A recovered onside kick on the opening kickoff set the tone as the Bulldog offense quickly converted it to a 44-yard touchdown pass from Manny Linthacum to Bryce Page. Kearney added two more touchdowns in the first quarter of play, taking an early 21-3 lead over the Fort Osage Indians.

Fort Osage finished 11-2 in their 2021 campaign, after falling to Holt (Wentzville) in the state semifinal game. Senior quarterback Greg Menne leads a host of talented, speedy athletes on an explosive offense that challenges even the best metro-area defenses.

*Tristan Williams (27) takes a Casey Rooney handoff behind a wall of Kearney blockers.*

Kearney’s offense added eight more points in the second quarter on a Cameron Emmons 7-yard touchdown run, followed by a Zach Grace blast up the middle for the 2-point conversion.

Meanwhile, the Bulldog defense was frustrating Greg Menne and the Fort Osage offensive threat, holding them to only 3 points in the first half with the score 29-3.

“Our guys were just super-locked in all week. We probably had the best week of practice we’ve had,” said Head Coach Logan Minnick. “Our kids were unbelievably focused. We’ve got athletes on the defensive side. I think Kearney defense is back.”

Fort Osage sophomore running back, Ryver Peppers darted 8 yards down the sideline for a touchdown at 10:09 in the third quarter. A mis-handled snap by Bulldog quarterback Casey Rooney was recovered moments later giving Menne and the Fort Osage offense a short field and another scoring opportunity.

With the score 29-10 and the Fort Osage offense threatening, Menne unloaded a deep spiral that sailed directly into the hands of Kearney free safety and track star, Luke Noland who sprinted down the sideline and into the end zone, giving Kearney a 36-10 lead following the Grant Jacobson point after kick.

Jacobson added a late 22-yard field goal with 2:39 to play in the fourth quarter. Fort Osage running back, Jeffery Alexander ran two yards into the end zone for a final touchdown followed by a Xander Shepherd extra point kick with 11 seconds on the game clock.

“They’re a good Class-5 school. We knew we had to come in and get business done. It was a business trip,” said junior quarterback Casey Rooney. “Coach Minnick had a great game plan and we just executed.”

Junior center Jackson Cook was also resigned to the job ahead of him. “I was just trying not to make this game feel bigger than it was. It was just another game and we had to go out and do what we do. The rest of the O-line reflected that, and it showed here tonight.” Kearney rushed for 212 yards on 40 attempts, averaging 5.3 yards per carry.

The 2-0 Kearney Bulldogs host the Smithville Warriors next Friday night. KPGZ 102.7FM will broadcast the game at 7:00 pm, pregame begins at 6:40.

KPGZ Sports - Mike Davis contributed to this story.