Carter Temple isn't just a quarterback — he's a phenomenon, and all of Missouri is about to be reminded.

The Kearney Bulldogs enter 2026 as defending Class 4 Show-Me Bowl champions, coming off a perfect 14-0 season capped by a 21-14 victory over Hannibal — and they return 22 seniors hungry to do it again.

Head Coach Logan Minnick was named the 2025 Missouri Football Coaches Association Class 4 Coach of the Year after posting a 49-4 record in his tenure, which includes two state titles and three district championships.

Defensive Coordinator Marcus Brinkley earned Assistant Coach of the Year alongside him — a staff duo that has held opponents to fewer than 12 points per game over four seasons.

At the center of this offense is Temple, the unanimous team captain and 2025 MFCA Class 4 Offensive Player of the Year.

Last season, he threw for over 1,450 yards and 18 touchdowns with just two interceptions, then added more than 1,100 rushing yards and 22 scores on the ground.

At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, Temple is also a three-time state wrestling champion who has reportedly logged a 505-pound squat — an athlete built for the biggest moments.

He has lost just one game as a career starter.

All-state seniors Matthew Lindsey and Kale Tucking return at running back, and junior Cruise Emmons — the third of three Emmons brothers to run the ball for Kearney — is expected to play a much bigger role.

Linebacker Aidan Arellano and the Tucking twins headline a defense that is shifting toward a more aggressive, turnover-focused scheme under Brinkley in 2026.

That shift could make an already elite defense even more dangerous.

Kearney opens at home against Belton on August 28, then faces a demanding stretch that includes Smithville, Rockhurst, and St. Pius — no soft spots for a team wearing the defending champion's target.

Several of these seniors were sophomores on the 2024 squad that fell one game short of a title.

With Kearney Bulldogs football and its championship culture firmly intact, this group isn't just defending a banner — they're building a legacy.