Cougars celebrate return to state

CEDAR RAPIDS - Cedar Rapids Kennedy was three outs away from a win when the Cougars realized they didn't have a celebration organized.

Senior Derek Jacobus took matters into his own hands when Kennedy clutched the final out; he executed a slide behind the pitcher's mound and became the base of an enthusiastic dog pile.

The third-ranked Cougars reveled in the moment after beating Davenport West, 5-1, in the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 4A substate final last night at Herkelman Field to capture a state tournament berth.

'It was cool,” Junior Zach Daniels said of the postgame celebration, 'but it doesn't seem real yet.”

The Cougars (31-6) will make its 15th total trip to state and will face No. 6-seed Southeast Polk (29-13) next Wednesday, beginning at 8 p.m. at Principal Park in Des Moines. It is the fourth state appearance in the last five seasons and marks the return after coming up short a year ago.

Jacobus was a starter and one of three seniors on that 2012 team. They are happy to be heading back.

'It's always fun,” said Jacobus, who celebrated his birthday last night. 'Senior year you want to go out with a bang. I get to finish at Principal Park, hopefully with a (win).

The Cougars did a little bit of everything to overcome Davenport West (27-7). Strong pitching, solid defense and aggressive baserunning helped them advance.

Sammy Lizarraga and Daniels teamed to limit the Falcons to one run on just four hits. Lizarraga pitched the first five innings with Daniels closing out the final two, which was planned by Kennedy Coach Bret Hoyer. They retired the Flacons in order in three of the final four innings, allowing only two base runners after the third.

'The game plan was to throw strikes at the mitt and let my defense make plays,” Lizarraga said. That showed right away when I was throwing pretty well and they were making routine plays.”

One of the biggest plays came from third baseman Ben Sass in the third. Sass assisted Kennedy control momentum, turning a double play when the Falcons led off with consecutive singles and had runners on first and second with none out.

Sass fielded a hot shot at third, scurried to third for the force, looked to second and then threw to first to complete the double play. It killed the rally with Kennedy owning a slim 2-1 lead.

'That was huge,” Hoyer said. 'Then Sammy got in a rhythm for the fourth and fifth.”

Kennedy never trailed, getting a big run in the first when Daniels sent a pitch to the opposite field and hustled out of the batter's box, turning a single into a double. He scored when Sass managed a two-out infield single. It was example of the Cougars aggressiveness on the base paths.

'He wasn't getting to it very fast,” Daniels said. 'I took the extra base. I just took what they gave me.”

Dalles Jacobus added to the Kennedy lead in the fourth. He led off with a double and scored when Kyle Brewer sliced a single inside the third-base bag. Matt Stevens, who walked twice, scored on a groundout by Derek Jacobus, making it 4-1 before adding another when Tyler Dralle knocked in pinch runner David Pauls in the fifth.

The successful season continues, adding another accomplishment to a Mississippi Valley Conference division title.

'It means a lot this year because this is a special group of seniors,” Hoyer said. 'It's neat to see them rewarded with another trip to Principal Park.”

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