Asphalt roads bake under the scorching August heat. Parched landscapes thirst for rain, and the cooling allure of central air conditioning drives us indoors to contemplate a matter of deep, cultural significance – Kearney Bulldog Football is back!

The Bulldogs return with a perfect 14-0 record and forever possession of the state championship trophy – the bounty of a 21-14 victory over runner-up Hannibal.

Head Coach Logan Minnick and Defensive Coordinator, Marcus Brinkley were named 2025 Missouri Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year and Assistant Coach of the Year.

“Congrats to Coach Brinkley as Assistant Coach of the Year,” said Minnick. “It's hard to improve on how good the defense has been the last four years. I think overall that we've given up less than 12 points a game.”

The Bulldogs are 49-4 overall under Minnick with three conference championships, three district titles, two state championships, (2023 and 2025) and a state semi-final appearance in a hard-fought loss to Lutheran North in 2024.

Kearney returns 22 seniors this season, led offensively by senior, all-state quarterback Carter Temple.

“There’s an obvious advantage to having a senior heavy team,” says Minnick. “I think if we started a game tomorrow 18 or 19 of the 22 starters would be seniors. It’s a huge advantage when it comes to leadership and experience.”

Temple threw for 1,456 yards and 18 touchdowns, ending the 2025 season with a 135.6 quarterback rating and only two interceptions. His dazzling passing stats are only half the story as Temple led the team in rushing with 1,120 yards and 22 touchdowns.

*Carter Temple - Photo by Ray Weikal, 2025*

“Carter Temple is a once-in-a-lifetime kid that you get to coach at the quarterback position,” said Minnick. “He was unanimously voted to team captain as a junior, which tells you all you need to know. Just seeing him play, I mean the kid has only lost one game as a starter in his career – when he was a sophomore, playing in six inches of snow.”

Standing 6’3” at 220 pounds, the three-time, state wrestling champion is a beast in the weight room. During the offseason, Temple managed a 325-pound hang clean following a one-hour training run. (There’s video proof on social media and it’s remarkable.) He bench-presses 290 and squats 505 pounds, placing him among the top 15 weightlifters at Kearney High School.

Minnick went on to say, “We've built this offense, this team, around what he does well. I don't think he'll have to carry us, but at the same time, he's a guy that's going to refuse to let us lose. We will be in every single game all year long because Carter Temple is playing quarterback.”

“We are so pumped to get this season going,” said senior quarterback Carter Temple. “Every one of us has the same mindset of going back-to-back. This team has been absolutely grinding. We know we can’t take days off. We know what we have to do to get to the top again.”

Temple has a host of receiving options. Speedy, elusive, sure-handed athletes are available as needed to execute the Logan Minnick playbook.

Caleb Stevens returns as a 6’6” 200-pound senior tight end. An exceptional athlete with all the measurables, Stevens, who showed great promise in 2024, suffered an unfortunate training camp injury which sidelined him the entire 2025 season.

“After missing last season, being healthy and back on the field is something I don’t take for granted,” Stevens said. “I’m looking forward to doing everything I can to help our team compete for another state championship and hopefully go back-to-back.”

A notable training camp performer, Luke Denston, a junior, will step into one of the wide receiver positions as Coach Minnick “expects big things from him this year.”

As effectively as Kearney throws the football, in the minds of some observers, the Bulldogs’ passing attack is sometimes overshadowed by their run-heavy offense. But if you break down the multiple ways in which Kearney powered through 14 straight wins last year, there is a preponderance of evidence that suggests they are a running team with imagination – a team that will hit you hard early by pounding the football, simultaneously scheming creative ways to beat you – on the ground or in the air.

*Matt Lindsey - Photo by Ray Weikal, 2025*

The Minnick playbook is loaded with opportunities for Kearney’s coveted wealth of running back talent. All-state seniors, Matthew Lindsey, and Kale Tucking are back this season, and both have the ability to run off tackle, straight at you, and fly around the field on misdirection plays, short screens, or lined up as receivers.

Junior running back, Cruise Emmons returns after a strong sophomore season. The third in a family of three historically talented Kearney Bulldog running backs, Emmons is certain to be a factor this year.

“It's time for the third Emmons brother to get some reps. Cruise Emmons will be ready to rock this year and we'll line him up everywhere offensively from receiver to running back,” says Minnick.

Kearney’s offensive line is in good hands behind two returning starters and deep training camp competition to fill the remaining positions.

“We’re excited about the O-line competition,” said Minnick. We’ve got JD Romero and Cohen Dray back. We also have Sawyer Ritter back as a senior who started several games for us last year and we've got a really good battle between juniors Chace Fishback, Karter Pogue, and Brayden Carrell. Those guys are battling it out and we’ve got a little bit of depth there.”

*Kale Tucking - Photo by Ray Weikal, 2025*

Defensively, the Bulldogs return last year’s linebacking core led by Aidan Arellano and the Tucking twins, Luke and Kale.

Aidan Arellano is an athletic, hard-hitting, three-year starter who brings speed and run-stopping power to the linebacker position as many have seen (or experienced).

“I want to lead by example in everything we do,” said Arellano. “In practice I try to keep the same level of intensity and determination we had in last year’s practices because we know what it took to win last year. It’s gonna take that and much more this year.”

At defensive back, Senior Ashton Bringus, who had a strong showing at the state championship game returns at corner. Braylon Burnside has added muscle and played well at defensive back during training camps.

Minnick mentioned Kyle Pritzel as a player to watch in the Bulldog secondary. “Kyle Pritzel lined up at corner and safety and has really worked his tail off to step into one of those roles,” he said.

On the defensive line, Lane Cook and Grant Bogert, are blue-chip players with high expectations to build on their impressive performances last year.

“Obviously, not having the Beaver brothers will make things look different,” Minnick said. “But at the same time, you've got the Tucking twins back, you've got Aidan Arellano back, you've got a bunch of guys back who have played, so I'm excited to see what Coach Brinkley does with the defense.

“I know you'll see a more exciting brand of defense this year as far as slanting and blitzing and being a little more aggressive than what we've done in the past. So that should be exciting,” Minnick added. “I would definitely say we've put a huge emphasis on turnovers, so hopefully we can get the ball out more this year.”

The status and accolades of a state championship brings with it the proverbial “target-on-your-back”.

The Bulldogs kickoff the season at home against Belton on August 28; at home against Grain Valley, and at Smithville on week three. On week four, for the first time ever, Kearney plays Rockhurst at Rockhurst. Two weeks later, the Bulldogs travel to St. Pius to face another tough opponent.

“We expect everyone's A-game year in and year out, game in and game out,” said Minnick. “The big thing with this senior class is a bunch of them were sophomores on the 2024 team that came up a game short. They know how that feels. That definitely fueled their whole offseason last year. These seniors want a state championship to call their own.”

“We've got a bunch of really good players back that understand what it takes to win it, and I think you'll see that from their maturity level and their understanding of what it takes to get back to where we want to be,” Minnick added.

“Hopefully we can stay healthy and continue to get better. We've got a heck of a schedule and we're looking forward to it,” said Minnick. “This should be another great season for the bulldogs.”

KPGZ News – Mike Davis, Eric Stevens, and Kelly Gentry contributed to this story.