After a two week break, the Kearney Bulldogs returned to the field for round one of District play to face off against the Excelsior Springs Tigers. The meeting was the first for the two teams in five years.

*Kearney (4-4) will face Winnetonka (6-3) in the district semifinals on Friday, November 6*

The Tigers came out strong on their opening possession. They marched 80 yards down the field, establishing a solid running game. The Tiger drive culminated with a 4-yard rushing touchdown from Tanner Phillips with 7:51 remaining in the 1st quarter.

The Bulldog offense started slow, but it did not take long to shake off the rust. Led by quarterback Dawson Meinert, the Bulldogs were able to score on their first possession as well, capped off by a 3 yard touchdown run by KJ Smith.

On their following possession, the Tigers came out strong again, but the drive was stopped following a holding penalty.

The Bulldog offense got back to work, and things started to click, as KJ Smith broke through the Tiger defense with an 18-yard run. Shortly thereafter, Meinert was able to connect with Carson Frakes for 49 yards, but the drive stalled, and the Bulldogs settled for a 26 yard Breedlove field goal. The Bulldogs took the 10-7 lead into the half.

Having deferred on the opening kickoff, the Bulldogs received the kick to start the second half and put together a nearly 13-play six-minute drive to start the third quarter. After an overthrown Meinert to Acosta pass in the endzone, Breedlove would return to kick a 27 yard field goal, giving the Bulldogs a 13-7 lead with 6:18 left in the third quarter.

As the game progressed, the Bulldog defense seemed to have figured out the Tigers tightly packed option offense formation. The defense bent several times, but never broke, and the Tigers were not able to score following their impressive opening drive.

With 1:24 left to go in the third quarter, KJ Smith found his stride when he broke through the Tiger defense on a 52 yard run for a Touchdown. The run, which became the Kearney Chamber of Commerce Play of the Game, put the Bulldogs up 19-7.

With time running out, the Excelsior Springs Tigers were forced to abandon the running game and turn to the pass. Sophomore quarterback Chance Moreland threw several on point passes, but his receiving core was unable to bring them in. The Bulldogs would capitalize on the lack of a passing game and put the icing on the cake with a 40-yard field goal from Breedlove with 1:30 left in the game. This gave the the Bulldogs a 22-7 lead, which would be the final score.

Despite the two week respite, the Bulldogs seemed to get back in sync quickly. The defense tightened up, following the Tigers first possession, and despite giving up 266 total yards, they held to the bend but don’t break philosophy and held the Tigers to only 7 points. KJ Smith finished the night with 19 carries for 122 yards and Braxton Breedlove went 3 for 3 in field goal attempts, including one for 40 yards. With the addition of an extra point, Breedlove accounted for 10 of the Bulldogs 22 points, making him the Stables Player of the week.

Kearney will face Winnetonka in the district semifinals on Friday, November 6. The two teams met earlier in the year and the Bulldogs held a 16-0 lead over the Griffins, but Winnetonka rallied late with 20 unanswered points in the final 14 minutes of game time, allowing them to walk away with a 20-16 victory.

If you missed the game, you can click to listen to the 102.7 FM Bulldog Radio Network play-by-play replay.

KPGZ Sports – Jim Dickerson contributed to this story