With everyone gathered in the Fieldhouse, senior Rocco Marriott was named the 2025 Thomas A. Simone player of the year. From student athletes, to alumni and past award winners gathered to celebrate the 43rd Simone Award Ceremony, Platte County was this year’s host as the location of the ceremony is decided by the winner of the Simone.
Marriott is the first Pirate to win the Simone award, the highest award for high school football in the Kansas City metro. Alongside the Thomas A. Simone award, the Otis Taylor, Frank Fontana, Bobby Bell, Buck Buchanan, Maloney, Gordon Docking, Nathan Stiles Inspiration, Eric Driskell and Interscholastic/KCAL League awards were also handed out.
Marriott and senior Braiden Stevens were nominated and won two of those, being the Thomas A. Simone and the Otis Taylor award, with both athletes also making the All-Simone 2025 team with the addition of senior Jack Utz.
Student athlete nominees of each award from schools all around the KC Metro were present at the awards ceremony, including Kearney, Lee’s Summit, Liberty, Liberty North, Smithville, Olathe West, Rockhurst, St. James Academy, Warrensburg, Bishop Miege, North Kansas City, Park Hill, St. Pius X, Blue Springs South, Mill Valley, Piper, Richmond, and Odessa.
This ceremony came just a few days after the Pirates won back-to-back state championships with the longest win streak for high school football in state history, as well as multiple individual achievements.
During the championship, senior Adam Gisler broke the record for longest touchdown run in a Missouri State Championship game. Earlier in the season Marriott became the eighth quarterback in Missouri 11-man football history to reach 100 passing touchdowns, and this morning became the first player from Platte County to earn the Thomas A. Simone Award.
This is not the end of the road for these pirates, with six so far being committed to continue into college. This includes Marriott and senior Brooks Hall committed to the University of Central Florida, Utz committed to Kansas University, Braiden Stevens committed to the University of Minnesota, Cale Buntz committed to South Dakota State, and Adam Gisler committed to Northwest Missouri State.
