Drew Aggus
Special to the Citizen
The Platte County Pirates, who are ranked No. 6 in the state, beat Park Hill in the championship game of the Panther Classic at Park Hill South High School on Thursday, Oct. 10.
On an unseasonably cold and windy night, the Trojans were held scoreless, as the Pirates won the game 1-0. Platte County remains undefeated, moving to 14-0 on the season with the win, one of the best starts in the school’s history.
The Pirates coach, Ashlyn Brantley, believed in her team, as they took the tournament title in their first ever appearance in the championship of the Panther Classic.
“I know that the guys wanted it,” Brantley said. “It’s big time to come to this tournament and to make the final and to win the final.”
The Pirates’ only goal of the night came from junior Joey Habel, who got the shot off right in front of the goal in the 23rd minute.
DREW AGGUS/Special to the Citizen
Park Hill’s Logan Gear (left) and Platte County’s Joey Habel (center) goes up for a header during the championship game of the Panther Classic on Thursday, Oct. 10 in Riverside.
“Joey was in the right place at the right time and had an awesome shot to finish it,” Brantley said.
Ian Lang gets credit for shutting out the Trojans, making some pretty impressive saves along the way.
Overall, the Pirates entire defense held strong and made some important stops down the stretch.
“We played good defense; they were pressuring us a lot, especially toward the end, but we were able to keep our defense intact and work together to get it out,” Brantley said. “At first, we came out, and we were a little frantic, and then, we started playing how we needed to play to win.”
Platte County players, including sophomore Luke Bunge, thought that winning this tournament was essential.
“We have the next half of our season coming up, and we’re looking to make a long run, so it gives us a lot of confidence in the next part of the season,” Bunge said. “I think it’s really important for us.”
With the Pirates season ending in the first round of districts last year, being undefeated two months into the season was not something that was expected. Brantley is happy, along with the rest of the team, but she said that the team is trying to take it one game at a time and not get too ahead of themselves.
However, Bunge said that he and his teammates are pretty pumped heading into the second half of the season with an unblemished record.
“At the beginning of the year, we weren’t expecting to make it this far with an undefeated record,” Bunge said. “We’re really excited.”
Other games
Park Hill 3, Smithville 1
In the Trojans’ second game of the Panther Classic, they managed to hold off the Smithville Warriors 3-1 on Tuesday, Oct. 8.
The Trojans were led by Matt Lachowitzer, Brandon Chatham and Cameron Caldwell, who each scored a goal in the victory.
Winning this game punched Park Hill’s ticket to the championship game, where they eventually lost to the undefeated Platte County Pirates.
Platte County 4, Fort Osage 1
Platte County’s second game of the Panther Classic was held on Tuesday, Oct. 8, where they defeated the Indians of Fort Osage.
The winning effort for the Pirates was led by Carter Hays, Chase Peterson, Tanner Ride and Nathan Macaluso, who each recorded one goal in the game. Grant Allen and Peterson also earned one assist apiece on the night.
Winning this game made Platte County the top team in their pool, which placed them in the championship match against Park Hill – a match that the Pirates would end up winning.
Park Hill South 8, Fort Osage 0
After losing a heartbreaker against Platte County in their first game of the Panther Classic, Park Hill South bounced back in their second game, blowing out Fort Osage 8-0 on Wednesday, Oct. 9.
Evan Oathout earned a hat trick for the Panthers, scoring two goals in the first half and one goal in the second. Mudia Reuben scored two goals, as well, and Jacob Garza, Lucas Crane and Grant English each scored one goal. English and Josh Ketchmark each recorded two assists, while Garza recorded one.
The Panthers’ defense was solid all night, not allowing a single shot on goal.
Park Hill South 3, North Kansas City 1
In the third-place game of the Panther Classic, tournament host Park Hill South defeated the North Kansas City Hornets on Thursday, Oct. 10.
Carson Simmons scored a goal for the Panthers at the end of the first half, but the Hornets tied it up just before halftime. In the last 10 minutes of regulation, Mudia Reuben and Carson Owen each scored a goal to put the Panthers up by two and take the win.
Platte County 2, Grandview 0
The Pirates picked up a solid road win, beating the Grandview Bulldogs on Monday, Oct. 14.
Calvin Forrester and Aaron Cordova recorded one goal each in the victory with Chase Peterson and Tanner Ride each chipping in an assist.
Credit for shutting out the Bulldogs goes to goalkeeper Ian Lang.
Raymore-Peculiar 4, Park Hill 2
The Trojans dropped a tough game on the road against the Raymore-Peculiar Panthers on Monday, Oct. 14.
Ray-Pec led 3-2 at the half and scored another goal 15 minutes in to the second half, creating a deficit that would be too large for the Trojans to overcome.
Austin Favela scored a goal for the Trojans, and Cameron Caldwell converted on a PK to give Park Hill two goals on the night.
Park Hill South 1, Staley 0
The Panthers won a double-overtime nail-biter against the Staley Falcons on Monday, Oct. 14.
In the 100th minute, sophomore Mudia Reuben scored the game-winning goal.
Cade Meek and Noah Reuscher were the goalkeepers who were able to shutout the Falcons.
Up Next
Platte County: The unbeaten Pirates will host the Winnetonka Griffins on Tuesday, Oct. 15 and the Smithville Warriors on Thursday, Oct. 17.
Park Hill: The Trojans will play a home-and-home series with Lee’s Summit North, playing at Park Hill on Tuesday, Oct. 15 and at Lee’s Summit North on Monday, Oct. 21.
Park Hill South: The Panthers will travel to Independence to take on the Truman Patriots on Wednesday, Oct. 16 before returning home to host Liberty on Monday, Oct. 21.