Worth County took down Platte Valley 34-30 in the rematch of the first game of the season as Hayden Sanders threw for over 170 yards and used a late drive to get over the top after they had lost the lead. The game was Coach Johnnie Silkett’s last game; minutes from one of the area board meetings mentioned his resignation, and after the game, Silkett confirmed to the Express that he was done coaching.
Silkett was a runningback for King City back when they were playing 11 man football. After graduating, he coached several places, including Union Star, where he coached the Smith brothers in the late 1980’s, when the Trojans had a competitive teams. He later started the Pattonsburg football program, coaching their first junior high team. After he retired as superintendent of South Nodaway, there was a groundswell of support for him to coach Platte Valley football after Cree Beverlin left to go to Worth County. Silkett had instant success with Platte Valley, turning around a program that had been a doormat into a perennial contender.
After North Nodaway and West Nodaway’s football cooperative broke up, North Nodaway joined the Platte Valley football cooperative while West Nodaway formed the Nodaway Valley cooperative with Nodaway-Holt, creating one of the biggest rivalry games in this area, and Platte Valley used its first victory in the series to propel itself into a major contender year in and year out.
Worth County struggled to put anything together in its 12-6 loss to Platte Valley to start the year. They struggled to get any of the offensive punch that they normally have in the first few games of the season. They were 2-2 going into the game with St. Joseph Christian, and were in danger of falling to 2-3 and having their season spiral out of control. But they made a late defensive stand against the Lions to salvage that game and they have been on the rise ever since. The emergence of a passing game, nonexistent through the first five games, meant that teams could no longer load the box against them. They lost Brayden Stevens in the Albany loss, but Jude Archer got a key pick in the Christian game and worked his way into the Tiger backfield. When Stevens came back for the Princeton game, that made Worth County stronger.
Meanwhile, Platte Valley battled injuries throughout the year, with fullback and defensive stopper Leland Otto, speed merchant Mason Casner, and sparkplug Keagan Etter all going down. But Blaine Clements emerged as a force on both sides of the ball, and Platte Valley still had its mammoth line, anchored by Andy Mattson and Landon Wiederholt. Ridge Clements, who stepped in as quarterback this year, evolved from being a game manager in the first game with Worth County to a running and passing threat in his own right. And Dylan Klamm, Lucky Ferry, and Jayden Strum all kept up the hard-nosed running that has been characteristic of the Platte Valley team. They suffered a forgettable loss to Nodaway Valley, but they turned right around and beat Rock Port in the last regular season game of the year to set up a three way tie for the Highway 275 title.
Worth County will now play Albany, which beat King City 54-30 Friday and will have Elliot Mercer back at full strength. King City had some early success against Albany, but as the game progressed, Mercer carried the Warriors on his shoulders and got 180 yards on the ground, and Albany was able to pull away for the win.
Platte Valley got the ball to start off the game and tried to establish their running game, but after getting a first down, a botched handoff exchange was fumbled and Carter Chapman pounced on it at the Platte Valley 28. Platte Valley loaded the box to stop the run, holding Worth County to three yards in two plays. But then Worth County aired it out to Karson Briner for 25 yards with 9:17 left and he caught the extra point pass to put Worth County up 8-0.
Dylan Klamm made a diving grab at the Worth County 30 for a 25 yard gain, but then another fumbled exchange set them back. Klamm got dropped by Lucas Frisch for a loss. A screen pass fooled nobody and Ridge Clements scrambled back to the line of scrimmage. Finally, Sawyer Thurman broke up a pass on fourth down and the Tigers got the ball back on downs. But they couldn’t get anywhere either as they fell back into their bad habits from earlier in the year, picking up four penalties in one series and getting moved all the way back to the 19 where they faced fourth and 36.
Worth County stopped Platte Valley again, but on the ensuing kick, Platte Valley lined up as though to go for it before kicking it. As the return man was scrambling to get back, Platte Valley drilled it off of him and was able to pounce on it at the Tiger 20. That gave them new life, and they used seven plays, all on the ground, along with an offsides penalty, to move the ball into the end zone. Ridge Clements took it to the house with 10:37 left in the second and ran in the extra points out of the swinging gate to tie it up at 8-8.
