably do some waiting as well with the Griffons, who have six other quarterbacks on their roster — three that are freshmen, including Clarkson. Utz’s said Clarkson’s mindset that was built in high school will transfer well into his time at Missouri Western.
“Tanner is a special athlete in the sense that a lot of people in his situation … would not play, and he stuck with us,” Utz said. “I think Missouri Western is a tremendous fit for him.”
Lacina, however, had a different story. Lacina played on the varsity team all four years of his high school career. As a kicker and a punter, he spent a lot of time in that specialty position.
Lacina had 36 punts for a total of 1,287 yards and 12 of 14 field goal attempts made during his senior season. Utz believes Lacina’s ability as a kicker and a punter was appealing to college coaches compared to players who can either kick or punt but can’t do both.
“His position is definitely a practiced skill,” Utz said. “It’s one where he can continue to get better and improve on. The great think about Parker is that he is very talented. He has tremendously strong legs and excellent accuracy to the point where I think he could be an excellent college kicker.”
Lacina joined Missouri State’s football team as a preferred walk on. Even before the possibility of football, Lacina knew his short list included the Division I school. Not only is the distance ideal, the idea of going to a mid-major school eased the idea of going to a school that wouldn’t be too big.
“I chose Missouri State, obviously, for football, but also because that’s where my mom went,” Lacina said. “It’s just the best fit for me.”
Missouri State played its first game at Oklahoma State on Aug. 30, losing 58-17.
Lacina got his first college start in the kicking position in Stillwater, converting two extra points and a field goal.
“I’ve really come to love all the guys and it’s an awesome team and an awesome atmosphere,” Lacina said.
Both Clarkson and Lacina will spend four years at universities continuing their football and academic careers. Utz sees both as having unique opportunities because of the ability to walk on at a university and play the sport they love.
“(They’re) both excellent players,” Utz said. “They’re both very different, which kind of goes with football. But (they’re) two very different players in a sense of their history with the program, but they both made a huge impact when they had the opportunity.”