Greg Jones took one look at the whipping winds that were gusting up to 40 miles per hour and smiled.

The Kearney High football coach felt right at home Saturday afternoon even though his team was 253 miles away preparing to face Westminster in a Class 4 football semifinal contest.

"The wind's been blowing like this in Kearney for two weeks," Jones said.

Added Kearney senior quarterback Logan Hinck, "It's no big deal, we're used to this."

The driving wind played right into the Bulldogs' hands as they erupted for four touchdowns in the second half to record a 35-16 win before a packed house in Town and Country.

Kearney (13-1), in its third successive state semifinal, finally got over the hump and will take on five-time defending state champion Webb  City (14-0) in the state title game at 1 p.m. Friday at Edward Jones Dome.

Westminster ends the most successful season in school history at 13-1.

The Wildcats, in their first semifinal appearance, jumped to a 3-0 lead and trailed just 7-3 entering the second half.

Then Mother Nature intervened. And the Wildcats were never the same.

Kearney, kicking off against the wind, recovered the ball on a bizarre boot to begin a two-touchdown blitz that helped turn the tide in the Bulldogs favor.

The high kick hit a sudden gust of wind and dropped straight to the ground where Kearney junior Ethan Luft recovered it at the 29-yard-line. No Westminster player ever touched the ball, which seemed to drop like a rock from the sky.

Two plays later, senior running back Cale Garrett rambled up the middle for a 29-yard score and a 14-3 lead.

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