J-Hawks dump Warriors on Joe Kenney Night
Jefferson High School honored Hall of Fame baseball coach Joe Kenney with a special ceremony Friday night.
Once the ceremony was over, the 2011 J-Hawks honored his memory by playing a strong game in a 13-3 victory over Cedar Rapids Washington in five innings.
Kenney holds the Metro record with 753 victories during his career at LaSalle, Washington and Jefferson from the 1960's through the 1990's. He died in January at age 86, and Jefferson saluted him Friday on Coach Kenney Hall of Fame Night.
More than 30 former players joined members of Kenney's family on the Jefferson Field before the game.
"Joe hired me when I first started here 16 years ago as his eighth grade coach, and so I got to know Joe pretty well," said Jefferson Coach Mike Kuba. "What a neat guy. He was just a true baseball traditionalist, pure and simple.
"He always coached his coaches, so there was always something to learn from him," said Kuba. "He was just a wonderful, wonderful man."
The Hall of Fame ceremony had a special twist with Gordy Nordgren and his son, Nick, both inducted Friday along with Tyler Born. Gordy Nordgren, currently one of Jefferson's assistant coaches, starred for the J-Hawks and previously served as head coach.
The game itself was a lopsided affair. The J-Hawks (3-4, 2-2) slugged three home runs in the third inning and ended the contest in the bottom of the fifth by the 10-run rule.
Sophomore Ky Kramer, junior Christian Knox and senior Drew Striegel all cleared the "Blue Monster" with homers over the left-field fence in the third when Jefferson scored nine runs for an 11-0 lead. "It was pretty fun," Striegel said of the power display.
The J-Hawks began the season with a 1-4 record, but they swept the two-game series from Washington with a 9-6 victory on Thursday and the 10-run win on Friday.
Last Updated on Monday, 06 June 2011 02:08
