Kennedy High School - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Sellers leads Cougars into new season

Tony Vis has a plan to fight against teams that try to use a "junk" defense against the Kennedy girls basketball team this season.

Up the tempo.

Cedar Falls used a "junk" defense to defeat the Cougars in the regional finals last season by paying extra attention to Kennedy stars Stephanie Botkin and Lela Sellers. Botkin has graduated, but Sellers is back and Vis wants to give his top player a chance to shine.

"We're trying to change the pace of our play, and I think the girls have been very receptive to that," he said. "We'll press a little bit more this year than we have in the past.

"It's hard to get into a junk defense if we're creating steals and converting in transition on you."

Sellers, a 6-foot guard who has signed with Liberty University, averaged 14.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists last season as a junior after moving here from Minneapolis. Vis said Sellers has improved since last season and expects her numbers to rise, especially in the rebounding department where the Cougars need help.

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Kennedy selling football tickets to finals

Kennedy High School will be selling tickets to the Class 4A football championship game in the Activities Office this week.

Kennedy (13-0) faces top-ranked West Des Moines Dowling (12-0) in the finals Friday at 7:06 p.m. at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.

Tickets will be sold Tuesday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Friday from 7 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.

Tickets cost $10 for K-12 students and older. Tickets also will be sold at the UNI-Dome.

Kennedy is also providing pep buses for students to attend the game. The cost is $5 for the bus (along with $10 for the game ticket). Bus signups will begin Tuesday afternoon in the Activities Office.

Niemeier wins Metro Spotlight Award

Brandon Niemeier of Cedar Rapids Kennedy is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school boys this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

Niemeier, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound senior, has made a series of big plays for the Kennedy football team this month on its march to the championship game of the Class 4A playoffs.

Niemeier made a huge play in Kennedy's 31-14 victory over Bettendorf in the semifinals in the UNI-Dome Friday night. He intercepted a pass and raced 55 yards for a touchdown to give the Cougars a 23-14 lead with 8:30 left in the game.

Niemeier also made two interceptions when Kennedy topped Washington, 21-7, in the quarterfinals at Kingston Stadium on Friday, Nov. 6.

Niemeier plays the "hybrid" position on defense where he roams the field as a defensive end, linebacker and defensive back, depending on the defensive alignment.

The third-ranked Cougars (13-0) will meet top-ranked Dowling (12-0) in the Class 4A championship game this Friday at 7:06 p.m. in the UNI-Dome.

'Gutsy' Cougars march into 4A finals

CEDAR FALLS - Dalles Jacobus left some of his guts on the UNI-Dome floor Friday night after a Bettendorf player allegedly slugged him in the stomach, but it turned out to be for a good cause.

The play helped spur Kennedy to a 31-14 victory over Bettendorf in the semifinals of the Class 4A playoffs and propel the Cougars one step closer to the first title in school history.

The Cougars (13-0) will face Dowling in the championship game at 7:05 p.m. next Friday in the UNI-Dome.

Kennedy was locked in a 7-7 slugfest with Bettendorf in the third quarter when Jacobus said he was slugged by a Bettendorf player during a 21-yard run by Tyler Dralle after he threw a block. Jacobus yanked his helmet off just in time before depositing part of his lunch on the turf, requiring a stoppage in play and a cleanup in Aisle 6.

Dralle scored two plays later on a 13-yard burst for a 13-7 lead and the Cougars took it home from there, although not without some anxious moments.

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Dralle, Cougars aiming for Bettendorf

Kennedy tailback Tyler Dralle has his school record. Now he dearly wants a state title.

The twin pursuits have gone hand-in-hand all year during a magical campaign for the Cougars.

Dralle has rushed for 1,951 yards this season, smashing the school record of 1,662 set by Alex Hillyer in 2012. Now Dralle and the Cougars are two victories away from the first state title in school history.

Kennedy (12-0) meets Bettendorf (12-0) in the semifinals of the Class 4A playoffs Friday at 4:06 p.m. at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. The winner will play for the championship next Friday and that's where the Cougars want to be.

Dralle is certainly not a "me-first" player, but he wanted that school record for himself and his teammates.

"My goal coming in was to beat Alex Hillyer's record of 1,662. And I did that," he said Wednesday during practice inside the Kennedy gym. "I'm just trying to set the bar as high as I can.

"In the playoffs the yards don't even matter anymore," he said. "It's just getting the 'W' any way we can. Anything I get is just extra now."

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Knock has Kennedy blood in his veins

Kyle Knock is not much of a dancer.

The Kennedy High School football team dances the Hokey Pokey in the locker room after victories, but maybe his heart's not into it.

Knock, 36, played football at Kennedy and is now the defensive coordinator at his alma mater, but he also played football at Iowa State and is a loyal Cyclone.

The Hokey Pokey is Hayden Fry's old dance at the University of Iowa, so it's a little strange to peek into the Kennedy locker room and seeing Knock going through the paces with the Cougars.

"You put your left leg in, You put your right leg in and you shake it all about," the Cougars sing happily.

Knock looks a little sheepish during his gyrations.

"It's hard on me," he confessed last Friday, laughing and shaking his head after Kennedy beat Washington in the playoffs. "It's hard on me, but the kids love it."

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Havertape tops all-Metro swim team

Cedar Rapids Washington sophomore Lauren Havertape has been named the Athlete of the Year on the all-Metro girls swimming team.

John Ross of Kennedy and his assistants were named the Coach of the Year.

The Kennedy Cougars claimed 10 spots on the all-Metro first team with Maddie Bagby, Taylor Golden, Jayden Lovell, Kassidy Lovig, Mackinzee Macho, Darby Manternach, Kirsten Siebenga, Kennedy Smith, Jessica Williams and Lydia Yang.

Washington claimed five spots on the first team with Logan Eckhardt, Havertape, Jenny Hughes, Jill Hughes and Amara Taylor. Josie Thompson of Jefferson also made the first team.

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Cougars fall flat against Cedar Falls

The Cedar Rapids Kennedy volleyball team picked the wrong time to have a flat performance Tuesday afternoon.

The Cougars lost their first two games against Cedar Falls and were not able to fully recover in a 3-1 loss to the Tigers in the opening round of the Class 5A tournament at the U.S. Cellular Center.

Cedar Falls grabbed the first two games, 25-22 and 25-20, to take command. Kennedy rallied for a 25-16 victory in Game 3, but Cedar Falls rolled to a 25-20 verdict in Game 4 for the match.

Kennedy and Cedar Falls met four times this season and the Tigers finished with a 3-1 edge. Kennedy swept the Tigers in a Mississippi Valley Conference match on its way to winning the league crown, but Tuesday's match belonged to Cedar Falls.

"Today we were just a little bit flat and it didn't go our way," said senior Macy Anderson.

The ninth-ranked Cougars finished the season with a 29-10 record.

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Kennedy selling football tickets for UNI-Dome

Cedar Rapids Kennedy is selling tickets for the semifinals of the Class 4A football playoffs in the activities office at the school.

Kennedy (12-0) will meet Bettendorf (12-0) at 4:06 p.m. Friday at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.

Tickets will be sold on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Friday from 7:30 a.m. until noon. Tickets cost $10 for K-12 students and adults.