Metro Sports Report

Cougars knock off Assumption, 35-12

DAVENPORT - The Kennedy Cougars danced the Hokey Pokey and celebrated their big 35-12 victory over Davenport Assumption in the visitors locker room at Brady Street Stadium Monday night, but once they stepped outside they were all business again.

They had the Xavier Saints on their mind.

Kennedy (8-3) earned a rematch with Xavier (10-1) in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A playoffs this Friday night at Saints Field.

Kennedy Coach Tim Lewis said the Cougars would not be celebrating on the ride home from Davenport after knocking the No.2 seed from the Eastern half of the state out of the playoffs.

"No, No, No. That's over," Lewis insisted. "We just got done celebrating in there. We won't even be thinking about Assumption on the bus."

Saints defense smothers City High, 34-0

Hunter Baldus is the “other” defensive end.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Xavier senior just happens to play opposite Matt Nelson, a 6-8, 250-pounder who is heading to the University of Iowa next season.

Baldus may not get the headlines Nelson does, but make no mistake, he is a fine player in his own right.

And you likely wouldn’t get any arguments from a physically-whipped Iowa City High team that left Saints Field a 34-0 loser Monday night in the second round of the Class 4A playoffs.

Hall escaped mean streets of Chicago

Terrance Hall went through some rough times when he was living on the southwest side of Chicago a few years ago, always knowing trouble could be right around the corner.

"I've been robbed before, I've gotten in a fight before," said Hall, a fullback and linebacker for the Kennedy High School football team. "Guys tried to jump on me and rob me.

"It's rough. You have to be a little bit suspicious every time you go outside," he said Friday. "You've got to know your surroundings, know what stuff is about to happen. You have to be smart."

Hall and his family visited Cedar Rapids each summer to spend time with his cousins in the Dixon family - Herschel and Dalvin Dixon, who played football at Kennedy in recent years. Hall enjoyed those visits and liked Cedar Rapids, so he was receptive when his mother suggested they move here.

Football prevues - Nov. 4

The second round of the football playoffs are Monday night and two Metro ballclubs are still alive on the Road to the Dome.

Xavier (9-1) hosts league foe Iowa City High (8-2) at Saints Field and Kennedy (7-3) travels to Davenport to face Assumption (9-1) for the first time.

City High was a beaten down opponent before it took the field last year in a first-round game at Xavier. The injury-plagued Little Hawks were playing out the string in a rare losing season and were trampled by the Saints 48-10.