Kennedy keeps Dome dreams alive

CEDAR RAPIDS — From the day they strapped on a helmet for Cedar Rapids Kennedy, this year's seniors have aspired to be title contenders.

The Cougars already captured a district crown and now moved a step closer to the UNI-Dome.

Third-ranked Kennedy beat North Scott for the second time this season, advancing to the Class 4A state football quarterfinals with a 49-7 win Monday night at Kingston Stadium. The Cougars reached the quarterfinals for the sixth time in school history and the fourth since 2005.

'This is what we've dreamed of,' Kennedy senior Dalles Jacobus said. 'We've been talking about it since freshman year. Just the fact that it's becoming a reality is great. We have the juniors that bought into it like, boom (immediately). It's crazy how fast we meshed.'

Despite a 3-7 record last year, the Cougars were confident they would be in this spot. The goals are still intact, awaiting their next opponent and needing a win to reach the semifinals for the first time since 1993.

'It feels great to be 11-0,' Cougars running back Tyler Dralle said. 'We never have done that before. We are ready for the next challenge.'

The Cougars thumped North Scott by 42 in the previous meeting, so Kennedy Coach Brian White expected a challenge from the start. It was short-lived as the Lancers' opening drive was thwarted at the Kennedy 30 and the Cougars rolled to a 21-0 lead by 9:18 in the second quarter.

'They had a nice drive right off the bat,' White said. 'We got that stop at the end and offense came on the field and just turned it on.'

Kennedy's physical line and the legs of Dralle helped lead the way, racking up 332 rushing yards.

Dralle produced a hat trick of touchdowns by early in the second, scoring on runs of 7 and 5 in the opening quarter. He added a 3-yard run, going untouched up the middle for the three-score advantage.

Dralle also added a 6-yard TD run to open the fourth, making a 35-7 contest. He finished with 140 yards on 30 carries. Kennedy's Zach DeMaris had 66 rushing yards and Shaun Beyer added 60.

White planned to spread the ball a little and share some of Dralle's workload, but it's hard to deny him the ball. Seven Cougars, however, did carry the ball.

'In the end, you have to go with what's working,' White said. 'Zach DeMaris, our fullback, had a heck of a game.

'Dralle wants the ball.'

The Cougars were automatic inside the 10. They received short TD runs from DeMaris (8) and Tyler Kadolph (1) in the fourth.

'Our offensive line and I take pride in punching it in around the goal line,' said Dralle, who surpassed 1,800 rushing yards this season. 'That's what we did (Monday night) and got the job done.'

Nicholas Duehr was impressive, going 6 of 9 in the first half, hitting Beyer for a 22-yard scoring strike with 1:31 left before the break. Beyer had 90 receiving yards on five catches, helping Kennedy score TDs on its first four possessions to build a 28-7 halftime lead.

Kennedy's defense has been solid, allowing just 47 total points in their last nine games. They contained North Scott's offense to just over 300 total yards, forcing three turnovers and dropping the Lancers to 5-6.

'We have athletic kids in athletic positions, and we allow them to be athletes,' White said. 'We don't put restrictions on them. They have the ability to just go play football. They do and they love it.'

The Cougars will host No. 4 Cedar Rapids Washington (10-1) in a quarterfinal game Friday at Kingston, beginning at 7 p.m. Kennedy topped Washington, 28-24, in Week 2.

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