No letdown for Kennedy in 42-0 squashing of North Scott

CEDAR RAPIDS — Trap game? Ummm, no.

Not here anyway for Cedar Rapids Kennedy.

Newbies to the Class 4A state rankings and coming off a pair of emotional and close victories to begin the prep football season, the Cougars had zero letdown Friday night, blasting North Scott, 42-0, at Kingston Stadium.

Throw in the normal chaos of homecoming and the arrest Wednesday of a freshman student for first-degree murder, and that's a lot of possible pitfalls Kennedy leaped over. It's 3-0 and rated sixth.

'We just kept focused the whole week,' said Kennedy's Shaun Beyer. 'We didn't let those distractions get to us. We knew they were out there ... But we went out and knew what we had to do tonight, and did it.'

'I really didn't think there was going to be an emotional letdown,' said Kennedy Coach Brian White. 'I was more concerned that I didn't think North Scott was an 0-2 team more than I was concerned about our kids having a letdown.'

The Kennedy offense continues to impress, but the defense really stepped up and improved here. North Scott (0-3) was limited to 144 yards, with the Cougars forcing four turnovers.

Austin Coates was responsible for three of them, with two interceptions and a fumble recovery in which he took the ball away from a North Scott receiver after a catch. Throw in also catching a touchdown pass, and this was a great all-around ballgame for the senior.

'I had a feeling I was going to have a good night,' he said. 'Things just kept happening.'

Needless to say, that went for the offense, too. Kennedy has weapons all over the place and an offensive line that might be the best on this side of the state.

Junior quarterback Nick Duehr threw three TD passes in the first half and four overall. He completed 11 of 16 throws for 194 yards.

Tight end/receiver Beyer is virtually undefendable at 6-foot-5 and quick. The North Dakota State commit caught caught seven passes for 120 yards and three scores, ran for 32 yards as a quarterback and completed both of his pass attempts for 15 more.

Oh, then there's running back Tyler Dralle, who 'chipped in' with 132 tough yards rushing on 25 carries. Kennedy finished with 441 overall yards, and that's with a running clock the entire fourth quarter and reserves playing a lot.

Backup fullback Todd Gusta caught a 6-yard TD pass from backup QB Tyler Kadolph late to provide the final margin.

'The offense is really coming together,' Coates said. 'We've got an offensive line that can just pound people. We have so many weapons now, that we're really going to be dangerous.'

'I'm very happy with the way we came out and played on both sides of the ball. It was a total game for us tonight,' White said. 'They all played well.'

Kennedy plays next week at Pleasant Valley.

l Comments: (319) 398-8259; jeff.johnson@thegazette.com