Bulldogs Trounce Griffins 54-7

Kearney scored 40 points in the first half in a conference win over Winnetonka. The 8-0 Bulldogs can secure the Suburban Blue Conference championship with a win over their next opponent, 2-6 Excelsior Springs.

Dryden Hendrix carries a Winnetonka Defender into the endzone for a bulldog touchdown. Photo: Eric Stevens.

“That's a much-improved team from what we've seen in the past,” said Kearney head coach Logan Minnick. “Our kids came in with the mentality we had to out physical those guys. Hats off to Winnetonka. They're having one of the best years they've had in a while.”

In their last two outings, the Bulldogs have been dominant on offense, defense and special teams. The 5-3 Griffins were averaging over 33 points per game with four shutouts coming into the contest.

The Bulldog offense continues to be a proven scoring threat in the waning minutes before halftime. With 2:03 to play in the first half, a Carter Temple, to Sam Way, to Dryden Hendrix, hook-and-ladder play gave Kearney a 33-7 lead, followed immediately by a Matthew Lindsey 3-yard touchdown run at the 1:32 mark, giving Kearney a commanding 40-7 halftime advantage.

Kearney racked up 267 yards rushing and Carter Temple was 6 of 6 for 156 yards passing as the defense held Winnetonka to 14 rushing yards and 91 passing.

“I’m just proud of the way our kids played all three phases,” said Minnick. “I thought that was huge because they can score from anywhere. Anytime you hold a team averaging  that many points to seven, you feel good.”

In special teams play, Conner Reid blocked a punt that put Kearney in easy scoring position. Defensively, Kale Tucking and Isaac Beaver both had quarterback sacks.

“I thought we had a great night on special teams getting the onside kick and we had a blocked punt there,” added Minnick. “Then, offensively we were really efficient and physical running football.”

KPGZ News – Mike Davis contributed to this story.

Bulldogs Roll to 7-0

The Kearney Bulldogs celebrated homecoming by scoring 49 points in the first half and holding Raytown South scoreless in a 57-0 conference win. The number one, state-ranked, class-4 Bulldogs sit at the top of the Suburban Blue conference with a perfect 7-0 season.

Kearney Running Back Dryden Hendrix (5) breaks free from two Raytown south defenders – Photo by Ray Weikal.

“What we really wanted to do this week was put a three-phase game together where we played really well in all three phases,” said head coach Logan Minnick.

“When you put up over 50 and you keep a shutout – our first shutout of the year – and have huge special teams plays; we scored on special teams and then had a blocked punt as well. So, it was a complete game in all three phases and exactly what we were looking for.”

Bulldog quarterback Carter Temple was 7 of 9 for 99 yards passing with four touchdowns and carried the ball three times for 55 yards and a touchdown – all of that in just the first half of play against a struggling 0-7 Raytown South team.

Two of Temple’s touchdown passes went to tight end, Drew Nelson, one for 29 yards, the other for 13. “It’s really easy when Carter is throwing to me,” said Nelson. “He already knows exactly when I'm going to be open and where I'm going to be open. It's a blast knowing that I'm going to get the ball, especially on homecoming.”

The second team Bulldogs played nearly all of the second half, scoring once on a Conon Cholak 1-yard touchdown run while the defense held Raytown South scoreless, protecting the shutout.

“We told those guys, ‘boys we're going full twos across the board’ (in the second half). The expectation was that we keep the shutout on the board, and we continue to put points on it,” said Minnick

Two games remain on the Bulldogs’ regular season schedule: at Winnetonka (5-2) and a home game against Excelsior Springs (2-5).

Minnick cautioned against looking ahead. “As a coach you get a little nervous when you get a team on your schedule that on paper looks like it's going to be a blowout. You've got to keep your kids focused when everybody's patting them on the back.”

“I've even heard, ‘Oh, a third undefeated season in four years.’  Don't say that around me. I don't want to hear that. I think our kids understand that,” Minnick added.

