How Platte County’s Pirates overcame QB injury, repeated as state football champs
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- Platte County overcame Marriott’s injury and contested replay calls to win 34-28 OT.
- Adam Gisler’s 98-yard run and 144 rushing yards anchored Platte County’s attack.
- Carthage rallied with long drives and Browning’s runs to force overtime, 28-28.
From the season’s opening kickoff to the final gun, the Platte County High School football team from Platte City was out to run it back in 2025.
The Pirates did just that on Friday night, locking down their second straight Missouri Class 5 state title with a 34-28 overtime victory over Carthage at Spratt Memorial Stadium in St. Joseph — site of this year’s Show-Me Bowl title contests for the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA).
Platte County overcame an injury to senior quarterback Rocco Marriott and two key replay calls to win its 28th straight game overall.
The Pirates (14-0) came in averaging 55 points across their last two postseason outings. They built a 21-7 early in the second quarter, starting with Adam Gisler’s eight-yard touchdown run.
But then Marriott hurt his leg while getting hit on a subsequent seven-yard touchdown run. (His day was not over, however.)
Gisler put the Pirates up by two scores with a 98-yard TD run with 9:15 left in the half. The senior running back piled up a game-high 144 rushing yards Friday.
Carthage (12-2) countered with two scoring drives. The first ended with an apparent fumble into the end zone and a Platte County recovery, but the call was a Carthage TD.
Then the Tigers engineered an 11-play drive that ate up 6:08, capped by a Zane Browning’s one-yard QB keeper. It was 21-all at halftime.
Marriott, who wasn’t as mobile after the injury, nevertheless found senior wideout Tres Baskerville for a pivotal completion late in the third period. Baskerville’s 66-yard TD catch put the Pirates back on top.
The Tigers countered with an 18-play, 70-yard drive that ate 9:41 off the clock and culminated in a TD with under 4 minutes left.
Overtime followed and Platte County struck quickly: Marriott connected with Gisler for a 25-yard TD.
Taking over for its own possession, Carthage initially appeared to fumble it away to Platte County, but replay overturned the call, saying the runner was down before he lost the football.
The call didn’t matter, as the Pirates held on fourth down.
This is the fifth state football championship for Platte County, joining trophies the Pirates won in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2024.
Carthage’s Browning finished with 62 rushing yards and teammate Landon West rushed for 124 and a TD.
2025 Show-Me Bowl schedule/scores
Friday’s championship games
Class 3: Seneca 33, Lift for Life 26
Class 1: Tipton 39, Putnam County 14
Saturday’s championship games
Class 4: Kearney vs. Hannibal, 11 a.m.
Class 2: St. Pius X (Festus) vs. Blair Oaks, 3 p.m.
Class 6: Lee’s Summit vs. Nixa, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published December 6, 2025 at 1:47 PM.