Bulldogs Hold Ft. Osage Scoreless on the Road

The Class 4 defending state champs reloaded their 2024 roster with speed, power, and defense. In a nail-biter against one of the top-ranked teams in Missouri, the Kearney Bulldog defense locked down an explosive Ft. Osage offense for the better part of four quarters.

Bulldog Senior Tre Smith darted through the Ft. Osage defense on a 15-yard reverse in the second quarter for the opening score. Jacob Dillon’s point after gave Kearney a 7-point lead that the defense protected until the Bulldogs scored two touchdowns in the final two minutes – one of which was a pick six – shutting out Ft. Osage 21-0.

“I’m just glad we got the shutout,” said senior linebacker Theo Grace. “Last year, we were a great defense, but we couldn’t get the shutout, so that’s just awesome to see on the scoreboard.”

If indeed, great defenses win championships, the Ft. Osage Indians, and the Kearney Bulldogs have promising futures this season.

Grant Noland - Photo by Chrystan Ferrell

“That’ll be one of the best defenses we’ll play against all year and I’m sure their coach will tell you the same thing about ours,” said Kearney head coach Logan Minnick. “That’s one of the best defenses you’re going to see. They’re physical, they run well. That number-seven, Anthony Thompson is one of the best linebackers I’ve coached against in my career. He is an absolute monster. We were throwing two and three guys at him at the same time, and he was still making plays.”

The Bulldogs held tightly to a 7-point lead for nearly three straight quarters as both defenses slugged it out. Ft. Osage threatened to score in the fourth quarter after a sustained drive and a deep pass from Jonathan Ross to Nicholas Penamon. The Bulldog defense prevailed.

Just as Kearney’s offense appeared to have the game salted away on safe running plays up the middle, Grant Noland took the shotgun snap and sprinted outside and down the sideline 35 yards for what appeared to be the final touchdown of the game. Jacob Dillon’s point after gave Kearney a late 14-0 lead.

“During the time-out huddle, Coach Minnick said: ‘Grant, jab-step outside,’ Theo (Grace) got the edge sealed and it worked,” Noland said.

Aidan Arellano Captures the interception and takes it to the house to clinch the win. - Photo by CHrystan Ferrell

In their final possession, under heavy pressure, Ft. Osage quarterback Jonathan Ross threw a late interception as Kearney defensive back Aidan Arellano jumped the pass and ran untouched to the endzone for the pick-6.

“I’m unbelievably proud of our kids, I think we were in a little bit better shape than they were as it came down the stretch, and we take a lot of pride in that,” Minnick said.

“I love starting off the season with hard games,” said Grace. “Our first four games are hard and that’ll get us ready to play against tougher teams.”

The Bulldogs host Grandview Friday, September 6. 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.

Bulldog Football Kicks Off Friday

Bulldog Football begins on Friday, August 30, and Kearney begins the season travelling to Fort Osage High School.

The 2023 Class 4 State Champion Kearney Bulldogs

The 2023 Class 4 State Champion Kearney Bulldogs start defending their title Friday night with the first game against the Fort Osage Indians. Coach Minnick told KPGZ that the first game will be a well-fought match up.

“They have three receivers back and a much more athletic and throwing quarterback this year,” Minnick said about the Indians. “They’re going to be a physical football team. They’re going to spread it around.”

The game will be broadcast on 102.7FM and the KPGZ mobile app.

The game will be played at Fort Osage High School, 2101 N Twyman Rd. Independence, MO. Gates open at 5:30 and tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for K-12 students. Kids under age 5 are free. Only students from Fort Osage and Kearney will be admitted with current student ID.

The game will be broadcast on 102.7FM, KPGZ websites 1027KearneyMO.com and KearneyCountry.com, and the KPGZ mobile app. Pregame starts at 6:40 pm and play-by-play action begins at 7 pm.

Brian Watts contributed to this story.

Highway 33 Closed due to Culvert Failure

The Missouri Department of Transportation announced the closure of Missouri Highway 33 between Kearney and Holt.

