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.

Project Silhouette Shines Light on Domestic Violence Victims

Shoppers and residents throughout Clay County will see the stories of real domestic violence victims throughout October with the Sheriff’s Office’s new Project Silhouette.

Project Silhouette places five life-sized cut-outs – three women, a man and a child –  at busy businesses and organizations like libraries. Each features the story of a real domestic violence victim, pulled from the Sheriff’s Office’s own criminal reports over the past 12 months. Victims are kept anonymous.

“The goal is to shine a light on the reality of abuse and bring their stories to the forefront – stories that too often go unheard,” Community Engagement Sergeant Megan Blackburn said.

Sergeant Blackburn is spearheading the Project Silhouette initiative during October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

For their first week, the silhouettes will be placed in the entrances of the following businesses:

• Hy-Vee, 7117 N. Prospect Ave., Gladstone, Mo.

• Price Chopper, 15700 N. Hwy 169, Smithville, Mo.

• Price Chopper, 701 Watson Dr., Kearney, Mo.

• Wal-Mart, 2203 Patsy Lane, Excelsior Springs, Mo.

• Wal-Mart, 8301 N. Church Road, Kansas City, Mo.

The silhouettes will move to other locations, including libraries, over the course of the month.

“Victims need support, resources, and someone to stand up for them. If Project Silhouette can offer even a small piece of that – if it can make even one person feel seen or safe, provide signs of what to look for – then it’s all been worth it,” Sergeant Blackburn said.

KPGZ News - Sarah Boyd contributed to this story.

Tammy Ball Receives Citizen of the Year at Chamber Gala

The Kearney Chamber of Commerce presented five prestigious awards at its fifth annual Harvest Gala on Thursday, September 25. The Citizen of the Year Bob Tate Memorial award was presented to Tammy Ball from the Kearney Food Pantry.

Pictured: Jewelee Cox, Tammy Ball, Stacie Bratcher.

Members of the Kearney area business community came dressed in their best cowboy chic attire to the Chamber’s “Outlaw Soiree” themed gala event at the Tobacco Barn Farm. The event celebrated area businesses with food, entertainment, and Business Excellence Awards.

The first award presented was the Rising Star award. This award recognizes a new business or a business that reignited, rebranded, or reinvented itself over the last year. The winner of the Rising Star Award was Bea’s Flowers & Gifts.

The next award was the Chamber Dedication award. This award celebrates a person, business, or organization who has exhibited dedication to the Chamber through service, support, and/or tenure of membership. The Chamber Dedication award went to Jennifer Grossl of Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative.

The third award was the Biggest Community Impact award. This honor recognizes a person, business or organization that has had the biggest impact on our community in the last year. The winner of this award was Shanks Heating & Cooling.

The next award was the Business of the Year award. The Business of the Year award was introduced by the Ambassador Committee. Business of the Year nominees are former Business of the Month recipients, who are nominated by that committee. This honor went to Oak Pointe of Kearney.

The final award of the evening was the Citizen of the Year award. This award is given to recognize an outstanding member of the chamber community who, through their personal involvement, leadership abilities, and selfless giving of their time and talent, has positively affected Kearney and the lives of its citizens. The Citizen of the Year Award honors those whose contributions to Kearney have been both a recent effort resulting in a substantial benefit to the community, and a steady, reliable long-term history of service to Kearney. This award was presented to Tammy Ball from the Kearney Food Pantry.

“To be the recipient of the Citizen of the Year- Bob Tate Award is truly an honor that I share with the volunteers [of the] Kearney Food Pantry, said Ball on a Facebook post. “There are so many people in our community worthy of this award. I am honored that we were selected! Thank you Stacie and all the Kearney Chamber of Commerce members for all you do to keep us inspired! Thank you, Kearney for supporting your community!”

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story.

Hawthorne Student Named National ‘Artist of the Week’ by Artsonia

Creed Cross, a talented second-grade student at Hawthorne Elementary School, has been named ‘Artist of the Week’ in a nationwide voting competition on Artsonia.com, the world’s largest collection of online student art portfolios, featuring over 125 million works of art.

Cross’ winning artwork, titled ‘A Very Blue Park,’ captured the attention of voters nationwide, receiving over 500 online votes.

“What inspired me is the playground downtown in my city,” Cross shared about his winning artwork. “I thought of the playground and started cutting the shapes.”

When asked how it felt to be named Artist of the Week, Cross said, “I felt pretty nice.”

Cross’ art teacher, Shelly Dunn, who has been teaching art for four years, said, “I love the discovery process with the students when they realize that they can create amazing art.”

Dunn is one of thousands of teachers who use Artsonia, which enables teachers to digitally showcase student art, organize and plan art lessons, and fundraise for their classrooms. Artsonia allows family and friends of student artists to view the art online and create custom keepsakes from the student art. Artsonia donates 20% of its revenue to local art classrooms.

“Students are now excited to put their artwork on Artsonia for their parents and extended family to see,” Dunn shared.

The Artist of the Week program was created by Artsonia 25 years ago to highlight student creativity and engage schools and communities in celebrating young artists. Each week, 12 student submissions are randomly selected from artwork submitted the previous week in four different age groups (PreK-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12) for public voting. Winners receive both recognition and prizes.

As part of the award, Blick Art Materials generously provides a $100 gift certificate to the winning student’s art program and a $50 gift certificate to the student.

"Artsonia's mission is to bring communities together to celebrate children's creative expression," said Jim Meyers, CEO and co-founder of Artsonia. "Artist of the Week encourages local schools, families, and friends to get involved in the process of creating and celebrating student art.”

KPGZ News - Danielle Matousek contributed to this story.

Bulldogs Execute Another Shutout Win

Ellie Switzer came up big with a single that cleared the bases for three runs. Photo by David Haggart.

The Kearney Bulldog Softball team delivered a commanding performance Tuesday, defeating the Excelsior Springs Tigers 7-0 behind a dominant shutout pitched by Reghan Lueken. The Bulldogs’ pitching and timely hitting kept the Tigers off the board at Kearney High School.

Kearney struck first in the opening inning when Alyssa Quick doubled to bring in two runs, setting the tone early for the Bulldogs. Quick continued her strong night in the third, blasting a solo home run over center field to extend the lead. The Bulldogs pulled away in the sixth inning, scoring four runs to secure the victory. Ellie Switzer came up big with a single that cleared the bases for three runs, while Reese Narron added another run with a single of her own.

Excelsior Springs pitcher Kayden Rogers worked six innings, allowing seven runs—four of them earned—on eight hits. Rogers struck out two and walked two in the effort, but couldn’t slow the Bulldogs’ offense.

The bottom of Kearney’s lineup came through, with Quick leading the team with three RBIs and finishing 2-for-3. Kennedi Casey also contributed, matching Quick with two hits. On the Tigers’ side, Bella Loeffert, Josie Casler, and Rogers each picked up a hit, but the team couldn’t push any runs across. Excelsior Springs did manage to turn a double play defensively, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Kearney’s momentum.

With Lueken shutting down the Tigers’ bats and the Bulldogs’ offense firing on all cylinders, Kearney earned a well-deserved shutout win to keep their season rolling. The Bulldogs are now 21-5 on the season.

KPGZ News – Brian Watts contributed to this story.