KEARNEY, Mo. — "Finish" — that's the motto for Kearney this season.
"Everything you do, you've got to do start to finish with your full effort," senior linebacker Randall Freeland said.
If you forget, well, "FINISH" is written on the backs of Kearney's helmets this season.
"Or else you're not gonna finish the season like we did last year," Freeland finished.
Last year, the Bulldogs started out 10-0 before losing in the district championship game to Smithville.
"10-and-0 is an awesome start, but when you turn your stuff in at the end, it's not much fun," said head coach Logan Minnick, in his second year with Kearney.
Kearney had already beaten Smithville in the regular season.
"Last year, we didn't get it done so 'finish' to me means go through it all, finish the year, finish out, we want to finish," senior quarterback Casey Rooney said.
And there are plenty of Bulldogs that remember last season.
After all, 17 starters return. As many as 19 of Kearney's 22 starters could be seniors in 2023.
"Which is awesome but a little bit scary going forward as well," Minnick said.
Rooney is a three-year starter at quarterback.
"It's a lot of experience. The game is gonna be slower for them," said Rooney about the experienced players.
Yeah, Kearney can't wait to start — and to finish.
"We're definitely excited with the amount of leadership and just age wise kids we're gonna have out there," Minnick said.