Kearney beat the Winnetonka Griffins for the second time this season in round one of the Missouri Class 4, District 8 playoffs. A swarming Bulldog defense forced 3 turnovers and held the Griffins to 6 points for the better part of the game until Winnetonka quarterback, Devin Sontag hit Michael Lane in the end zone with a late, fourth-quarter touchdown pass.

*Casey Rooney hands off to KJ Smith who led the way in rushing, with 131 yards on 21 carries*

Kearney defensive back Drake Cole had 2 interceptions and defensive linemen, Sam Lowman and Kale Conway had quarterback sacks. The Kearney defense held Winnetonka Senior running back Johnell Essex to 59 rushing yards – well under his 100-plus yards the last time these teams met.

The Kearney offense moved the ball on the ground and through the air efficiently for 326 total yards. KJ Smith led the way in rushing for the Bulldogs, with 131 yards on 21 carries. Quarterback Casey Rooney was 7 of 17 for 176 yards with a touchdown. Zach Grace caught 4 passes for 20 yards, Isaac Bates had 2 catches for 72 yards and a touchdown. KJ Smith had a nice catch for 24 yards.

Kearney moves on to Smithville next week as the Warriors host the next round of district playoffs. Game time is 7:00 p.m. Stay tuned to 102.7FM for more details on broadcast coverage of the game.

KPGZ Sports - Mike Davis contributed to this story