Bulldog Athletes Shine

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Kearney Bulldogs excel at the end of the 2021 school year in baseball, golf, soccer, tennis and track and field. Kearney Senior Athletic Awards were also announced this week. Here’s the summary of team successes courtesy of Kearney High School Athletics:

Photo courtesy Kearney High School

Photo courtesy Kearney High School

The Bulldog baseball squad defeated both Lincoln College Preparatory Academy and Platte County R-3 in district playoff games last week at the Kansas City Urban Youth Academy. Their season ended after a hard-fought, rain-soaked game Saturday morning against top-ranked Smithville High School. They earned second place in the district and have a bright future with a young squad.

Jaron McClaran took 62nd and Brayden Schweizer earned 69th place in the state golf tournament last week.

The Bulldog girls soccer team lost a tough game last week to Platte County in the district final. They came out with a 1-0 lead with a goal from Caysi Brown. In the second half, Platte County tied up the game. The game went into overtime, where Platte County scored the winning goal, ending the game 2-1. The team earned second in the district this season.

Last Thursday and Friday, Kolby Smothers and Grant Woltkamp competed in the Class 2 State Tennis Tournament in Springfield. Smothers and Woltkamp played some of the greatest matches of their season, and placed fourth in the tournament.

On Saturday, the Bulldog boys track & field team traveled to Odessa to compete in the Class 4 Sectionals and it was a very successful day for the Bulldogs. They placed first overall, and qualified eleven events for the state meet on Friday, May 28, in Jefferson City. This is the largest contingent ever to qualify for state under Coach Scott Crall.

State Qualifiers:

  • 110M Hurdles – Luke Noland (Second)

  • 200M – Will Dolinar (Third)

  • 400M – Logan Arellano (Second) and Kyle Hofer (Third)

  • 800M – Kyler Chappell (Sectional Champ) and Carter Woods (Second)

  • 4x200M – Wil Dolinar, Brock Colhour, Joe Marshall, and Luke Noland (Sectional Champs)

  • 4x400M – Joe Marshall, Logan Arellano, Kyler Chappell, and Kyle Hofer (Sectional Champs)

  • 4x800M – Kyle Hofer, Kyler Chappell, Reed Beyeler, and Carter Woods (Sectional Champs)

  • Pole Vault – John Timchak (Sectional Champ)

  • Long Jump – Luke Noland (Sectional Champ)

  • Javelin – Adam Hoffman (Fourth)

  • Discus – K.J. Smith (Sectional Champ) and Zack Grace (Third)

The Bulldog girls track and field team had a very successful day in Odessa competing for state qualifications at the sectional track meet. The team finished runner-up to St. Theresa’s Academy, and beat Platte County for the first time this season.

State Qualifiers:

  • Triple Jump: Ava Lawless (Sectional Champ)

  • 200: Jadyn Barnes

  • 100 HH: Lawless

  • 300H: Morgan Wood

  • Shot Put: Braelyn Rivera

  • Discus: Rivera

  • 4×800 Relay: Jadyn Barnes, Jillian Vaughn, Abby Smith and Morgan Wood

  • 4×200 Relay: Abby Stamper, Ava Lawless, Barnes and Wood (Sectional Champ)

  • 4×400 Relay: Shelby Singleton, Liela Murphy, Barnes and Wood

This group will compete Friday in Jefferson City at the Class 4 State Track Meet.

Finally, here are the student athletes who earned Senior Athletics Awards this year:

  • 3 Sport Varsity Letters – Tyler Car, Aggie Edwards, and Mackenzie Hoffman

  • Kansas City Scholar Athlete Nominee – Makenzie Hoffman and Carter Woods

  • MSHSAA Sportsmanship Award – Lexie Cole and Lance Bolles

  • Scholar-Athlete of the Year – Faith Mick and Carter Woods

  • KHS Alumni Sportsmanship Award – Lille Filger and Maddyx Kirkland

  • Charles W Smith Award – Tyler Carr and Vaughn Sloan

  • Athlete of The Year – Andi Krieling and Brennan Watkins

KPGZ Sports - Brian Watts contributed to this story