Senior team captain, Drew Nelson understands it. “It doesn't matter who we're playing. We're just going to bring the hammer every single time. We'll be well-prepared for every single game and just keep it going every single week.”

KPGZ News – Mike Davis contributed to this story.

Kearney Prevails 28-14 over Grain Valley

The Kearney Bulldogs drew one of the toughest schedules imaginable; opening their season against Fort Osage and later facing in order: Smithville, Park Hill, North Kansas City and Grain Valley. Kearney remains 6-0 and sits at the top of Missouri Class-4.

Konnar Dampier (9) and Aidan Arellano (0) tackle Grain Valley QB for a Loss – Photo by Ray Weikal

“We know we're battle tested. When we go at this thing and try to make a run at (a title) you know it's going to be that way,” said Head Coach Logan Minnick. “We've got two teams in our district ranked in the top five in class-4, so it's not long before we're playing huge games again.”

Grain Valley mobilized every strength they could muster right up to the final minutes with 6-man defensive fronts, and a vicious ground attack behind sophomore running back, Dawson Head who ran for 144 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries.

Despite a brilliant effort by the visiting eagles, they couldn’t contain an overwhelming Kearney offensive attack. Bulldog quarterback Carter Temple scored twice in the first half on 1-yard and 4-yard runs. With 23 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Temple hit Dryden Hendrix on a 24-yard screen pass. Hendrix shed five, would-be tacklers on his way to the end zone as Kearney took a 21-7 halftime lead.

“Those last two wins against class-6 teams were definitely tough, but tonight was honestly a little tougher,” said Kearney senior linebacker Konner Dampier. “They were some big dudes and were technically sound, but we came out with the win tonight.”

Temple ran the football 21 times for 74 yards and 3 touchdowns. His final score, with 59 seconds remaining in the game, was on a reverse-field cutback move that left Grain Valley defenseless.

Kearney running back Matthew Lindsey rushed for 78 yards on 8 carries, Hendrix had 37 yards and a touchdown. Overall, the Bulldog offense had 198 yards rushing and threw for 143 to the Eagles’ 157 rushing and 32 passing yards.

Kearney hosts Raytown South next week for Homecoming.

KPGZ News – Mike Davis contributed to this story.

Bulldogs Undefeated with 24-20 Win over NKC

For two straight weeks, the Kearney Bulldogs have faced top-ranked, class-6 football teams on the road and stopped them cold. The most recent being a 24-20 win over the deeply talented North Kansas City Hornets.

“I saw single high safety right in front of me, so I stopped him outside made my move inside and I knew as soon as I made my break, Carter just connected.” - Kale Tucking. Photo by Eric Stevens.

Kearney has matched up at the highest levels of individual competition coming from the likes of Zach Thomas and Dante Dixon at Park Hill, and Power 5 phenom, Kobe Rhymes at North Kansas City. These are the best players in the state at minimum – players that head coaches build their programs around.

First on the scoreboard, Kearney tight end and place kicker, Drew Nelson drove a 40-yard field goal through the uprights. Those first three points would become increasingly more valuable later in the game.

Northtown quarterback Mehki Fields zipped a 17-yard pass to Kobe Rhymes at 9:03 in the first quarter, and a healthy Bulldog defense with Mason Beaver and Clayton Cowan back in the lineup didn’t allow the Hornets to score again until late in the fourth quarter.

“We were so excited to have everybody back,” said defensive lineman Clayton Cowan. “We've been waiting for this for – what is it week five now – and it was exciting to go out there and perform with everyone back,” Cowan added. “I think we’re ready for the rest of the year.”

With 4:53 to go in the half, Kearney quarterback Carter Temple delivered a perfect 24-yard pass into the outstretched hands of a full-stride, Kale Tucking in the endzone, giving Kearney a 10-7 lead going into the half.

“You know they say as a number three receiver you want to run a seam right up the middle,” said Tucking. “I saw single high safety right in front of me, so I stopped him outside made my move inside and I knew as soon as I made my break, Carter just connected.”

