For years now, Appleton City has not-so-quietly been building a football program that they believed could rank among the top programs in the state. Friday night, the hard work was rewarded with a Western Missouri Conference title as the Bulldogs dominated Liberal 82-38 on their way to being crowned undefeated WEMO Conference Champions.
This season, the Bulldogs have gone 7-1 thus far and entered this past week ranked as the 8th-best team in the entire state of Missouri. More impressive yet, Appleton is not merely winning games, they are dominating opponents. In their last seven games, the Bulldogs have outscored the opposition 419-126. No, that is not a typo. On average, Appleton is beating other teams by over 40 points every week.
And the WEMO Conference is no slouch. The conference is home to an Archie Whirlwinds program that has been the standard over the course of this decade, going 71-6 with a pair of State Championships. Then insert the Midway Vikings, longtime WEMO members who have made the transition to 8-man football this year and currently sit at 7-1, touting a top-10 state ranking themselves. But the Vikings’ one loss? You guessed it, Appleton City.
The Bulldogs have staked their claim at the top of one of the most dominant 8-man football conferences in the state. Bulldogs Coach Colton Bourland says, “That’s what makes winning WEMO special for me is knowing you’re competing against some of the best football coaching minds.”
While the scores and records tell a story of domination, what they don’t tell is the story of how the Bulldogs got here. That story began years before this season ever kicked off.
Appleton City made the transition to 8-man football in 2019, and they found quick success, going 10-1 in that inaugural season. However, they fell into a slump the next two seasons, going a combined 4-14 over that stretch.
Then Colton Bourland arrived.
Bourland was a hometown coach who graduated from Appleton City in 2010. He loved the town and was excited to be blessed with an opportunity to pour into a program and a community that he loves, telling Tailgate TV, “It’s a very special place to live and raise your kids.”
When Colton took over the program, he didn’t simply bring more wins to the record. He brought a culture, expectations, and accountability that, in time, would change the course of Appleton City football.
Colton’s first year, the team finally got back to .500, going an even 5-5 in 2022. In 2023, the improvement continued as they went 7-3, followed by two years of 8-3 football before this current season.
How did he do it? Colton credits the players and the community.
His first priority was getting the kids prepared. “One of the first things we wanted to establish was a weight room culture. I could go on for days about how the weight room has changed our program.”
He went on to explain that not only was he trying to get the kids physically ready to compete, but he was preparing them mentally, too, creating habits of accountability, effort, and discipline.
Bourland reflected, “We established a culture in the weight room that directly reflects onto the football field. From holding teammates accountable by being there at 6am during winter (even when they played basketball games that night). To doing all the little things correctly and making it a habit.”
Bourland was quick to mention the help he had in the rebuild, crediting Coleton Smith for helping to create the weight room culture and taking it even further, while also recognizing the Appleton City community for helping to establish a sense of pride in Bulldogs sports.
Coach praised the support he felt, saying, “The other thing we wanted to have was a sense of pride in Appleton City. I think it is a lot easier to have pride in something when it’s ‘nice’. We started that with the locker rooms. Our community made it happen for our athletic program. Complete overhaul of the floor, lockers, paint, and everything.”
The improvements didn’t stop there. The community also stepped up to help renovate the weight room, replacing an unsafe floor with new rubber flooring and turf, along with fresh paint. These improvements helped create an environment that reflected the pride and expectations the coaching staff was working to establish.
This championship belongs to the entire community of Appleton City, not just the rostered players. And this is nothing new. Remembering back to his playing days, Bourland said, “What I remember as a player was the community support and involvement. The support our athletic program gets from the community is second to none.”
It is refreshing and encouraging to see that support and pride are still alive and well. And Bourland feels the support, stating, “When something needs done, there’s a few people I can reach out to and they just make it happen.”
While the improved facilities and sense of pride helped change the culture, the rebuild would have never taken off if the players inside that first locker room had not embraced the new culture and helped lay the foundation for what Appleton City is celebrating today.
Each year since Colton took the reins, the program has consistently improved, and that doesn’t happen without players buying in and perpetuating the culture change. Those players who participated in early workouts, began holding each other accountable, and set the standards for seasons to come are the ones who helped build this program and the Bulldog way.
When asked what this WEMO Conference title meant to him, Bourland said, “I think it’s more special to our kids who were part of building the program but didn’t get to experience the championship payoff first hand.”
He went on to say, “I hope those kids see that they helped start this and we couldn’t have gotten to where we are without them.”
This year’s team is celebrating a championship, but they couldn’t do it without those who came before them or the coaches who have dedicated and sacrificed so much for their growth. Bourland thanked his assistant coaches, past and present, saying, “They certainly don’t coach for the pay and our kids are lucky to have their dedication.”
And now it is coming full circle, as the kids who grew up watching the rebuild begin are the ones carrying this program into its next chapter.
Bourland says, “What makes this group special is that they experienced the building process from Junior High.”
These players didn’t just join a team. They became part of a program and a culture they watched being built.
But the work is not finished for the Bulldogs. Coach told Tailgate TV, “I think this group can go as far as we want. If we just stick to simple football…tackle, don’t turn the ball over, and don’t beat ourselves.”
Appleton City will finish its regular season with a home matchup against New Heights Christian, where the Bulldogs will be heavy favorites. Then postseason play will be up next, and the Bulldogs have a chance to make a deep playoff run and possibly bring even more championships back to the town that has shown them so much love and support.
Whatever the postseason holds, Appleton City’s conference championship is already a testament to what can happen when a community invests in its young people, when coaches establish a culture of accountability, and when players commit to something bigger than themselves.
The championship may belong to the 2026 Bulldogs, but the foundation was laid by those who came before them.
This article is brought to you by C&S Graphics! Want to show your support for their current Appleton City Fundraiser? AND support a small business? Go to their website and purchase an Appleton City parking sign, porch sign, or yard sign and they will donate money to the Appleton City Booster Club for every purchase to go towards a new gym floor!
