An electric start sparked Platte County to an emphatic victory against one of its biggest adversaries.
The Pirates delivered a dominant performance out of the gate and never looked back on their way to a 29-0 victory against North Kansas City on Friday night. Platte County scored on four of its five first-half possessions, including two touchdown passes from quarterback Jared Parsons, and toppled a state-ranked Hornets’ team in the process.
“The start was huge and especially against a team that good,” Platte County coach Bill Utz said. “We’ve got to come out and put together a start like that in order to be successful.
“I thought our kids came out and played very well, knowing how good North Kansas City is.”
In a matchup of district rivals, the Pirates (3-1) wasted no time gaining the early advantage. Platte County forced a stop on defense and then marched right down the field to open the scoring when Parsons connected with a wide-open Nate Walls for a 20-yard touchdown pass.
Platte County’s defense only solidified the lead when Cade Fowler and Dylan Mitchell came up with interceptions on the next two defensive possessions, fueling the Pirates’ momentum.
“It changed the whole game,” Platte County linebacker Trevor Scott said. “After that first interception, the sides were flipped. We put some points on the board, and they shut down the first half.”
Sure enough, the Pirates added to their advantage when Parsons tossed his second touchdown to Tristan Magnuson early in the second quarter, making it a 14-0 game. Pirates’ kicker Cole Rhoden would connect on two field goals of 27 and 46 yards in the second half to extend Platte County’s lead.
By halftime, Platte County had limited the Hornets to just 49 yards of total offense and two first downs, and Parsons said the entire team benefitted from the successful first half.
“It was really important,” Parsons said. “I felt like we came out ready to roll this week, and it helps to have an amazing defense on our side, shutting them out. It was big.”
The Pirates’ defense never allowed North Kansas City’s quick-strike offense to get going during the second half, and Parsons led two more scoring drives in the fourth quarter to extend the lead.
Rhoden kicked his third field goal early in the fourth quarter, and then Walls ran it in from 7 yards out to provide the final margin. In the process, Platte County posted its first shutout of the year, and the team hasn’t allowed a defensive touchdown since Week 1.
Parsons finished with 173 yards on 11-for-22 passing and two touchdowns, as Carter Saltzman led the team with 101 receiving yards on six receptions. In addition to his receiving touchdown, Walls went for 69 yards on 15 carries (both season highs) as part of a balanced offense that only seems to improve by the week.
“I feel like we’re really starting to evolve, and everything’s starting to click,” Parsons said. “We have threats all over the field, I feel like, and I’m confident that all my boys can go make a play.”
Meanwhile, North Kansas City put together a couple of sustained drives early in the second half but was unable to grab back the momentum the rest of the way. Running back J’Len Friar ran for 83 yards on 15 carries, and quarterback JJ Johnson threw for 69 yards on 10-for-20 passing.
The Hornets did have some success defensively with three sacks, including one each from Jaden Browning and Edric Hill, and nine tackles for loss. But North Kansas City (2-2) couldn’t find the big play it needed to swing the momentum in its favor.
Utz said the first half was probably the best football Platte County has played all season and was glad to see the entire team step up to the challenge against a team that is likely to match up against the Pirates during Class 5 postseason play.
“We knew coming in that it was a big seeding game for districts, which plays a huge role,” Utz said. “It does give us a little bit of confidence, but at the same time, we know we’ve got to continue to get better.”
