Kennedy High School - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Hahn makes IGHSAU volleyball Hall of Fame

Cedar Rapids Kennedy graduate Kristen Hahn has been selected for the Volleyball Hall of Fame by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.

Hahn joins Chelsey Semprini of Ankeny and Lacey Corcoran of Johnston in the Class of 2015. The induction ceremony will be held Friday at 10 a.m. prior to the Class 5A championship match of the state volleyball tournament at the U.S. Cellular Center.

Hahn twice earned elite all-state honors while leading Kennedy to the state tournament in 2008 and 2009. She then starred at Iowa State and became one of the most decorated players in ISU history.

Hahn helped Iowa State make four NCAA tournaments and the Big 12 honored her as the Libero of the Year three times. She was named a second team All-American in college and ranks third in ISU history in career digs.

Hahn played on the U.S. national team in the world championships qualifying tournament and is currently playing pro volleyball overseas, according to the IGHSAU.

Siebenga wins Metro Spotlight Award

Kirsten Siebenga of Cedar Rapids Kennedy is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school girls this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

Siebenga, a senior, turned in a strong performance at the state swimming meet in Marshalltown on Saturday and helped the Cougars finish ninth in the team standings with 128 points.

Siebenga helped Kennedy score 50.5 of those points at the Marshalltown YMCA.

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Beyer wins Metro Spotlight Award

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

Beyer, a senior, is one of the top football players in Iowa and a major reason the Cougars have reached the semifinals of the Class 4A playoffs.

Kennedy (12-0) will face Bettendorf (12-0) in a battle of state powers in the Final 4 of the postseason tournament this Friday at 4:06 p.m. at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. The winner will play for the title on Friday, Nov. 20.

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Meghan Sievertsen honored by IGHSAU

MARSHALLTOWN - Former Kennedy High School diver Meghan Sievertsen has been inducted into the Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.

Sievertsen was a three-time state champion for the Cougars in diving in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

Ann Walker of Des Moines Roosevelt and Megan Lonergan of Bettendorf also were inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.

Sievertsen is the fifth Kennedy athlete to be selected for the Hall of Fame. She joins Carie Goode (1985), Dale Entyre (1989), Jenni Adams (1992) and Kara Hajek (2007).

Proud Cougars take 9th at state swim

MARSHALLTOWN - The Cedar Rapids Kennedy girls swimming team did not have any superstars or state champions on the squad this year, but the Cougars featured a talented pool of athletes who epitomize the team concept of the sport.

It showed Saturday.

Kennedy scored points in 11 out of 12 events and finished a gratifying ninth at the 50th annual state meet at the Marshalltown YMCA.

"I'm very proud of the team effort that we had," said Coach John Ross. "Getting top 10, that was one of our goals. I'm really pleased with that. And to see kids on the podium, that was another aspect that we wanted.

"It's been a long time since we've had somebody up on the podium.

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Beyer shines as Cougars top Warriors

Call him Mr. Fabulous. Call him Mr. Wonderful. Call him Mr. Marvelous.

His real name is Shane Beyer and he's a major reason the Kennedy Cougars are headed to the UNI-Dome next Friday afternoon to meet Bettendorf in the semifinals of the Class 4A playoffs.

Beyer hauled in a 61-yard touchdown pass and broke Washington's back with a spectacular 88-yard interception return for a touchdown on the play of the first half Friday night as the Mean Green Machine defeated the Warriors, 21-7, in the quarterfinals at Kingston Stadium.

Washington was hoping to score a touchdown in the final seconds of the first half and tie the score 14-14 at intermission, but Kennedy coach Brian White moved Beyer to free safety for one of the few times this season and Mr. Fabulous made a marvelous play.

Beyer snared the ball at the 12-yard line, angled toward the Kennedy sideline, broke toward the middle of the field and raced the final 15 yards into the end zone with Washington speedster Isaiah Nimmers in hot pursuit.

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Cougars vs Warriors: A week too soon?

The showdown between the Kennedy and Washington football teams in the Class 4A playoffs Friday night should be great fun, but could be coming a week too soon.

That's the only "negative" comment you can make about their impending battle at Kingston Stadium. It's coming in the quarterfinals of the postseason tournament instead of the semifinals.

Both teams are worthy of advancing to the Final 4 next Friday night in the UNI-Dome instead of having one of their seasons end this week. The Cougars (11-0) are ranked No. 3 in the state by the Des Moines Register and the Warriors (10-1) are ranked No. 5.

Washington's only loss was to Kennedy, 28-24, in the second game of the season two months ago. Otherwise, neither team has lost.

The other quarterfinal game in the Class 4A playoffs in Eastern Iowa features Iowa City High (8-3) at Bettendorf (11-0). Clearly, the Iowa High School Athletic Association used geography when it arranged the pairings for our side of the state.

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Beyer gets offers from Nebraska, Air Force

The Shaun Beyer Sweepstakes is heating up.

The Cedar Rapids Kennedy football star received a scholarship offer from the Nebraska Cornhuskers Wednesday night and also received an offer from the Air Force Academy this week, according to a source with the Kennedy football program.

Beyer has committed to North Dakota State, but has kept his options open. He also is being followed by Iowa and Iowa State.

Beyer, 6-foot-5, 210 pounds, is one of the most versatile players in the state. He has starred for the Cougars as a tight end, wide receiver, running back, quarterback, defensive end, linebacker and punter.

Beyer has caught 36 passes for 670 yards and nine touchdowns and he's carried the ball 37 times for 518 yards and four touchdowns. He's made 45 tackles, completed 4 of 5 passes for 40 yards and averages 42.0 yards on punts.

The third-ranked Cougars (11-0) will face fifth-ranked Washington (10-1) in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A playoffs Friday at 7 p.m. at Kingston Stadium.

Mator was 'missing link' for Kennedy defense

Kennedy Coach Brian White began getting e-mails in February from a high school sophomore in Pennsylvania who said he was moving to Cedar Rapids and planned to play football for the Cougars this year.

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever," White recalled thinking, not taking it too seriously at the time.

Then Johnson Mator sent White the video highlights of him playing linebacker for the varsity football team at Central York High School last year as a sophomore and White got excited.

True to his word, Mator moved to Cedar Rapids and quickly became a key member of the Kennedy football team that has an 11-0 record and is ranked No. 3 in Class 4A heading into Friday night's showdown with Washington in the quarterfinals of the state playoffs at Kingston Stadium.

Mator plays the "mike" linebacker position for the Cougars and has excelled all year, leading the team in tackles and tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Kyle Knock, Kennedy's defensive coordinator, has been impressed with Mator from Day 1.

"When we found out we were getting a move-in from Pennsylvania and we saw his tape from last year, Coach White sent it over and I said, 'Whoa! We'll take him,'" Knock remarked. "The kid just plays with a motor. His speed to the ball is the best we've had at that position in a long time.

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