Bulldogs Pull Off Overtime Thriller

There has been nothing predictable or normal about the 2020 Bulldog Football season, and the season opener was no different.

Ian Acosta had 2 receptions for 37 yards and 25 yards rushing - Photo Courtesy Kearney Bulldog Football Quarterback Club

Friday night’s game was to be the 2020 season opener for the Bulldogs, in Independence, Missouri, as they were set to play the Ft. Osage Indians. Two weeks ago, there was serious doubt as to whether fall football would even happen this year. The Clay County Public Health Center had released a statement that offered three fall sports options for districts to consider, one of which would have fall sports moved to the spring.

In the end, the choice was left up to the school districts, as long as they followed certain health guidelines. The Kearney School District stepped up and announced there would be fall sports. It appeared the Bulldogs had their first off-the-field victory, but not so fast. The opening game was to be played at Ft. Osage, which is in Jackson County. The game, and part of the season, was again in doubt as Jackson County health restrictions would, at a minimum, not allow anyone into the game other than the participants.

On Wednesday, August 26, the decision was made to move the game to Kearney. With restrictions, participants were allowed 2 tickets for parents or relatives to attend the game, clearing the way for both Kearney Bulldog and Ft. Osage fans to attend.

In a sense, the Bulldogs had two off-the-field victories in the weeks leading up to the 2020 season opener. For those Bulldog faithful who already felt as if they had been on a roller coaster ride, the Friday night opener in Kearney gave them even greater reason to buckle up.

The game kicked off with seating on the home side of the field about 25% of capacity, as fans followed social-distance spacing throughout the stadium. No spectators were allowed outside of the seating area anywhere in the stadium or in the sports complex. The Ft. Osage Indians faithful traveled well and filled approximately 30% of the visiting bleachers, likely maxing out their two-ticket-per-participant allotment.

Kickoff temperature was 92 degrees and the humidity was 74%. Not pleasant, and not typical football weather.

Ft. Osage started on offense and ate up most of the first quarter clock. However, the Bulldog defense was stout when it mattered. Kearney held strong as the Indians were unable to score on their first possession drive and the bulldogs took over on downs from their own 3 yard line.

The first score wasn’t until the 7:37 mark in the second quarter, when Kearney Bulldog sophomore, Luke Noland scored on a 5-yard rushing play. The extra point attempt was unsuccessful, but the Bulldogs led 6-0.

The celebration was cut short as the Indians’ Lorenzo Fenner returned Braxton Breedlove’s kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. Ft. Osage led 7-6 at halftime following the extra point kick by Kyle Gross.

Lorenzo Fenner would strike again with 4:58 left in the third quarter as Indians quarterback Greg Menne threw a 94-yard touchdown strike to the speedy wide out. The extra point was good and the Indians were up 14-6.

With a 14-6 fourth quarter deficit, the Bulldogs still looked fresh in spite of a sweltering 89 degrees and crushing humidity. There was a palpable vibe in the stadium and it had nothing to do with the heat or anything related to coronavirus. Something just felt different about this 2020 edition of the Kearney Bulldogs. The offensive play calling was more intricate, which kept the Ft. Osage defense guessing throughout the evening. Coach Gray broke tradition. He deployed two quarterbacks - Acosta and Meinert, and it wasn’t random. It was strategic.

Kearney showed far more offense than most high school football fans would expect – especially for the first game of the season. There was more misdirection and more variety. And just when you would bet your life savings – or a glass of ice water and 3 minutes in the air conditioning – the next play call was Kaden Borchardt up the middle, here comes a brilliantly executed fake handoff from Meinert to Borchardt followed by a whirling misdirection handoff to Acosta, showcasing his speed and athleticism. And at that moment you realized, “Hey, that was Meinert lined up at quarterback.”

It’s difficult to imagine anyone replacing the herculean strength-speed combo Garrett Laughlin brought to the running back position in 2019. Make no mistake in 2020, Kaden Borchardt is a machine. He powered through the Ft. Osage defense all night. (142 yards on 26 carries - 5.5 YPC) When they stacked the box, he planted his foot and cut back for another 15 yards. As the Indians focused all eyes on Borchardt, here came Acosta – out of nowhere behind his offensive line – with a surprising burst of speed that quite often caught the Ft. Osage defensive unit unprepared.

The Indians focused on Acosta and Borchardt, and that’s when it happened. After moving down the field, with 11:52 left in the game, Meinert was scrambling away from a certain sack and loss of valuable yards. With three defenders closing on him, Meinert threw a 7-yard pass right down the sideline to Trenton Vaughan for a touchdown. The only thing more entertaining than the play, was watching Bulldog fans check the roster and say, “Wow! Who is number 31?”

The Bulldogs needed a 2-point conversion to pull even with Ft. Osage. The Indians – and everyone else in the stadium – now knew Trenton Vaughan was a threat. They were already keying on Borchardt, knowing he could easily plow through the line on a short 2-point conversion. Acosta was showing great speed, so there were eyes on him. At the snap of the ball, Meinert rolled right and found Carson Frakes on a crossing pattern at the edge of the end-zone for another spectacular catch. Frakes is a well-known receiving threat to opponents and fans who saw him play last year. But with so many weapons on the Bulldog offense, there had to be a moment when the Ft. Osage defense thought, “Oh yeah, we forgot about that guy.” Game tied, 14-14.

The Indians scored on a 6-yard touchdown run by quarterback Greg Menne on the heels of a 4-minute drive, bringing the score to 21-14 with 7:17 left in the game.

The Bulldogs answered back, moving down the field, taking 5 minutes off the clock, and scoring on a 2-yard rush by Meinert. Game tied. But the Bulldogs left the Indians 2:51 on the game clock.

Ft. Osage did a masterful job managing the short time left on the clock. They were in position to burn up time with running plays, throw a pass play here and there and if all else failed, kick a field goal. Ft. Osage place kicker, Kyle Gross had been solid with all of his kicks thus far and the Indians were well within his range. But a high snap over the head of Menne ended all of that. It was a footrace to the ball and a skirmish on the ground, which led to a fumble recovery by the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs had very little time to work with and despite moving the ball, there was just not enough time left on the clock and this game moved into overtime.

The Indians had the ball first but the Bulldogs seemed to take that as a challenge. So much so that the Indians lost yards on each play. The Kearney defense was relentless as Menne was immediately under pressure on every play leaving Ft. Osage in a desperate 4th and 24 situation. Fourth down Kearney pressure kept the Indians from scoring in their overtime possession.

The Bulldogs began their overtime possession with a cat and mouse game of guess who gets the football. Meinert used a hard snap count, which pulled the Indians offside for the fifth time during the game. Kearney marched down to the 2-yard line and while the Indian defense was attempting to contain, Borchardt, Acosta, Frakes, Noland, and now Vaughan, Meinert pushed forward behind his powerful offensive line two yards up the middle for the winning touchdown. Final score: Bulldogs win in overtime 27-21. And we almost didn’t play the game.

The next game is the real home opener on Friday, September 4, against Platte County. Platte County is 1-0 after defeating Park Hill South 35-17. The game will be carried live at 7:00pm on 102.7FM - KPGZ, with the pregame starting at 6:40pm.

KPGZ Sports - Jim Dickerson and Mike Davis contributed to this story