Kennedy motivated for state semifinal

CEDAR FALLS — The stakes are high for Cedar Rapids Kennedy.

The Cougars will attempt to extend their magical season that includes a 12-0 record, their first trip to the state semifinals since 1993 and a shot at redemption against the last team to beat them.

Third-ranked Kennedy faces No. 2 Bettendorf in a battle of unbeaten teams in the Class 4A state football semifinals at the UNI-Dome Friday, beginning at 4:06 p.m. Bettendorf reached its third straight semifinal, beating Kennedy, 31-7, in last year's second round.

'Last year, there were times where maybe they got the better of us and they let us know they got the better of us,' Kennedy Coach Brian White said. 'Kids tend to take that personally, and I hope our kids took it personally. I hope they have a chip on their shoulder, because that is what you need to have in the semifinals.'

In case they needed a reminder of last year's contest, a picture surfaced on social media that seemed to show a Bettendorf player tripping a Kennedy player. It stokes the fire's flames a bit.

'It's in the back of our mind,' Kennedy senior Dalles Jacobus said. 'We're going to come out and play hard. It's just going to keep us going a little bit harder.'

Plenty of motivation exists for the Cougars, who would be the underdogs against a perennial power that has seven state titles.

'I'm lucky to say I haven't lost to the same team twice,' Jacobus said. 'I don't want that to happen.'

The loss didn't set well with the Cougars anyway. After a tie at seven and a 14-7 halftime deficit, Bettendorf pulled away in the fourth, according to White.

'They were really good,' Kennedy running back Tyler Dralle said. 'We just didn't play as well as we wanted to.'

Consider it a learning experience. Kennedy wasn't intimidated, owning past wins over Bettendorf. The Bulldogs were better and showed the Cougars the mental and physical improvements needed in the off-season, providing motivation to work harder than ever.

Everything had to progress — the line, rushers and coaches. The semifinal will be a gauge of how far they have come.

'They showed us what we needed to do to be a good football team this year, in terms of running the ball,' White said. 'I think we took that to heart. I think, for the most part, we have accomplished that mission up to this point, but now we have an opportunity to take what we've learned and go against the team that showed us the way.'

Kennedy has made major strides. They have grown from a year ago. The Cougars have a veteran and physical offensive line to go with Dralle, a physical and rugged runner with 1,948 yards and 23 touchdowns.

Nick Duehr has stepped in at quarterback, giving Kennedy an effective passer and good decision-maker who has thrown for 1,584 yards.

Shaun Beyer, who has received multiple NCAA Division I scholarship offers, serves as a major weapon, amassing 1,343 total yards and 14 TDs including 744 yards and 10 scores receiving.

'Offensively, I think we're a lot more focused and certainly more experienced to take on a team the caliber of Bettendorf,' White said. 'We play pretty good defense. We're fast. We fly to the ball. Size doesn't matter because it's all about speed.

'So far, our kids have been pretty successful with their speed and being able to hold opponents down.'

The Bulldogs (12-0) are making their 21st trip to the semifinals. Bettendorf outscored their postseason opponents by a combined 116-38, including a 31-7 quarterfinal win over Iowa City High. The Bulldogs have 4,541 yards of total offense, including 2,546 on the ground. Owen Ridenour and Dax Emerson led the way. Each surpassed 100 yards against the Little Hawks.

'We're going to have to control the line of scrimmage,' Dralle said. 'Just like we've done all year.'

Kennedy was a mere 3-8 last season. Avenging losses has been common. The approach will be the same that led to this point and resulted in playoff wins over Clinton (59-0), North Scott (49-7) and fourth-ranked and 2014 state finalist Cedar Rapids Washington (21-7).

'First and foremost, we want to win a football game to move on to the next level,' White said. 'It's been our motto all year.'

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