Justin Miller dropped Landon Wilmes for a loss to put Worth County behind the sticks, and they were forced to punt again. Ethan Lininger dropped Ridge Clements for a loss, but then a helmet to helmet hit gave Platte Valley the ball on the Tiger 33. Two carries by Dylan Klamm got it to the 24 before a false start put Platte Valley back to the 29. Ridge Clements tried a power sweep, but ran into Carter Chapman and Bo Collins got pressure on Clements the next play, forcing him to throw it away.
Worth County still could not get anything going, as a botched screen led to a tackle for loss by Lucky Ferry. Kicker Wyatt Hill came under a heavy rush as Platte Valley went for the block, but he got away a great kick that landed at the Platte Valley 11. Platte Valley got seven yards on its next two plays, but a false start set up third and eight and Clements reversed his field on a keeper, but was tackled four yards short of the first down at the 17 with 1:05 left. Platte Valley got off a great kick and Worth County was pinned deep at their own 19.
Two carries by Hayden Sanders picked up 16 yards to the 35, but a lot of time went off the clock and the Tigers were down to 27 seconds. Finally, Karson Briner made a juggling catch at the Platte Valley 25 and Worth County was able to get the ball spiked with 16 seconds left in the half. Worth County aired it out to Lucas Frisch, who grabbed it in the end zone for a score despite a defender hanging on, and Worth County was up 14-8 at the half.
The fact that Worth County would get the ball to start the second half meant they would have a chance to go up two scores.
Worth County started the second half at their own 28, and Landon Wilmes immediately started finding daylight. He got a sweep for six yards to the 34, then cut back for 18 to the 28. He got a block from Karson Briner to the 18, but then the Platte Valley defense started to tighten up as Justin Miller met him for no gain. Landon Wilmes picked up five more yards to the 13 as he got blocks from Bo Collins and Lucas Frisch, but then Adam Mattson tackled him short of the first down to set up fourth and one. But Worth County turned to Hayden Sanders, and he got a block from Ethan Lininger and muscled his way to the seven for a first down. Wilmes outran two defenders to the house with 8:29 to put Worth County up 20-8.
But then Platte Valley woke up and Dylan Klamm moved a pile 10 yards to the Platte Valley 35 after they got the ball at their own 25. They put in a pair of fresh legs in Jayden Strum, and they were able to establish a quick hitter that took the heat off Klamm. Strum picked up six on a quick hitter and then Dylan Klamm picked up three to the 36. Another quick hitter from Strum got a first down at the 33. Strum picked up two more to the 31, and that set up a pass play and a diving catch by Justin Miller to the 18. From there, Ridge Clements carried out a perfect fake handoff into the line, and that fooled everyone as he found nothing but daylight to cut the Platte Valley deficit to 20-14.
But a long return by Brayden Stevens, set up by a block from Lucas Frisch, put the Tigers in good field position at the 40. They tried to go back to Landon Wilmes, and they had initial success as he got a block from Carter Chapman to the 35. But then Wilmes only got 1 on the next play and then Adam Mattson dropped him for a loss on the next to set up fourth and five. But then Hayden Sanders completed a pass to Lucas Frisch for 14 yards to keep the drive alive at the 21.
Jayden Strum, who stepped up in Keagan Etter’s absence, shot a gap and dropped Hayden Sanders for a loss, but then a pass interference call put the ball on the 12. Landon Wilmes broke a tackle and got to the 9 for a first down. Bruce Otto dropped Wilmes after a two yard gain to the seven, and a false start moved it back to the 12. But then a breakdown in the pass coverage left Lucas Frisch all alone and he took it to the house with 17 seconds left in the third quarter. Landon Wilmes took the Wildcat snap and followed a big line surge into the end zone to make it 28-14.
