The Platte County football team will be under new leadership next season for the first time in nearly two decades. On Jan. 29, Platte County head football coach Bill Utz told his team of his intention to step down from his position as head coach of the Pirates. On Feb. 2, the move became official as the Lansing Board of Education approved the hiring of Utz as Lansing High School’s next head football coach.

The Park Hill girls basketball team earned a hard-fought road win against Platte County on Jan. 29, never letting an early lead slip as they won 35-27.

Platte County High School welcomed teams from 15 schools for the 54th annual Platte County Wrestling Invitational at Pirates Fieldhouse on Jan. 23.

The margin never felt safe, and by the time the final relay climbed onto the blocks, the outcome was still very much in doubt. Platte County did just enough to withstand a late surge from Park Hill, edging the Trojans 92-88 in a tightly contested girls swimming dual meet on Jan. 20 at the Park Hill Aquatic Center. The Pirates led wire to wire, but the gap narrowed repeatedly as Park Hill answered nearly every push with one of its own, turning the meet into a tug-of-war that came down to the final event.

There may not be another girls basketball team in the Greater KC White Division that has faced as much of a daunting non-conference schedule as Platte County.

Park Hill South continued to separate itself from the rest of the metro field Jan. 16-17, capturing the KC Classic title at the Gladstone Community Center as they added yet another tournament title entering the final stretch of the season.

Platte County’s girls swimming and diving team turned in a strong all-around performance on Jan. 6, hosting a multi-school meet in Platte City and piling up points across nearly every event.

Platte County wrestling enters the new season with a blend of proven postseason pedigree, rising depth and a clear standard.

The defending conference champion Platte County girls swim team has their eyes set on another conference title, but they hope to do so by adding a unique community-focused tradition to their home swim meets.

While the Platte County boys basketball team only graduated five seniors from last year’s team, they return just three players for the 2025-26 season.

Platte County’s girls basketball team came within a couple of buckets of a first district championship in 16 years last season. They will need some in-season development to get another shot this season.

Local high school wrestlers from Platte County, Park Hill and Park Hill South took to the mats Dec. 18-20 for the annual KC Stampede Wrestling Tournament, which was hosted at Hale Arena in the American Royal Center in Kansas City’s West Bottoms.

The Platte County boys basketball team fell to its third consecutive defeat on Dec. 19, losing 50-47 against William Chrisman at Pirate Fieldhouse.

Platte County High School was much more vibrant than it had ever been on a surprisingly pleasant December morning last week. There was more than just students, teachers, staff and administrators on campus on Tuesday, Dec. 9. There were parents and families, joined by elite athletes of past and present, capped off by the appearance of Super Bowl IV winner and Pro Football Hall of Famer Bobby Bell.

Nothing could remove the Platte County Pirates from their throne at the summit of MSHSAA Class 5. The Pirates cemented their place in history on Friday, Dec. 5, defeating Carthage 34-28 in overtime to claim their second consecutive Class 5 state championship on the campus of Missouri Western State University. With the victory, Platte County completed another undefeated season and lifted the fifth state title in program history in front of a packed Spratt Stadium listed at a capacity of 7,200.

The Park Hill South girls basketball team are champions of the Winnetonka Tournament Cardinal Division for the first time since 2021, defeating district rival Park Hill in the championship game on Dec. 5.

Prior to celebrating a second consecutive state title, Platte County celebrated six senior football standouts who signed to play at the collegiate level on Dec. 3 at Platte County High School.

For the second straight year — and the seventh time this century — the Platte County Pirates are headed to the state title game after overpowering Kirkwood 64–35 in a semifinal victory on Nov. 28 in suburban St. Louis.

The Platte County football team delivered in the clutch once again in a playoff thriller on Nov. 21, riding a seven-touchdown outburst from senior quarterback Rocco Marriott with junior linebacker Hank Fowler forcing a pair of late turnovers to outlast Grain Valley 46–33 in a rainy state quarterfinal win that featured five lead changes and more than 800 yards of offense.

For the first two quarters, Platte County looked nothing like the team that had dominated its schedule the past two seasons. The Pirates stumbled through an uncharacteristically flat first half while Rockhurst seized its opportunity to take the lead into halftime. But the top seed’s fortune — and urgency — flipped after halftime as Platte County mounted a determined comeback to defeat No. 2-seeded Rockhurst 29-22 on Nov. 14 and claim a second straight Class 5 District 8 crown.

In perhaps the most challenging matchup all season long for Platte County, the Pirates still managed another blowout victory in a 42-0 Class 5 District 8 semifinal triumph against No. 4-seeded St. Pius X.

Led by four all-district finishers and a balanced team effort, the Park Hill South boys cross country team punched its ticket back to the Class 5 MSHSAA Championships with a fourth-place finish on Nov. 1 at the District 4 meet held at Lee’s Summit North High School.

A night of much frustration for Platte County’s boys soccer team ended with jubilation after Ian Matthews scored the sudden-death goal in double overtime on Oct. 15 against William Chrisman.

Platte County star senior quarterback Rocco Marriott joined an exclusive club of eight 11-man football members in Missouri by throwing his 100th career touchdown on Oct. 17 in the Pirates’ senior night 70-6 demolition of Ruskin.

Platte County reasserted its doubles dominance in the Class 2 District 4 girls tennis tournament held on Oct. 10 at Platte County High School.

Park Hill’s Makenna Kincheloe won conference and was among the area girls golf teams to compete in their respective conference and district tournaments.

The stands of Pirate Stadium were packed to see top-ranked Class 5 juggernaut Platte County showcase yet another dominant performance on homecoming as they extended their winning streak to 20 games, defeating No. 6-ranked Class 4 power Smithville 49-7.

The Platte County softball team is looking to build some momentum going into the final stretch of the regular season.

It was a slow start to the 2025 season for Platte County’s boys soccer team, but an offensive splurge briefly pushed them over .500 for the first time since 2023.

The 2025 volleyball season has gotten off to a challenging start for Platte County, but the challenges have presented opportunities for progress heading into the final month of the regular season.