Leading the game for nearly 3 quarters, Kearney looked as if they were about to hand the Griffins their first loss of the season until Winnetonka rallied late in the fourth quarter for a 20-16 victory.

*Kearney looked as if they were about to hand the Griffins their first loss of the season until Winnetonka rallied late*

Kearney running back, KJ Smith was on his way to 178 yards of rushing, darting in and out of the Griffins defense behind a well-tuned Bulldog offensive line.

After a scoreless first quarter, Kearney quarterback Ian Acosta, and the entire Bulldog offensive line, bull-dozed 2 yards into the end zone for a touchdown with 6:52 to go in the second quarter. The Braxton Breedlove point-after kick was good for a 7-0 Bulldog lead.

Winnetonka’s offense drove deep into Bulldog territory late in the first half behind the passing arm of quarterback Jovan Satterwhite (14 of 23 for 189 yards, 2 TDs) and the explosive running style of Montre Moore (144 yards on 27 carries, 1 TD).

Kearney defensive back Joe Marshall crushed a late, first-half Winnetonka scoring attempt, intercepting a Satterwhite pass in the end zone. The Bulldogs took over from their own 20-yard line with a well-executed offensive drive, setting up a 36-yard Braxton Breedlove field goal with no time showing on the clock, ending the first half with Kearney on top 10-0.

The Bulldogs began the second half on offense, breaking open a massive running lane for KJ Smith to sprint 52-yards for a touchdown. Breedlove’s extra-point kick went wide as the Bulldogs increased their lead to 16-0.

Winnetonka is a conference opponent the Bulldogs have successfully outscored over the past 2 seasons. Quarterback Javon Satterwhite and running back Montre Moore have contributed mightily to the now 6-0 program. Their talent, combined with Junior wide-receiver Jason Essex, emerged in a late third-quarter drive as Satterwhite hit Jason Essex on a 17-yard touchdown pass, followed by a Montre Moore carry for the 2-point conversion, giving the Griffins their first score of the evening – Kearney 16, Winnetonka 8.

Momentum began shifting to the Griffins with 8:49 to go in the fourth quarter as Satterwhite connected with Julian Rogers for a 46-yard touchdown pass. Satterwhite scrambled for the 2- point conversion as Winnetonka closed the scoring gap to 2 points – 16-14, Bulldogs still on top.

Kearney came up short on their next possession, relinquishing the lead for the first time as Montre Moore played the spoiler role on a 3-yard touchdown run for the 20-16 go-ahead score.

With 1:46 to go in the game, the Bulldogs had a late opportunity to run the clock and score a touchdown for the win. The Griffins defense held strong, blitzing and pressuring the Bulldogs offense into a loss of yardage, forcing a turnover on downs.

The final possession went to Winnetonka as they finished the last seconds in their victory formation for a final score of 20-16, improving their record to 6-0.

Your 2-4 Kearney Bulldogs travel to Raytown South next Friday for another conference game.

KPGZ Sports – Mike Davis contributed to this story