Bulldogs Triumphant on Homecoming
/Friday was homecoming for the Kearney Bulldogs and the evening was capped off with a victory. Although the final stat sheets appeared a bit lopsided, the Bulldogs faced off against a much improved Ruskin Eagles team.
The Eagles came to Kearney under the new leadership of head coach Timothy Callahan. After having great success with football programs in Kansas, Callahan was recruited to rebuild a struggling Ruskin team.
Ruskin would surprise the Kearney defense with their speed and quickly put 6 points on the board on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Quarterback Adarious Brown to Quinten Henderson. This early score would be only the second time this year where an opponent scored against the Bulldog defense in the first half.
The Kearney bulldogs would respond on the next possession with a 3-yard run from Tristan Williams who strolled into the end zone with ease. This would even the score at 6 as neither team was able to covert on their first point after attempts.
The Kearney Bulldogs would score again as the first quarter neared a close on a perfectly executed hook and ladder. It was a quick pass from Rooney to Jacobs who then tossed to back to Emmons. Emmons would then weave and fight through defenders to score on the 47-yard play. The Bulldogs would take the lead 13-6.
The Bulldog defense stiffened and began to completely shut down the Eagles offense. The Eagles defense began to stiffen as well and would force a costly Bulldog turnover.
After forcing the Eagles to punt, the Bulldogs were backed up deep in their own territory starting the possession at the one-yard line. Rooney dropped back to pass but faced immediate pressure and threw an ill-advised pass directly into the hands of the Eagles’ Kain White. The interception in the end zone would pull the Eagles within one, making the score 13-12.
The interception would be the last score for the Eagles for the evening. The Bulldogs offense began to click in a manner that the Bulldog faithful are accustomed to seeing. Two scores by the Bulldogs would come by way of Cameron Emmons who scored on a 6 yard run out of the “Cam” package and then again on an impressive 63 yard touchdown run.
The Bulldogs took a 28-12 lead into the locker-room at the half.
The remining two scores of the night would be from the Bulldogs and both would come via Cameron Emmons. Emmons would score as the third quarter came to a close on a 1-yard “Cam” package run. He then scored again on a 9-yard touchdown run with 10:47 to go in the game. This would be his 5th trip into the end zone of the night.
The Bulldog defense had another outstanding night holding the Eagles to just 141 yards of total offense. The Bulldog offense would also put on a strong display putting up 465 yards of total offense.
With the 42-12 victory, the Bulldogs advanced to 4-2 and the Eagles fell to 1-5. The Bulldogs will travel next week to face the 4-2 Raytown South Cardinals.
KPGZ Sports – Jim Dickerson contributed to this story