The Kearney Bulldogs fought back from a 26 – 7 second quarter deficit to beat the Winnetonka Griffins 41 – 34 in an overtime thriller at North Kansas City Stadium. The Bulldogs move on to face Smithville for the Class 4, District 8 championship next Friday at Smithville.

*Kearney all-purpose back, Ian Acosta, dashed 26 yards Kearney’s first score of the game*

This was the final home game Winnetonka would play at historic North Kansas City Stadium as construction is nearly complete on a new Winnetonka High School stadium. Winnetonka’s prolific offense gave every appearance of making it a momentous night on the field.

Griffins running back Montre Moore, along with quarterback Jovan Satterwhite, wide receivers Jason Essex and Julian Rodgers, led the Griffin offensive unit to a gaudy 479 combined total yards. Moore rolled up 161 rushing yards on 22 carries and scored 4 touchdowns for the Griffins.

Satterwhite connected with Julian Rogers on a 43-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring in the first quarter and Montre Moore scampered 38 yards for a touchdown, giving the Griffins an early 13 – 0 lead.

In the second quarter, Moore pushed one yard into the end zone behind the massive Winnetonka offensive line, stunning the Kearney Bulldogs with a 20 – 0 advantage.

Earlier the season, Kearney hosted Winnetonka in a game the Bulldogs lead for 3 quarters. The Griffins came back with 12 unanswered, fourth quarter points to snag a 20 – 16 victory.

Kearney all-purpose back, Ian Acosta, dashed 26 yards for a touchdown to put Kearney on the board 20 – 7, only to have Montre Moore answer with an 8-yard score that put the Griffins up 26 – 7.

Kearney quarterback Dawson Meinert fired a 7-yard touchdown pass to Ian Acosta following an impressive, late, second quarter drive by the Bulldogs. Halftime score: 26 – 14 Winnetonka.

The Kearney defense held Winnetonka scoreless in the third quarter as the Bulldog offense took over the lead on a 41-yard Meinert to Acosta touchdown pass followed by a Kaden Borchardt 6-yard score – Bulldogs 27, Griffins 26.

Winnetonka recaptured a 34 – 27 lead on a long scoring drive with a 5-yard Montre Moore touchdown run followed by a 2-point conversion.

Confidence fuels performance, but inspiration is the force of victory. Good teams sometimes lament, “We should have won that game,” after a loss. Coaches will tell you, “The only stat that matters, is the final score.”

This game featured two athletically talented, well-coached football teams, both of whom battled through the most uncommon adversity this season. The passion reverberated through the bleachers. Competitive emotions lead to unnecessary penalties.

What remained in this contest was the determination of a conqueror and the spoils of a hard-fought Friday night classic.

With 7 seconds to play in regulation, Bulldog running back, Kaden Borchardt powered into the end zone from the 1-yard line to tie the game. 34 – 34. Kearney’s defense was stellar in shutting down the Griffins’ final possession of the game.

On the first play in overtime, Meinert hit his wide-open tight end, Zach Grace for a 25-yard touchdown score. Braxton Breedlove’s point after was good for the 41 – 34 lead.

Winnetonka’s overtime possession was shut down by the Bulldog defense as linebacker Braxton Breedlove batted a Javon Satterwhite pass to the ground, sealing Kearney’s 41 – 34 victory.

Some might call it a revenge game. Kearney Head Coach Josh Gray sees it differently. “It's not about revenge, it's about redemption. Redemption is about us being able to play like we know we can for a full football game.”

KPGZ Sports – Mike Davis contributed to this story