For a rivalry to exist between two football teams, each team needs to win every so often. After all, it is not really a rivalry if one team dominates the scoreboard year after year. In the case of the Highway 92 rivalry between Platte County and Kearney, the Bulldogs had won seven straight games over the Pirates heading into last season’s clash at Pirates Stadium and it looked like the Bulldogs were going to make it eight straight when they built a 20-point lead early in the second half.
But Platte County was able to exorcise years of frustration by pulling out a 28-27 comeback win that was likely the signature moment of last season’s 10-3 campaign.
The Pirates (3-1) will try to make it two in a row over their Suburban Conference Blue Division counterparts when they travel to Kearney (3-1) for a 7 p.m. kickoff Friday.
Platte
County head coach Bill Utz knows his team faces a stiff challenge.
“Kearney is always a fun week,” Utz said. “They are always well coached and are always ready to play. The win last year allowed us to gain confidence. The kids believed in themselves and in what we were doing.
“That being said, that was last year. Watching film, we are very similar. It should be fun. We will need to play error free and play our best.”
Kearney lost a wild 77-55 shootout to Lee’s Summit the second week of the season, but has since won twice, including a 26-25 win at Liberty North last week that saw the Bulldogs erase a 12-point fourth quarter deficit.
Kearney is powered by senior running back Brock Broughton, who has already rushed for 738 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also has 250 receiving yards and a touchdown reception.