For the second straight week Platte County's lucky number was one.
After Raymore-Peculiar's Luke Grimm picked off a pass and returned it for the score to give the visitors a 35-28 lead with just 44 seconds left, Platte County came up with some heroics of their own.
As the final seconds ticked off clock, Pirate quarterback Spencer Stewart zigzagged his way into the end zone making it a one-point game. The Pirates then made the gutsy call to go for two. The decision paid off as Stewart hit Brice Bertram for the two-point conversion and the 36-35 win over Ray-Pec (3-4).
"It says a lot about these kids to come out and put a drive like that together," Platte County head coach Bill Utz said. "As soon as we were in that spot we knew we were going to go for two. They (Ray-Pec) came back on us and have great kicker so it was the only way to do it. Our kids play hard, do what we ask them to do and make big plays when they need to."
The first quarter was all Platte County with the Pirates building a double-digit lead.
With 8:50 left in the first quarter, Stewart threw a seven-yard pass to Bertram to put Platte County on top 7-0.
Pirates' running back Adel Freitek broke free on a 60-yard run which set up Stewart’s second TD pass of the night. Dayton Mitchell’s touchdown reception with 3:18 to go in the first gave the hosts a 14-0 lead.
Ray-Pec remained within striking distance on a 86-yard TD bomb from Grant Miller to Grimm with just over two minutes to play in the half to make it 14-7.
Grimm started the second half like he ended the first with another big play. The Panther senior returned the opening kickoff of the second half 83 yards and then came up with his second touchdown of the night to tie the game at 14, just over one minute into the third quarter.
Platte County responded with a 17-yard pass from Stewart to Dylan Gilbert to take a 21-14 lead, heading into the fourth.
The Pirates pushed the lead back to 14 on Stewart’s fourth TD pass of the night, a 14-yard strike to Gilbert, with 6:47 left in the game.
Ray-Pec wouldn’t go away quietly as the Panthers made it a one-score game on a three-yard touchdown run by Brandon Rayos with 5:32 to play.
Ray-Pec tied the game with less than two minutes to go on another Rayos rushing touchdown.
Platte County (6-1) was led by Stewart's 301 yards passing, Freitek's
210 yards on the ground and Gilbert, who had 9 receptions for 138 yards and two scores. The Pirates will travel to Winnetonka next week.
The Panthers, who host Lees Summit North next week, were paced by Conrad Hawley's 174 yards and Je'Von Williams' five catches for 144 yards.
For more photos of this game go to toddnugent.net
