Kennedy High School - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Linn-Mar nips Kennedy in regional swimming

By many, few, or just one point a win is a win and the Lions of Linn-Mar will take it.

Linn-Mar won the regional swimming and diving championship Saturday afternoon at Kennedy by just one point. The ninth-ranked Lions edged the No. 8 host Cougars 457-456 to claim the title.

“I honestly had (Kennedy) winning, it was a good surprise (to win),” Linn Mar Coach Chad Derlein said. “Both teams swam lightning fast.”

Linn-Mar and Kennedy were joined by 28th-ranked Jefferson in representing the Metro in the regional meet. The J-Hawks finished fifth, behind Muscatine and Bettendorf.

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Kennedy spanks Saints, makes regional finals

The Xavier girls knew what Kennedy was going to throw at them on the volleyball court Thursday night.

They just couldn't do much about it as the seventh-ranked Cougars overpowered them, 3-0, in a Class 4A regional semifinal in the Kennedy gym.

"We played them in a preseason scrimmage and in the MVC tournament," said Saints Coach Barb Brunow. "So we knew it was going to be a tough match.

"They're much taller and play a very aggressive game. I thought we started out a little timid, and you can't do that against a team that attacks like they do. They're a great team, well-coached and with a lot of good players."

Kennedy (28-9) will play Bettendorf in the Region 6 finals next Wednesday at Clarence at 7 p.m., with a berth in the state tournament hanging in the balance.

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Cougars claw back, but lose to City High

IOWA CITY - Often times in a high school football game, the team that outgains its opponent by 100 total yards ends up the victor.

Against Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Iowa City High said goodbye to the yards, but a resounding hello to the end zone.

That's a pretty good trade if you ask the Little Hawks.

City High ran past Kennedy 48-26 at Bates Field in the first round of the Class 4A Iowa High School playoffs Wednesday night.

The Cougar offense recorded 372 yards of total offense compared to City High’s 269.

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Heitland is only member of 700/500 Club

Kennedy senior Trevor Heitland has joined an exclusive club this season.

In fact, he's the only member.

Heitland is the only Class 4A football player in the state who's rushed for more than 700 yards and caught passes for more than 500 yards this season.

That makes him the only 700/500 man among all the big-school players in those two departments.

Basketball has players who get double-doubles in points and rebounds. Baseball has 20/20 players who hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases. And Class 4A football has Heitland.

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Jahlas pick ignites Cougars, 36-14

Josh Jahlas spied a chance.

Jahlas, a senior linebacker for the Kennedy football team, had as his assignment Friday night to keep an eye on Dubuque Wahlert quarterback Riley McCarron, a versatile runner and passer who led the Mississippi Valley Conference in total offense.

So after McCarron, who also plays cornerback and performs on special teams, returned a punt to the Kennedy 14 late in the first half with a chance to give Wahlert a two-score cushion, Jahlas said he was especially vigilant.

"We were in dime coverage, so I was 'spying' on McCarron," Jahlas said. "I really wasn't in coverage, I was just shuffling across the middle and he just threw it right to me. I just caught it and ran."

Jahlas intercepted McCarron's pass and returned it 34 yards to the Kennedy 47. Eight plays later, Chico Lizarraga tossed a 19-yard touchdown pass to Trevor Heitland that started a 29-0 Kennedy surge and the Cougars ended the regular season with a 36-14 win at Kingston Stadium.

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Kennedy girls 3rd at MVC swim meet

Jackie Hughes dominated her junior varsity races for the Cedar Rapids Washington swim team last year as a freshman, but it's not what she really wanted to do.

Hughes wanted to swim for the varsity last year, but couldn't due to Cedar Rapids Community School rules. She lives in the Kennedy school district and open-enrolled at Washington, so she had to compete at the sub-varsity level for a year.

Now she's making up for lost time.

Hughes captured the 500-yard freestyle in 5:18.70 at the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet at the Jefferson High School pool Saturday afternoon.

That was the varsity title, not the JV title.

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Kennedy defeats winless Waterloo West, 42-19

WATERLOO - It was the same old song and dance for the Waterloo West football team Friday night at Memorial Stadium.

The winless Wahawks (0-8) hung tough early before falling to Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 42-19.

Kennedy (4-4) clinched a berth in the Class 4A playoffs.

West's Dequayvious Marion rushed for 230 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries.

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'Good run' ends with 4th place finish

IOWA CITY – The six seniors on the Kennedy boys golf team were hoping to close their stellar high school careers with a state championship but settled for a fourth-place finish Saturday in the Class 4A meet at the Finkbine Golf Course.

“I don’t want to use the word disappointed, because that doesn’t sound right for this group of kids,” said Cougar Coach Mark Wilden.  “Still, I know they would have liked to have done better than fourth.

“But they finished in the top four in the state four years in a row. That’s not bad. They’ve had a good run.”

Their season-long pacesetter, Cody Bell, started the second day of the tournament tied for 11th place after an opening-round 79 but came back Saturday with a 75 to tie for sixth.  He placed fourth in the state last year.

“I drove the ball a lot better today,” Bell said Saturday afternoon following two days of balmy, but windy weather.  “And I hit my irons really well. I just didn’t have a real good feel for the greens. I could have played a lot better.”

In reality, neither he nor his teammates had much of a chance to overcome the contingent from West Des Moines Valley.

Led by medalist Jeff Swegle, a sophomore who shot an even-par shot 144 par over the 36 holes, Valley took the team title with a total score of 607, 17 strokes better than runner-up Waukee.  Dowling Catholic of West Des Moines was one stroke behind at 625 for third, and Kennedy came in at 634.

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Lizarraga nearly perfect in Kennedy loss

Chico Lizarraga was given the keys to the Kennedy offense Thursday night at Kingston Stadium and he played a near perfect football game.

Because of the defensive adjustments Iowa City West was making, Kennedy Coach Tim Lewis told Lizarraga, the Cougars' senior quarterback, to survey the set and call the play at the line of scrimmage.

Lizarraga responded with a career-best 347 passing yards and two touchdowns.

But the only blemish in his breakout performance proved to be fatal. A second-quarter fumbled pitch resulted in an Iowa City West touchdown that gave the Trojans a two-touchdown advantage. Kennedy never got closer than seven points the rest of the game and the No. 9 Trojans won, 35-28.

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