Kennedy Football

Stecker hired the right guy in White

Aaron Stecker could have scoured the entire state for a bright, successful football coach with a sparkling record to become the new coach at Kennedy High School two years ago when Tim Lewis decided to step away from the job.

Instead, Stecker elected to promote Kennedy defensive coordinator Brian White to the top spot, declaring that Kennedy football was not broken and there was no reason to seek an outside cure.

There might have been a few second-guessers last year when White lost his first six games as head coach, but that's a distant memory now with the third-ranked Cougars playing for the Class 4A state title Friday night.

Kennedy (13-0) meets top-ranked Dowling (12-0) in the championship game Friday at 7:06 p.m. at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.

Stecker jokingly admits he might have gotten lucky when he picked White for the job, but he knew White and was confident he had the right guy.

"After you've known Brian for awhile, you understand how passionate he is about everything he does," said Stecker, who also hired him as the boys track coach a few years ago and was familiar with his work as a teacher in the classroom.

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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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