A brotherhood. This is how the Platte County Football team has described themselves as they approach playoffs, starting with a game at home against St. Pius on Friday, Nov. 7.
There has been more on the line for the Pirates this season than any other. Coming off of an undefeated season, with 83 touchdowns including the 7 that were scored at the state championship, ultimately bringing home the win 49-14 against Helias Catholic; this season the bar has definitely been raised.
“Pressure Is A Privilege” has been the motto for this season, alongside “32.5”, representing the distance in miles to Missouri Western’s stadium, the location of this year’s championship. This was debuted on the football hype video created by Jack Utz, posted on the PCHS Sports Marketing Instagram account.
“I would say it’s more of a blessing to have high pressure and high expectations,” senior Rocco Marriott said. “As for the team, we try not to think about the expectations and just go game by game.”
The team agrees that there is a lot of pressure on them to perform, hence this year’s motto.
“Having that accountability, almost to work harder and to prove that we deserve all the hype,” senior Cole Johnson said.
Rest assured, “Rocco and The Boys” have indeed performed this season as the Pirates head into the playoffs for the second year in a row, undefeated in the regular season. The boys have come out energetic and dominant in the first half of each game, scoring nearly every possession, averaging around 57 points per game.
“The challenge has been really the same challenge all year: go out and play to where we want to be and the standard we want to play at. And they’ve done that,” Utz said in an interview to PC Preps Extra with Ross Martin. “We haven’t had a situation yet where I feel like we’ve played to another team’s standard. I’m definitely happy with that. The competitive nature of these kids comes out, and it’s fun to watch.”
This dominance seen within the team can only be the result of one important factor: chemistry. The bond of a team can be seen through their performance on the field, and the brotherhood formed behind the scenes of this team has definitely had an impact.
“I honestly think the upperclassmen shape the environment, like all of them are nice guys that help you whenever you need,” sophomore Caleb Hill said. “It’s just really like one big family. Honestly, it’s just like having big brothers.”
As quarterback, Marriott feels the position has made him a better leader on and off the field, and led the initiative to help the team become one strong unit.
“We’re all really good friends, so we hang out outside the school too, and practice,” Marriott said. “Just kind of building our chemistry, all the time.”
This season is far from over for the Pirates, with many having high hopes for a second state championship. After having a bye-week and holding first seed position, the Pirates tonight face St. Pius as the first game of the post-season. With a win probability of 96% (on3 stats), the Pirates are hungry for this victory in order to advance further into the playoffs.
