The Kennedy girls soccer team laughed and joked and danced its way to the Class 3A state title in Des Moines this past week.

The unranked Cougars also played exceptionally well on the field with precise passing and a relentless attack.

As a result, the entire team of state champions was saluted Sunday by the Metro Sports Report as winners of a Metro Spotlight Award.

Kennedy dominated Dubuque Hempstead, 5-2, in the finals Saturday, culminating an historic run of victories in the post-season tournament.

The Cougars beat No.1 Linn-Mar in the regional finals, knocked off No.2 Bettendorf in the opening round of the state tournament, tripped No.6 Waukee in the semifinals and bounced No.4 Hempstead in the championship game.

It was a remarkable streak, considering Kennedy had lost its last three games of the regular season

Scott Myers, the interim head coach, did an exceptional job with the club after assuming command midway through the year when head coach Andrew McKnight left to join the Iowa City police department. Myers is the head women's soccer coach at Coe, and he gave the Cougars the freedom to have fun and express themselves on the field.

Myers used all 22 of his players in the finals against Hempstead to keep everyone fresh and happy. That included four girls who spent the season on the junior varsity before being promoted for the post-season tournaments.

Kennedy began the year ranked No.2 in the preseason poll and had a talented team, but the Cougars did not hit their stride until the post-season trail began.

Their timing was impeccable.