MoDOT Closes 19th Street for Repairs

The Missouri Department of Transportation will close eastbound and westbound 19th street on the west side of I-35 in Kearney for drainage repairs next week.

The closure will be between the roundabout and Nation Road starting on approximately Monday, October 14 at 6 a.m. and continue until Thursday, October 17 at 5 p.m. All work is weather permitting.

Motorists are reminded to slow down and pay attention while driving in work zones. Not all work zones look alike. They can also be short term, temporary lane closures to make quick repairs or remove debris from the roadway.

Brian Watts contributed to this story.

Bulldog Softball Dominates Over Winnetonka

Jocelyn Lincoln scored and drove in one when she smashed a homerun on Thursday, October 3 against the Winnetonka Griffins. The Bulldogs would go on to win the game in just three innings, 16-1.

Jocelyn Lincoln scored and drove in one when she smashed a homerun on Thursday.

Winnetonka struck first in the top of the first with one run in after a ground out. Kearney came back in the bottom of the first by scoring eight runs on six hits to take the lead, 8-1. Lincoln hit a two-run homerun over the left field fence. Kennedi Casey had a huge at-bat that drove in three runners on a single.

The Bulldogs scored eight runs on eight hits in the bottom of the third inning. Brooke Paalhar singled, scoring one run, Morgan Pennington singled, scoring one run, Kate Stumpenhaus doubled, scoring one run, an error scored one run, Reghan Lueken doubled, scoring two runs, and Caroline Jury singled, scoring one run.

Reghan Lueken pitched all three innings and had 4 strikeouts. She allowed two hits and one run over three innings and walked one.

Other highlights include:

- Macy Morrow went 1-2

- Kate Landewee had 1 RBI

- Caroline Jury went 1-2 with 1 RBI

- Ryleigh Van Emmerik went 3-3

The Bulldogs are now 23-4 and 7-0 in conference play. Senior night will be Tuesday October 8th against Raytown South.

Brian Watts contributed to this story.

Unbeaten Kearney Defeats Grain Valley 29-6

Senior Grant Noland was just getting started with a 65-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Carter Temple on the Bulldogs’ first offensive play. “I didn’t know Coach (Minnick) was going to call that play,” said Noland. “Carter put it on the money again and I just ran it in. It’s always big to score early like that,” added Noland.

“Grant is an unbelievable player, played both ways tonight, made several catches and the big ball right out the gate,” said Kearney head coach Logan Minnick. “I knew when the defense got the 3-and-out, we were going to take a shot. “Carter Temple puts an absolute dime (on the throw), and we go up six points,” said Minnick.

Noland scored again in the third quarter on an 89-yard kickoff return, side-stepping a defender in front of the Kearney bench and sprinting free to the end zone. “I don’t know why teams keep kicking to Grant Noland, but it’s not very smart at times,” said Minnick.

Kearney defense converges on Grain Valley running back Robert Palmer (6).

Kearney’s defense went into the game challenged by Class-5 Grain Valley’s 40-points-per-game scoring average and senior tailback, Robert Palmer, who is ranked second in the metro averaging 192 yards per game.

Senior linebackers Theo Grace and Jacob Dillon along with junior defensive lineman Mason Beaver combined for three sacks and eight tackles for loss and a Jacob Dillon fumble recovery. The Bulldogs held the Grain Valley offense to 5 of 13 on third down efficiency and 1 of 8 on fourth down.

Carter Temple was 4 of 8 for 133 yards and 2 passing touchdowns; the long ball to Grant Noland and a fourth quarter, 24-yard shot to junior tight end Drew Nelson. Temple had 40 rushing yards on 10 carries including a 3-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

Jacob Dillon kicked a 24-yard field goal in the first quarter. With no scoring by either team in the second quarter, Kearney took a 16-0 lead to the half.

Carter Temple (15) hands the ball to Tristan Williams (24).

Tristan Williams led the team in rushing with 62 yards, Corbin Emmons, Hudson Best, and Trent Dostal added 25, 17, and 13 yards respectively, giving the Bulldogs a solid 160 yards on the ground.

Grain Valley running back Robert Palmer broke free of the Bulldog defense early in the third quarter on 60-yard touchdown run. With the Eagles’ missed extra point, that touchdown remained Grain Valley’s only score of the night.

Kearney junior tight end Drew Nelson finished out the scoring with a 24-yard reception from Carter Temple, capping off the 29-6 Bulldog victory against one of the most physically demanding teams on Kearney’s schedule.

“This was one of the toughest games I've seen as far as the the physical nature of the game,” said Minnick. “We told our kids all week when a team wants to play a Kearney style of football, we're going to come out on top and I think you saw that tonight. Now, hats off to them. That's a really good football team.”

“For three weeks in a row, we played (two) Class-6 and a big-time Class-5 program, and we found a way to get through it. Unbelievable job for the kids being so physical these last three weeks,” Minnick added.

The 6-0 Kearney Bulldogs are on the road next week. They’ll play at Raytown South on Friday, October 11. Kickoff is at 7:00 PM.

Mike Davis contributed to this story.

School District Invites Community to Boundary Process Open House

Kearney School District will be hosting an informational open house for members of the public as part of the Elementary School Boundary Process from 7 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 28; the location will be announced as details are finalized.

Kearney School District is in the process of evaluating the attendance boundaries for each elementary school this fall in order to help ensure that we operate effectively and efficiently with our resources. This process was initiated in September as the district’s Prop B bond capital improvement projects near completion and with new residential developments planned.

The open house will be an opportunity for KSD parents/guardians, employees and community members to:

- Review the proposed changes to KSD's elementary school attendance boundaries

- Talk about the proposals with members of the Elementary School Boundary Team

- Provide your feedback before the process is finalized

This process is likely to impact at least some of KSD stakeholders. Before any major boundary changes, the district is first allowing key stakeholders to ask questions, express concerns and provide their insights during the Elementary School Boundary Team meetings.

The Elementary School Boundary Team is currently reviewing demographic factors like projected enrollment growth and new residential developments, establishing decision-making criteria and generating proposed boundary options. Over the next several weeks, the team will engage the community to seek feedback, refine its recommendations, and eventually present a plan for approval by our Board of Education.

The team is comprised of 17 parents/guardians with children enrolled in Kearney School District. That group includes four KSD employees. They were selected by an administrative steering committee after completing an interest form.

Community members are encouraged to visit www.bit.ly/ksd-boundary-process for more information and updates as the process continues.

Ray Weikal contributed to this story.

School District Seeks Public Input with Annual Survey

Kearney School District parents/guardians, students, employees and community members have the opportunity to provide valuable feedback by completing the 2024 KSD Annual Survey.

“Responsive Leadership & Community Engagement” is one of the four central pillars of the district’s 2022-2027 Strategic Plan. The annual survey is one of the most important methods used by the district to fulfill the goals included in that plan, according to Superintendent Emily Miller.

Dr. Emily Miller

“We must facilitate stakeholder engagement and empower student voices if we are going to achieve our mission to provide exemplary educational experiences in a safe and supportive learning environment,” Dr. Miller said. “The responses we get from this survey will help us achieve that goal.”

This survey will be active until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18. All survey submissions will be kept anonymous.

The results will be compiled and analyzed by district administrators and then shared with the Board of Education and stakeholders. An executive summary with key insights will be posted this winter on the Kearney School District website.

Visit ksdr1.net/survey for a link to complete this year’s annual survey.

Ray Weikal contributed to this story.