Missouri Route 33 between MO Route CC and Burris Road near Holt and Kearney will be closed until further notice effective Wednesday, August 28. The closure is expected to begin between the hours of 9 am and 3 pm.

The closure is due to a culvert failure according to the Missouri Department of Transportation. The official signed detour for this closure is I-35 in both directions.

The reopening date is currently unknown until the project can be designed, awarded, and replaced.

For more information about MoDOT news, projects or events, please visit our website at www.modot.org/kansascity.

 Brian Watts contributed to this story.

Include Safety In Your Plans For Labor Day Weekend

The Missouri State Highway Patrol encourages everyone to plan for a safe 2024 Labor Day weekend. Whether you are on the water or on the road, it’s everyone's responsibility to travel safely and observe all Missouri laws.

In Missouri, 15 people died and 477 were injured in 1,058 traffic crashes over the 2023 Labor Day holiday.

The 2024 counting period for the Labor Day holiday will be from 6 p.m., Friday, August 30, 2024, through 11:59 p.m. Monday, September 2, 2024.

In Missouri, 15 people died and 477 were injured in 1,058 traffic crashes over the 2023 Labor Day holiday. This means one person was killed or injured every 9.5 minutes. Troopers arrested 125 people for driving while intoxicated during last year’s holiday weekend.

In 2023, there were 12 boating crashes which included zero fatalities and three injuries. No one drowned over last year's Labor Day holiday. Troopers arrested 10 people for boating while intoxicated during last year's counting period.

The Highway Patrol will be participating in Operation C.A.R.E. (Crash Awareness & Reduction Effort) over the Labor Day holiday weekend. Speed, inattention, and impaired driving are leading causes of traffic crashes. All available troopers will be patrolling Missouri’s roadways and waterways. Troopers on the roadways will be enforcing Missouri’s speed limit, seat belt, and impaired driving laws, in addition to being available to assist motorists.

Never operate a vehicle or vessel while you are impaired. Alcohol affects your judgement, reaction time, vision, coordination, and comprehension. The movement of the boat, vibration and noise from the boat’s motor, sun, and wind are all boating stressors and enhance the effect of alcohol on your body. If alcohol is part of your water activities, drink responsibly, and never operate a vessel if you’ve consumed alcohol.

The public is encouraged to call the Patrol's Emergency Report Line (800) 525-5555 or *55 on your cellular phone if they witness criminal activity or experience an emergency. These emergency numbers are operational for both highway and water emergencies. If your celebration includes alcohol, designate someone else to drive whether you are in your boat or your car.

Brian Watts contributed to this story.

Scammers Continue to Pose as Law Enforcement

Phone scammers pretending to be Clay County Sheriff’s Office employees continue to call residents in an attempt to scam them out of their money. Unfortunately, people still fall for the scam.

The Sheriff’s Office says that the most common phone scam they hear about is the one about jury duty. It comes and goes but it is the most frequent version.

“Scammers call residents claiming to be a deputy from our office (sometimes they use the name of real employees they got off our web site) and say you missed jury duty, so now there's a warrant for your arrest,” reads a Sheriff’s Office Facebook post.

Scammers will do whatever they can to keep a potential victim on the phone. They will try to confuse the victim with case numbers, court dates, fines, and payment arrangements.

“They say you can avoid arrest by paying a bond. At first, they'll ask to meet in person, but they are usually not local, so they'll change that to sending them an electronic payment,” states the Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office wants you to know these facts about warrants and jury duty:

* In Missouri, the penalty for missing jury duty is NOT arrest; it's a fine.

* We NEVER call to tell someone there's a warrant for their arrest. We'll make them aware of that in person when we arrest them.

* We do not accept electronic payments. The only way to pay a bond is in cash in the Detention Center lobby.

* Though they usually are not local, scammers often spoof local phone numbers - including ours - to make themselves appear legitimate.

Another variation on this is saying you were an "expert witness" who missed court, and now there is a warrant for your arrest. 

The Sheriff’s Office recommends hanging up on the scammer if you get one of these calls.

Brian Watts contributed to this story.