UCF Signees Wrap High School Careers With State Championship
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A pair of UCF Signees, quarterback Rocco Marriott and tight end Brooks Hall, marked the end of their high school careers at Platte County High School with a state title on Friday night.
Platte County, located in the Kansas City metro area, earned its second straight win in the Show-Me Bowl Class 5 Championship, taking down Carthage High School in an overtime thriller, 34-28. It's also the Pirates' second straight undefeated season.
BACK-TO-BACK! Platte County celebrates after winning a Class 5 Show-Me Bowl OT Thriller!
— MSHSAA (@MSHSAAOrg) December 6, 2025
📺: https://t.co/9WedlSsVSI pic.twitter.com/GXfGAfqogO
According to PrepsKC.com reporter Andy Meyer, Marriott suffered a leg injury during the first quarter, but he fought through it to complete 10 of his 17 passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns, plus running it seven times for 47 yards and another touchdown.
"I mean, my leg would've had to have been broke completely in half, to be honest," Marriott said after the game. "Nothing was gonna take me off the field, you know, all the years going through PCYFL [Platte County Youth Football League], just with my boys, just, I would do anything just to help win a game and help go on the right note. So, you know, just had to be tough in that moment and, you know, did everything for my teammates."
It was Marriott's 25-yard touchdown pass, thrown on the run, to running back Adam Gisler to open overtime that proved to be the game-winning score for the Pirates. Hall, who ended up only targeted once that night by Marriott on a pass that fell incomplete, was the second teammate to congratulate Gisler in the end zone.
"I saw him catch that in open space; he just ran around two dudes like it was nothing," Hall said. "So, I think he goes highly unnoticed, and then that also starts from the O-line. So, I think we got a good team overall, not just the guys that you see, you know, scoring the touchdowns. You have a good o-line who gives Rocco time in the pocket, and then you got Adam, and just, it's tremendous."
One leg? No problem. Clutch TD in overtime pass by @RoccoMarriott to secure a second straight state title for Platte County. https://t.co/9pIbic9jKK
— Jeremy Crabtree (@jeremycrabtree) December 6, 2025
The Pirates' coach, Bill Utz, said his team was meant to win that game, citing how he has not had that many kids who have gotten to take opportunities to play football at the collegiate level. Yet, earlier that week, Marriott and Hall were on stage with the rest of their teammates who signed to college programs, an event that Utz claimed had "never happened" at Platte County High School.
"You know, just growing up with the same group of guys playing, you know, practicing every single day in fourth grade all the way to now, it's just crazy to think that, you know, that that's all over, and it was just really all hit me at once," Marriott said. "I mean, I'm just so thankful for my time here, thankful for everybody that's helped, all of us, throughout the years, coaches, teammates, parents, and yeah, I mean, it's a super emotional time, but obviously super happy to come out on top."
Next stop: Orlando.
Catch up on more UCF news below:
UCF Knights Early Signing Day Tracker: Every Player Coming to the Program in 2026
Bryson Turner is a sports journalist who covers UCF Athletics. Turner has contributed to the Black and Gold Banneret, the home for UCF Athletics on SB Nation. He has called the Orlando area home since the age of 8 and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCF.
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