Kennedy senior Jacob Shannon has vivid memories of last year's football game against Iowa City West.

Unfortunately for Shannon, all of his memories are bad and painful.

Shannon had the tough assignment of trying to guard Iowa City West receiver Jeremy Morgan, one of the top athletes in the state last year and now a member of the University of Northern Iowa basketball team.

Shannon also suffered two injuries that night, ending his season after just three contests.

The rematch is Friday night when Kennedy and Iowa City West will match 2-0 records in Iowa City.

Shannon offered a half-grimace and half-smile when asked about his memories from last year's encounter at Kingston Stadium.

"Not too fond," he replied. "I got juked out a couple of times on tackles and they ended up scoring. I broke my finger, which was kind of a season-ender. Plus, I tore my ACL that game.

"Yeah, it wasn't a good game, for me at least," he said. "It didn't end too well."

Morgan caught six passes for 163 yards and three touchdowns in Iowa City West's 35-14 victory, often using his height and leaping ability to simply jump over Shannon for those receptions.

Nate Boland, who passed for 277 yards and three TDs against the Cougars last year, is enjoying another good season. He's hit 21 of 30 passes for 410 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions, with Anthony Batie (9 catches for 186 yards and 4 TDs) his favorite target.

The Trojans can also run the ball with Devin Raffensperger (19 carries for 203 yards) and Boland himself (13 runs for 173 yards), so they present multiple problems for opponents.

"They're going to run the ball hard right up the middle," said Shannon. "Their quarterback is good. He lays it right in the arms of the receivers. We need to really work on our coverage."

Shannon is healthy again and a two-way performer for Kennedy as a defensive back and wide receiver, although he's playing with a misshapen finger on his hand due to last year's injury. Shannon made a big interception last week to help preserve Kennedy's 28-24 victory over the Prairie Hawks and is a key member of the club.

"He's a great kid. Works really hard," said Coach Tim Lewis. "He's one of our best receivers and is doing a great job at cornerback. He always wants to be on the field."

Lewis also has vivid memories of Shannon's nightmarish outing against Iowa City West last year. "Yeah, it was a mess," the coach said. "I'm sure he doesn't have good memories of that game."

The Cougars have been collecting better memories this season with their 2-0 start. They had to overcome a 10-point deficit to defeat Washington, 14-10, in Week 1, then overcame another 10-point deficit to trim Prairie, 28-24, in Week 2.

That makes a pair of 10-point rallies and a pair of 4-point wins in the first two games, a far cry from their dismal 0-and-5 start to the season last year.

"It's great. It's what we've been working hard all summer to do," said Shannon. "It feels good to be on top this time."

"I like this group," said Lewis. "They're really resilient. They showed that in the Washington game, getting down and coming back. Same thing last week. We got down and they just don't lose confidence. They believe in our game plan and they listen to the adjustments we're making at halftime."

All things considered, Lewis would rather not fall behind by 10 points again Friday night at Iowa City West.

"We have to try and get out of the gate," he said. "This is a game where if they smell blood, they're going to keep pounding and they have a lot of athleticism. So we need to try and come out of the gate faster than what we've been doing."

Iowa City West has walloped Linn-Mar (67-28) and Washington (49-8) this season and is averaging 58 points per game. A victory over the Trojans would probably vault Kennedy into the rankings.

"It's going to be intense," said Shannon. "A lot of electricity in the stands. It will be good."

Kennedy fans are hoping for a better outcome than last year. "Me too," said Shannon. "Trust me."