Platte County’s 2-time defending champ football coach takes job across state line
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- Bill Utz retires after 18 years at Platte County to coach Lansing High.
- Utz led Platte to a 158-62 record, back-to-back Class 5 titles and 28-game win streak.
- Defensive coordinator Eric Mitchell is expected to follow Utz to Lansing, Kansas.
The architect of Platte County football’s back-to-back high school state championships is stepping down as head coach ... and crossing the state line for his next challenge.
Bill Utz, the Pirates’ head coach for the past 18 years, has retired and will start a new chapter as head coach at Lansing High in Kansas.
Utz told The Star that Platte County defensive coordinator Eric Mitchell is expected to join him.
“An opportunity arose that I looked into, and it was a situation that’s really good for myself, my family,” Utz said.
Utz led the Pirates to a 158-62 record during his tenure and was honored as Missouri’s Class 5 Coach of the Year for the past two seasons. Platte County has gone undefeated the past two years en route to MSHSAA championships.
Platte County also appeared in the Class 4 state championship game in 2019 and Class 5 title game in 2020.
The Pirates currently own the state’s longest active winning streak — 28 straight — after beating Carthage 34-28 in overtime to clinch their repeat title in December. The program has produced a number of Division I prospects in college football, including Utz’s son, Jack, who is a freshman tight end at Kansas.
Utz said he is proud of the program he led and the community that supports it. Now, he looks forward to being part of a new community in Lansing.
“Sometimes we look at all wins and losses and look at championships,” he said, “but high school sports is so much more than that.
“Developing a community, a sense of community, and a school, having a team that a community can be proud of — just making a difference in a lot of young people’s lives. (This is a t)remendous opportunity for that. And obviously success is important, but at the same time, there’s so much more to it.”
