Class 5 State Championship: Carthage vs Platte County

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Missouri Class 5 state championship game is set for tonight to decide who will forever be added to the history books of high school football in the state. Platte County put on an offensive show against Kirkwood last week running and throwing the ball to advance to today's game. Carthage handled a talented Cardinal Ritter team at home holding their offense in check for a 20-8 victory. Here is a look at some of the top players to watch for. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PLATTE COUNTY</strong> (13-0)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Key Players:<br>[player_tooltip player_id='849688' first='Rocco' last='Marriott'] (6'4" 212) QB UCF Signee - The field general that directs the Pirates offense and makes it so dangerous with his decision making and distribution of the ball to his talented skill players. He can also call his own number and is a dangerous runner with his 4.5 speed in the open field or with his size and power making it difficult to bring him down after contact. Great arm, great accuracy and touch on his throws. Makes very few mistakes. Has thrown for 3,275 yards and 52 touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes. Has also rushed for an additional 660 yards and 12 more touchdowns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1260478' first='Braiden' last='Stevens'] (5'10" 165) WR Minnesota Signee - Stevens is a blur on the field with his speed and route running ability. He has elite caliber speed and knows how to use it well on the football with with his skills and twitchy athleticism to get open. Add to that his concentration, hands and pass catching ability in traffic or with imperfect throws. He lays out and gets the ball if it's in his general vicinity. What doesn't get talked about enough is his toughness as a player, blocking and what he does without the ball. Defenses need to know where he is at all times. He's playing his final high school game with having over 1,100 yards and 18 touchdowns in his hands in 13 games played.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1127280' first='Adam' last='Gisler'] (5'9" 180) RB Northwest Missouri State Signee - This talented running back can sometimes be overlooked by some with his heavily recruited teammates being recognized so much, but Gisler is one of the most important cogs on in the Pirates offensive machine. His 233 yards rushing on 23 carries for 5 touchdowns against Kirkwood propelled them to the state championship game. Gisler is very fast in his own right and can hit an extra gear to turn the corner and run down the sideline untouched, or take it to the house if he gets into the defensive backfield. What's impressive besides his speed, vision and feet is his toughness and ability to make yards after contact. He's strong and has good power that makes him tough to stop as he keeps his legs turning. Runs hard and is physical which makes him perfect to [ick up short yard downs. Comes into the game having run for over 1,000 yards and 18 touchdowns. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Carlos Baskerville (6'0" 195) LB 2027 - One of the top defenders on a tenacious and physical defense that knows it's assignments and flies to ball. Carlos is a playmaker on defense similar to the offense playmakers for the Pirates. He makes good reads and always seems to be around the ball as evident by him being their leading tackler. His 14 tackles and 2 tackles for loss against Kirkwood helped slow a high powered Pioneer offense in what seemed like a track meet at times. Baskerville is physical with good speed a nose for the ball. He runs well and can drop in pass coverage well, breaks up plays, cause and recover turnovers and is disruptive in the backfield when called up. Heading into tonight's game he has recorded 80 total tackles and 4 sacks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CARTHAGE</strong> (12-1) </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Key Players:<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2060123' first='Zane' last='Browning'] (6'2" 190) QB - A talented dual threat quarterback who has helped propel his team to the state championship. He has good size, runs well and has good speed, but is also a physical runner who picks up yards after contact. He also has a good arm and can get the job done through the air as he did in their win over Ritter rushing for a touchdown and threw for another to lead them to the championship game. Heading into tonight Browning has thrown for over 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns, but has done most of his damage on the ground rushing for 913 yards and 23 more scores.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Landon West</strong> (5'9" 175) RB 2027 - This dual-sport athlete is tough, gritty runner with deceptive speed and the ability to make long runs and big plays as he did in the semifinal game by taking the opening kickoff 93-yards for a touchdown to se the tone for the rest of the game. Landon runs hard between the tackles but is elusive enough to make defenders miss or gain extra yards after contact. Both he and Browning give the Tigers a formidable ground game that can grind it out and keep possessions going. He has rushed for over 1,700 yards and 23 touchdowns in helping lead his offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1127277' first='Landon' last='Bland'] (6'4" 230) DE Oklahoma State signee - Explosive defensive end with speed who is a problem for opponents off the edge and is a disruptive force. He's also athletic enough and runs well enough to drop into coverage or play linebacker and can move around to create mismatches. He also has good strength and can shed blocks with ease and plays well against the run. The future Cowboy has been a leader on defense for the past three years for Carthage and is part of a tough, physical defense. Leads his team in sacks with 6 on the year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jordan Brunnert</strong> (6'1" 210) LB - An all-everything defender who is getting a good amount of college looks after helping lead a stingy defense to the championship game. Brunnert is a playmaker and ball hawk who has a nose for the ball and seems to be involved on every play directly or indirectly. He is physical with good speed and plays sideline to sideline using his quickness and burst to finish. His numbers prove his productivity as one of the anchors of the defense this season. Jordan has recorded 115 total tackles, 6 sacks and 5 fumbles in 13 games this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->