In his customary style, Carter Temple led the Bulldog rushing attack with 125 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown. He was 9 of 17 for 77 yards passing with a touchdown.

Kearney Running back Dryden Hendrix scored early in the second half on a 4-yard carry. Hendrix had 64 total yards on 15 carries as the Bulldogs deployed their rushing attack for 163 total yards.

The Bulldogs scored again on a Carter Temple 32-yard sideline sprint to the endzone, giving Kearney what appeared to be a comfortable 24-7 lead with 8:15 remaining the game.

Dudes with the speed and stature of Kobe Rhymes are the powder keg in explosive offenses. With no timeouts remaining and 4:42 to play, Rhymes caught a pass in heavy coverage from Mehki Fields and wriggled his way 45 yards for the touchdown.

24-14 feels like a relatively safe lead in the fourth quarter of most football games. Rhymes and the Hornets rejected that premise. With 48 seconds remaining, Kobe Rhymes blasted over the goal line, on a 1-yard touchdown carry. A missed extra point and an early, Drew Nelson field goal ensured Kearney would finish the game 24-20 in their victory formation.

“Very proud of our kids in a huge game and beating back-to-back, ranked class-6 schools on the road,” said head coach Logan Minnick. “At the same time, we talked about it after the game, our overall program, the thing we take so much pride in is finish. We did not finish the game the way we wanted to tonight.”

“We hold ourselves to a higher standard than that,” Minnick added. “But at the same time, you’ve got to give North Kansas City credit. Still proud of our kids as ever and glad this was a week-5 game because there were so many coachable moments and there's so many things we can take from this to get better.”

KPGZ News – Mike Davis contributed to this story.

Bulldogs Shut Down Park Hill Air Attack

During the previous two weeks, Park Hill scored 74 points on the prolific arm of quarterback Zane Thomas and his favorite target, Dante Dixon. The Kearney Bulldogs allowed only one touchdown as homecoming spoilers in a 14-7 win over the Trojans.

Coach Minnick and the Bulldogs put on a clock-management clinic as they ran time off the board and finished in the victory formation for a 14-7 win. Photo by Eric Stevens.

Thomas opened the Park Hill scoring early with a 45-yard strike to Dante Dixon. On Kearney’s follow-up drive, Bulldog quarterback Carter Temple powered his way behind the offensive line for two yards into the endzone. Drew Nelson tied the score at 7-7 with the PAT.

With 5:39 to go before the half, on 4th-down and eight, Kearney’s defense pressured Zane Thomas into an overthrown endzone pass intended for Dante Dixon. The Bulldogs took over on downs, eventually going to halftime with a 7-7 tie.

Park Hill couldn’t score on their first possession of the second half. The Bulldog defense held them to a missed field goal attempt, giving the Kearney Bulldogs the opportunity to capitalize on their ball-control, running offense.

Kearney’s offensive line became their best defense by keeping the explosive Park Hill offense on the sideline. Carter Temple and company drained the game clock by running over the left side of the offensive line for almost nine minutes in the third quarter and into the fourth when Temple broke free to the endzone for his second score of the evening.

With Kearney leading 14-7, Park Hill had a chance to score in the fourth quarter with a first-and-goal at the Kearney 8-yard line. Dante Dixon caught a Zane Thomas pass at the 3-yard line. On fourth down, Kearney cornerback Conner Reid batted down the scrambling Zane Thomas pass attempt and the Bulldogs took over on downs.

“I want to give a huge shout out to the offense on that touchdown drive there in the third quarter, when we took almost nine minutes off the clock,” said head coach Logan Minnick.

“We're always going to play really good defense. They're gonna keep us in every game we play. They gave up one touchdown early and then locked in when we made a couple little adjustments. Then it just comes down to physicality,” Minnick added. 

Coach Minnick and the Bulldogs put on a clock-management clinic as they ran time off the board and finished in the victory formation for a 14-7 win.

The Bulldogs are 4-0 for the season. They’ll face another Class-6 opponent next week at North Kansas City.

KPGZ News – Mike Davis contributed to this story.