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Season Preview: Kearney

By Chris Geinosky, 810 Varsity, 08/12/17, 12:30PM CDT

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Bulldogs move to new era in Kearney

Coach Gray Takes Over at Kearney

When Kearney lost head coach Greg Jones earlier this year, high school football fans had to wonder what would happen to one of the state’s top programs.

Those closest to the team could provide an answer in one word. Nothing.

Josh Gray, a longtime assistant coach who served on Jones’ staff the past 11 years, has taken the reins of one of the winningest programs in the state in recent years. And he has no plans to alter the standards that have been put in place by his predecessor.

“We have high expectations here, both players and coaches, and that’s not changing because of a coaching change,” Gray said. “No one puts more pressure on us than we do on ourselves. We plan to continue to build a championship program.

“… Is there going to be a transition? Yes. But will the expectations be any different? No. The mentality is the same. We’re going to do what Kearney does.”

That’s win. A lot.

In the past 11 seasons with Jones, who has moved down the road to Liberty North, and Gray leading the way, Kearney collected an impressive 119-23 record. During that time, the Bulldogs qualified for the playoffs in nine different seasons, reached the state semifinals six times, advanced to the state championship game on three occasions, and earned the title as state champion twice.

“Coach Jones was such a great mentor, and it’s an honor to follow in his footsteps,” Gray said. “We’re going to continue to set high goals like we always have and try to build this program. Each year is a new year where we have the chance to prove ourselves.”

This year the Bulldogs will do it not only with a new coach – and coaching staff – but with a crew of players that has minimal varsity experience. Kearney lost a loaded senior class from last year’s Class 4 state runner-up team, which included the likes of a half dozen stars that have moved on to the college football ranks.

Headlining the list are three of last year’s top players in the Kansas City area. Quarterback Anthony Pritzel and linebacker Ethan Luft walked away from their high school careers with the Frank Fontana Award (top small-class football player in the metro) and the Bobby Bell Award (top small-class lineman), respectively, and both are continuing their playing days at William Jewell College in Liberty. Receiver Jess Davis, who teamed up with Pritzel to set 13 team records, is playing college baseball at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Heading into 2017, the Bulldogs have only a handful of returning starters from last year’s team.

Kearney has one offensive lineman back in senior Alex Updike (6-foot-4, 265 pounds). Two experienced running backs – 5-11, 170-pound senior Logan Hachman (559 yards and four touchdowns) and 5-7, 165-pound junior Patrick Connery (669 yards and 10 touchdowns) – return after productive seasons a year ago.

Defensively, seniors Max Bowers and Brock Willis will be back at their linebacker spots. Senior Daniel Piburn adds a veteran presence on the D-line, and senior Hunter Gray, the coach’s son, will be counted on to play a bigger role after making five starts last season.

“We lost a great senior class last year, but we have another great senior class that has waited for their turn this year,” Coach Gray said. “There’s no doubt that we have a lot of holes to fill, but I’m excited to see who’s going to step up and how we reload.”

That starts with the quarterback situation, where the Bulldogs have as many as four players battling for the starting gig, including senior Ryan Potts, who played for Class 5 Liberty the past two seasons. Seniors Gunnar Carpenter, Jake Hoffman and Blake Weakley will be top targets in the passing game. Seniors Addison Marshall, Payton Graves, Joey Ebarb, Xander Kent and Brett “Chopper” Mordecai will be counted on defensively according to Gray.

> Kearney 2017 Football Schedule

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