Carthage falls to Platte County in state title game
It went into overtime, but Platte County came out on top of a 34-28 decision against Carthage in the Class 5 state title game on Friday in St. Joseph.
The win is the second straight Show Me Bowl victory for the Pirates (14-0). The Tigers finished the season with a 12-2 record.
Platte County opened the scoring on the first drive with a 8-yard rushing score by RB Adam Gisler with 9:16 left in the first quarter.
Carthage answered back on its first drive with a short-yardage score by RB Landon West to tie the game at 7-7 with 3:08 left in the first period.
The Pirates jumped back out in front when QB Rocco Marriott scrambled for a 7-yard touchdown and a 14-7 lead with 1:27 left in the first quarter.
Carthage punted on its next drive before Platte County used a big play to go up two scores. Gisler took the handoff in the end zone and bounced outside before breaking off a 98-yard touchdown run with 9:15 left in the first half for a 21-7 lead. The touchdown run is the longest in Show Me Bowl history.
Carthage cut the score to one possession after QB Zane Browning found WR Tate Nichols for a 48-yard deep ball before being downed inside the 5-yard line. Browning fumbled the next carry into the end zone before WR Malachi Dougless recovered it for a touchdown to make the score 21-14.
Carthage used a surprise onside kick to regain possession and made the most of it. The Tigers tied the game up just ahead of the intermission when Browning kept it and absorbed contact at the 2-yard line, spun and kept churning on the way to a touchdown on 4th-and-goal from less than a yard away to make the score 21-21 with 1:39 left in the first half.
Platte County took the lead late in the third quarter when Marriott found WR Tres Baskerville over the middle, who sprinted away from everyone on the way to a 55-yard touchdown and a 28-21 lead with 1:47 on the clock.
The Tigers clawed back to tie the game at 28s with four minutes to play when Browning scored from 8 yards out on the keeper to ultimately send the game into overtime.
On the first play of overtime, Marriott scrambled before finding Gisler over the middle, who knifed his way to a 25-yard touchdown. The extra-point, however, was blocked to keep the margin at six points.
On Carthage’s possession, the Tigers were facing a 4th-and-2 when Browning faked a jet sweep handoff and was pressured with his pass falling incomplete to end the game with a turnover-on-downs.
STATS
West finished with 36 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown, while Browning rushed 20 times for 69 yards and two touchdowns.