Kearney took a bigger lead into the fourth quarter Monday against Staley than it had in a Sept. 25 meeting, and the ending was a lot different, too.</p><p>The Bulldogs led by 13 points after three quarters in its Missouri Class 4 sectional game and advanced to the quarterfinals with a 28-0 victory.</p><p>Earlier this season, Kearney gave up 15 fourth-quarter points and lost 21-7 to Staley, one of two losses for the Bulldogs this season. But Kearney turned the tables in the rematch on Staley&rsquo;s turf, scoring 15 points of its own in the final quarter.</p><p> &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been counting down the days,&rdquo; Kearney junior defense end Jared Love said. &ldquo;When we got back to the fieldhouse that night we lost to them, we sat down and had a heart-to-heart together. We put the number of days (before we could play them again) up on the board and have been counting it down ever since.&rdquo;</p><p>And now the Bulldogs, 10-2, have their revenge.</p><p>Jones said: &ldquo;Losing to them was the best thing that happened to us, and we told the kids that would be true if they only believed it,&rdquo; Kearney coach Greg Jones said. &ldquo;It can be hard to get 16- and 17-year-olds to buy into that, of course, but that game made the kids work harder and get better.&rdquo;</p><p>Led by Love and his fellow linemen in Kearney&rsquo;s 3-3-5 scheme &mdash; senior Joe Windsor and junior Michael Pfeffer &mdash; the Bulldogs held Staley to minus-16 yards rushing and only five first downs.</p><p>As the Bulldogs&rsquo; defense dominated field position, the offense finally wore down the previously unbeaten Falcons, 11-1, who had scored at least 34 points in nine of the last 10 games.</p><p>&ldquo;Last time we played them, we couldn&rsquo;t get anything going on the ground,&rdquo; Jones said.</p><p>That wasn&rsquo;t a problem Monday as Kearney pounded out 171 yards in 48 carries.</p><p>The Bulldogs&rsquo; defense, which now has six shutouts this season, completed a three-and-out early in the fourth quarter. Three plays later, senior Ashton Hiatt snaked through the line and cut back to the left sideline for a 51-yard touchdown run for the backbreaking score.</p><p>&ldquo;We were running the same plays, but we just drove harder and hit them harder in the mouth,&rdquo; said Hiatt, who added a 2-yard touchdown run in the final 5 minutes.</p><p>The rains came, and the offenses stalled during the first half. Despite the wind and wet conditions, both teams stubbornly insisted on passing, which resulted in three interceptions between the teams and a rash of drops.</p><p>Both offenses struggled to sustain drives as a result, but Kearney took advantage before the rain and got a couple of field goals. Senior Keith Ringler sandwiched 37- and 35-yard field goals around a 43-yard try that drifted barely wide right, leaving the Bulldogs ahead 6-0 at halftime.