But Platte Valley was not done and Dylan Klamm drove through the pile like a human bowling ball to pick up nine yards to the Platte Valley 37. Platte Valley tried to get six back right away, but Brayden Stevens broke it up. It didn’t matter as they went back to the quick hitter with Strum and a first down at the 39. Klamm picked up two to the Tiger 39 on the next play, but then Platte Valley caught Worth County in the middle of a defensive shift and sprung Klamm loose all the way down to the 12. Klamm met a wall of Ethan Lininger, Sawyer Thurman, and Landon Wilmes at the 11, but then Ridge Clements, throwing off his back foot under fire, somehow got the ball to Justin Miller in the end zone. Platte Valley went to a double wing set and Ridge Clements ran in the extra points to make it 28-22 with 9:35 left in the game.
Worth County got the ball at their own 27, and Jayden Strum dropped Landon Wilmes after a two yard gain. But then Lucas Frisch caught a 22 yard pass to the 29. Hayden Sanders muscled his way to the 25, and then Landon Wilmes fought his way forward to the 21. Landon picked up seven more to the 14, but then a pass shorthopped a Tiger receiver and Jayden Strum shot the gap again and dropped Wilmes at the 15. An incomplete pass and then a pick by Xavier Middleton killed the drive.
Not only did Middleton get the pick, he ran it all the way back to the 38 to give Platte Valley good field position to tie or take the lead. Ridge Clements picked up six to the Tiger 36, and then Dylan Klamm bounced outside for 16 more to the 20. A quick hitter to Sturm netted four to the 16. Another quick hitter to Strum picked up six more to the 10. From there, Platte Valley went back to the fake handoff play that had fooled everyone before. Ridge Clements made a perfect fake to Dylan Klamm, who was immediately drilled. But Ridge Clements took off running down the left side and there was nobody home as he took it to the house with 3:59 left in the game. Clements ran in the extra points to put Platte Valley up 30-28.
Brayden Stevens ran back the ensuing kickoff to the 29, and then a shovel pass to Landon Wilmes picked up four to the 33. Worth County tried putting Stevens in the Wildcat formation, but Justin Miller dropped him for no gain and Worth County aired it out to Lucas Frisch, but he just missed a diving grab for it to set up fourth and six. But a collision between Lucas Frisch and one of the Platte Valley players resulted in a pass interference and the drive stayed alive as the ball was placed at the Platte Valley 38 with 2:28 left. A holding penalty and a pass that went too far set up third and 20 at the 32, but Hayden Sanders threw a strike to Karson Briner at the 24 with 1:39 left to keep the drive alive.
Once again, Platte Valley nearly held. A pass went too far, then a false start moved the ball to the 29. A breakup by Dylan Klamm set up third and 15 at the 29 with 1:16 left. Hayden Sanders came under a heavy rush this time and he barely got it off, but Landon Wilmes grabbed it at the 14 with 56 seconds left to get a first down. On the next play, Worth County set up a deep pick play, in which both receivers crossed each other, and Karson Briner came free for a score with 39 seconds left to put Worth County back up 34-30.
Unlike the first game the two teams played, Worth County kept its composure when faced with this situation. “We all got our composure back and relied on each other and got back to the grind,” said coach Jon Adwell. “We pulled together and matured a lot since the first game.”
Adwell said this year’s group was like the 2018 squad, which dropped games to both Stanberry and Pattonsburg during the regular season, but then turned around and beat them both in the playoffs to get to the State Championship game.
But there was still football to be played, and Platte Valley gave itself a chance when Justin Miller ran back the kickoff to the 35 with 33 seconds left. Miller caught a short pass to the 40 with 27 seconds, and then Xavier Middleton nearly made a diving catch of a long pass with 22 seconds left. Platte Valley went deep again, but Brayden Stevens was there to break it up.
That set up fourth and five at the 40. Ridge Clements came under a heavy rush from both Bo Collins and Ethan Lininger, and he scrambled around trying to buy time. But everyone was covered, including the outlet man, and Bo and Ethan forced Clements into an incompletion as Worth County could finally kneel out the clock.
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Adam Mattson is a nephew of former Tiger and South Nodaway Longhorn coach Gary Wood. Wood, who was there at the game, started his coaching career coaching eight man football at South Nodaway, followed by his stint with the Tigers.
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