The Kearney Bulldogs struggled against a solid Smithville defense all evening but still managed a 10-7 halftime lead. The Warriors rolled up 21 points as their defense held Kearney scoreless in the second half for the 28-10 victory.

*Carson Frakes had 110 receiving yards including a 50 yard touchdown pass from Meinert*

Kearney linebacker-placekicker Braxton Breedlove opened the scoring with a 45-yard field goal at the 9:23 mark in the first quarter.

It was all defense until late in the second quarter as Smithville’s Caleb Donnell sprinted through the Bulldog defenders on a score from the 1-yard line.

With only 30 seconds to go in the first half, Bulldog quarterback Dawson Meinert threw a 50-yard, arching spiral to Carson Frakes for a touchdown.

Despite Smithville’s 3 uncharacteristic turnovers, the Warrior defense kept the Kearney Bulldogs offense out of the end zone the entire second half.

At 7:34 in the third quarter, Caleb Donnell broke free on a 43-yard touchdown run giving the Warriors a 14-10 lead.

In the Bulldogs next possession, Kearney running back Kaden Borchardt had 2 nice carries for first downs and Dawson Meinert threw a 47-yard completion to Carson Frakes. It looked as if the Bulldogs were back in business, but a 19-yard field goal attempt by Breedlove went wide right.

Smithville turned up the offensive heat with a 19-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Andrew Hedgecorth to Samuel Calvert. The point-after kick by Noah Schuetz gave the Warriors a 21-10 lead.

Kearney battled offensively but couldn’t manage a fourth quarter score. With 4:07 left in the game, Caleb Donnell sliced through the Bulldog defense with a 17-yard touchdown run – his third for the night.

Deep in their own territory with a 28-10 lead, Smithville’s fourth-down punt was blocked as Kearney defensive lineman Kade Dunlap scooped the ball and scrambled only to be brought down short of the goal line. Kearney’s offense took over with 7 seconds left. The game clock ran down with a final score of 28-10.

The Bulldogs are 1-2 on the season and host Ruskin this Friday night at 7:00.

KPGZ Sports – Mike Davis contributed to this story