Transition to Kennedy has been smooth so far for Linn-Mar transfer Jeron Senters

IOWA CITY — There are ways to gain acceptance. Getting down to work, that’s one of them.

And that’s the route that Jeron Senters has taken with his new football teammates at Cedar Rapids Kennedy.

“When you come in and work hard, people accept you,” said Senters, who transferred to Kennedy from Linn-Mar last winter. “It shows that you want to come in and help the team and not be toxic.”

How would the new kid fit? It’s something that Kennedy Coach Brian White has monitored. He liked what he saw Tuesday, and it had nothing to do with football.

“I was at the volleyball match Tuesday, and Jeron was front and center with the other seniors (in the student section),” White said. “He’s blending in really well, a respected young man.”

It helps that the move happened during last school year, and not this summer. It allowed Senters to make contacts, make friends. White strongly encourages football players to participate in track and field in the spring.

So Senters did, too, and that “allowed him to get his foot in door, meeting the guys,” White said.

Senters donned his new colors Friday, when the Class 5A eighth-ranked Cougars opened the season at Iowa City West with a 27-20 win.

A 5-foot-11, 175-pound senior, Senters will serve as a slot receiver on offense, a cornerback on defense. He had a touchdown reception in last Friday’s scrimmage against Marion.

“He reminds me a lot of (former player) Brandtley Koske,” White said. “He’s a fantastic defender. He’ll be a lockdown cornerback in man coverage and he’ll be smart in zone.

“Offensively, he brings a lot of athleticism to the slot. He’s a jack of all trades. Most importantly, he works incredibly hard. He doesn’t take a play off, any reps off.

“Any time you want to make an impression, it has to do with how hard you work.”

Last year at Linn-Mar, Senters caught 13 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown, and collected 14 tackles with a fumble recovery and an interception.

The Lions finished 1-5 after making the playoffs in 2019.

“I had a pretty good sophomore year, but my junior year wasn’t what I wanted,” Senters said.

Kennedy was 4-4 last season.

“The sky is the limit,” Senters said. “Our potential is crazy. We have a chip on our shoulders. I think we got overlooked in the rankings because we lost a lot of weapons. There are a lot of people that want to make a name for themselves.”

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com