Bulldogs Overwhelm Class-6 Park Hill 38-17

Kearney scored first with a 1-yard, Grant Nolan touchdown run in the second quarter and never looked back. A mauling Bulldog defensive front and adept coverage from the secondary frustrated Park Hill’s high-power offense from start to finish.

 “The biggest thing I keep thinking about this game is how much pride we take in that weight room. I think it showed if we're class 4 or class 6, it doesn't matter, the way our kids get after it in that weight room,” said Kearney Head Coach Logan Minnick. “They had some athletes over there. We won this game on the line of scrimmage, and we were pretty dominant.”

The Class-4 Bulldogs Dominated over Class-6 Park Hill - Photo by Kelly Gentry.

Park Hill got on the board with an Anna Anderson field goal at 4:49 in the second quarter. Kearney’s Jacob Dillon returned the favor with a 39-yard kick through the uprights with 1:21 to go in the half.

With less than ten seconds to go, it seemed Kearney would head to the halftime locker room with a 10-3 advantage until Bulldog quarterback Carter Temple threw a perfect 35-yard strike to the back of the end zone and into the outstretched hands of Grant Nolan.

Jacob Dillon’s point after kick gave the Bulldogs a 17-3 lead and they had the first possession of the second half. By 8:21 in the third quarter, Kearney was on the board again on a Corbin Emmons 45-yard dash to the end zone. Dillon followed up with the PAT as the Bulldogs took over the game at 24-3.

Kearney took advantage of the lead with a heavy running attack through the second half. The Bulldogs amassed 452 offensive yards: 114 passing and a devastating 338 on the ground. Junior Corbin Emmons (168 yards), and Senior Tristan Williams (106 yards) carried the rushing load.

“We were getting five or six yards before we would even get touched, both me and Corbin, so, (our O-line) was pretty good,” said senior running back Tristan Williams.

“We trust those guys back there with the rock,” said senior left tackle, Joe Schranz. “They run hard. I love to see it every single time.”

Park Hill quarterback Zane Thomas connected twice with wide receiver, Dante Dixon for two touchdown scores in the fourth quarter. The first for 30 yards and the second for 80 yards when Dixon broke free over the Bulldog secondary.

Bulldog quarterback Carter Temple ran 18 yards for a touchdown on a designed keeper play in the fourth quarter. Kearney led 31-17 with 4:38 remaining in the game when Temple handed the ball to Tristan Williams for a 1-yard touchdown and the 38-17 win over Park Hill.

“I’m just so proud of the way our kids came out,” said Minnick. “We said all week, to match them or to win this game, we're going to have to be the most physical team and I thought that showed up time and time again.”  

The 4-0 Kearney Bulldogs host Class 6, North Kansas City on Friday, September 27. KPGZ 102.7FM will broadcast the game. The pregame show begins at 6:40 PM. Kickoff is at 7:00 PM.

Mike Davis contributed to this story.

Bulldogs Roll Grandview 45-8

Kearney Bulldog senior running back Tristan Williams ran for 88 yards and 4 touchdowns as the defense held Grandview scoreless 45-0 by halftime. In stark contrast to last week’s defensive battle with Ft. Osage, the outcome of this game was never in doubt.

“I thought our kids did a great job of leveraging Grandview’s speed and kept it contained,” said Head Coach Logan Minnick. “They executed the game plan almost to perfection. We got some turnovers, special teams played well, and the offense was clicking.”

After the successful hook and ladder from Doll to Dostal to Williams! Tristan scores the rushing TD behind tremendous blocking by the O-Line. Photo by Kelly Gentry.

Junior Quarterback Brad Doll connected with Corbin Emmons on a 50-yard touchdown pass early in the first quarter. Williams quickly added two rushing scores, and it was 22-0 before the start of the second quarter. Kicker Jacob Dillon added his dependable point after kicks on the first and third touchdowns, and a Brad Doll to Theo Grace pass completed the 2-point conversion on the second score.

Early in the second quarter, Doll ran 20 yards on a quarterback keeper for a touchdown. Jacob Dillon’s point after kick gave Kearney a 29-0 lead.

Grandview – pinned deep against their own goal line – gave up a safety under heavy pressure from the Kearney defense adding another two points.

Before halftime, Tristan Williams would score on two 4-yard touchdowns followed by Jacob Dillon’s point after kicks. With a 45-0 lead, Kearney’s first-team offense and defense were finished for the night.

“I think that Grandview team is a little better than what the score indicated,” said Minnick. “You know when games get to that kind of situation, I thought our kids handled it really well. Get in, get that running clock going, get the young kids in and get ready for week three.”

Kearney’s second unit offense took over at the start of the third quarter. The second- and third-unit defense would give up the only Grandview score on a fourth quarter touchdown pass from Grandview quarterback Mehkl Fields to wide receiver Mikelis Johnson followed by a two-point conversion.

“You know when we talked during the off-season, I told you, we would build this team around our defense,” Minnick added. “We take so much pride in the weight room and the things we do here we think we can always play well (on defense) regardless of what the offense is doing. It was just a good overall team win, the kind of win we needed to have today.”

The Bulldogs play on the road against conference rival Smithville Friday, September 13. KPGZ 102.7 will broadcast the game beginning with the pregame show at 6:40. Kickoff is at 7:00.

Mike Davis contributed to this story.