Several fall sports are heading into playoffs or post-season play and the Bulldogs are going deep into the competitions. Here is your KPGZ Bulldog Sports Recap:

Boys Swim and Dive

The Kearney Boys Swim Team traveled to the Gladstone Community Center on October 19, to compete against St. Pius X, Staley, Northtown, Oak Park, and Winnetonka. The team also celebrated their 4 seniors Jake Zingerman, Zach Pickle, Tanner Mayfield, and Ruby Dunn (Manager). The Bulldogs finished with several best times, some 1st place finishes, and 3rd overall.

Individual Highlights Include:

Jake Zingerman: 1st place overall in the 100 breaststroke. Jake was also a part of the 200 Medley relay A that finished 2nd overall.

Zach Pickle: 21st place in the 50 free.

Tanner Mayfield: 3rd place in the 200 freestyle, and 8th overall in the breaststroke.

Lane Austin: 3rd place overall in the 100 freestyle.

Finn Simmons: dropped 2 seconds in the 200 freestyle, and dropped 4 seconds in the 100 freestyle.

Parker Mendel: dropped a second in the 100 freestyle and dropped 5 seconds in the 100 backstroke.

Parker Bartlett: dropped 4 seconds in the 200 freestyle and finished 1st overall. He also competed in the 500 freestyle where he finished 2nd overall.

Patrick McNellis: 24th place overall in the 100 freestyle.

Seth Ballard: 7th place overall in the 100 fly, where he dropped 5 seconds.

Ethan Flanigan: dropped 3 seconds in the 100 breaststroke.

Whitaker Steward: 1st place overall the 200 IM, and the 100 backstroke.

Isaac Clayton: dropped 1 second in the 50 free and part of the 200 freestyle relay B that finished 10th overall.

Softball

On October 19, the Bulldogs hosted the quarterfinal game against the McDonald County Mustangs. The Mustangs came out hot and were able to score one in the first inning and two more in the top of the third. In true Bulldog fashion, the Bulldogs struck back and scored two in the bottom of the third.

Alyssa Quick hit a hard single to the left fielder. Kennedi Casey comes in to courtesy run for Alyssa. Jocelyn Lincoln then has a beautiful bunt to move her over.

Macy Morrow then hits a single to drive in a run. Macy Morrow moved up to second base on the throw to home. Macy then steals third base and scores on a pass ball.

The Bulldogs had solid defense in the top of the fourth and then were able to score one more run in the bottom of the inning. Brooke Paalhar led off with a double and Elysia Hand hit a hard ground ball to second base causing her to make an error and Brooke scores. We are all tied up 3-3 going into the fifth inning. Mustangs strike back and are leading 4-3 after the top of the 5th.

Macy Morrow singles in the bottom of the fifth with two outs. Jadyn Barnes then gets hit by a pitch. Runners are on first and second and Brooke Paalhar is up at the plate. She hits a single, scoring Macy. Jadyn advances to third and Brooke advances to second on the throw. Jadyn then capitalizes on a pass ball and scores, making the score 5-4.

Kate Landewee comes in the sixth inning to pitch. She keeps the Mustangs from scoring. Mackenzie Herndon leads off with a single in the bottom of the 6th. Bri Reynolds comes in to courtesy run for Mackenzie. Elise Arellano has a beautiful bunt to move Bri into scoring position. Ryleigh Van Emmerik then hits a single to right field, scoring Bri. Score is 6-4 going into the bottom of the 7th.

Kate Landewee shuts down the Mustangs and the Bulldogs win and are going to the state championship.

Highlights:

Volleyball

On October 18, the Kearney Bulldog Volleyball team wrapped up their regular season, and last conference game, against Raytown South. It was a clean sweep by all three teams as the Bulldogs dominated the Cardinals. The Varsity team sealed the conference and are 2022 Conference Champs.

C Team ended their season at 19-5-2, JV ended with a record of 11-8-2. The Varsity sits at 14-13-3 heading into districts. Districts will be at home on Saturday (10/22), Monday (10/24) and Tuesday (10/25). Kearney will face Lincoln Prep on Saturday at 6 pm.

Girls Golf

On Monday and Tuesday October 17 and 18, senior Hailey Parker and junior Jojo Kutch competed in the Class 3 MSHSAA Golf Championships played at Columbia Country Club. Both days were delayed starts due to the cold temperatures, wind, and frost. Despite the conditions, both girls competed and represented Kearney with the utmost integrity. Jojo finished in 61st place with a 2 day total of 201 (97-104) and Hailey finished in 71st place with a 2 day total of 208 (107-101).

Boys Soccer

On Monday, October 17, the Bulldog Boys Soccer team played Grandview, and struggled to find the back of the net, losing 3-2.

Goals for Kearney came from Angelo Donze, and Tucker Jones. The loss moves the record to 8-9 on the year and 4-1 in conference play.

The JV picked up a 4-0 win with goals coming from Milo Griffith, Jace Miller, Ty Hughes, Jackson Elsea.

KPGZ Sports - Brian Watts contributed to this story