sailor. mnsun. com Fall Football Preview • Thursday, August 28, 2025 Page 3
BLOOMINGTON KENNEDY EAGLES
Flying Eagles at practice can only be a good thing
JASON OLSON jason. olson @ apgecm. com
QUICK HITS
Kennedy football coach Kedrick Williams spotted it first— a bald eagle flying overhead as the morning session wrapped up after an emotionally charged end to an intense practice Tuesday, the start of the second week of preseason practices.
The Eagles closed out the first of two practices with a 5-on-4 offense-versus-defense drill, which included several position coaches hyping up their respective players. The three-down defensive linemen had two linebackers backing them up, while three offensive linemen tried to open running lanes for the ball carrier.
Both sides had bright spots and not-so-bright spots during the dozen times the players went through the drill.
The intensity was already at midseason form as Kennedy looks to build off a 4-5 record last fall with a younger lineup ready to break open the new on-campus stadium Aug. 28.
Senior captain Jayveon Kelly, a 6-foot-7, 270-pound lineman, said the players who put the time into offseason training are reaping the rewards now, as they are quicker and stronger.
“ We’ ve got our crew here. We’ re showing a lot of high intensity, showing more togetherness, and we’ re hyped up about the new stadium,” Kelly said of what will be a young team with fewer than a dozen seniors and 17
( SUN PHOTO BY JASON OLSON)
Kennedy captains from left are D’ Andre Moffitt, Jayveon Kelly and Joshua Amadi.
juniors.
The team is in the midst of a position battle among three quarterbacks to see who will start the season opener Aug. 28. It’ s a new reality for Williams, who had the luxury of a steady starter for three seasons with Malik Johnson at quarterback.
Junior captain Joshua Amadi returns after rushing for 426 yards on 78 carries in seven games. He scored three times and will be an impactful linebacker after recording 47 tackles( 14 solos), six for loss and blocking two kicks.
Kelly will help anchor the line on both sides of the ball. He’ s committed to play college football at the University of South Dakota.
Kelly garnered Twin Cities Silver All-District honorable mention alongside lineman Tristan Haecherl, who was named Kennedy’ s Offensive Lineman of the Year.
Senior defensive lineman James Girley isn’ t just another big body along the line at 6-5, 280 pounds. He was named the team’ s Defensive Player of the Year after leading with 69 tackles( 44 solos) and seven for loss. He added two sacks and also blocked a kick.
Senior defensive back / receiver D’ Andre Moffitt is a third captain this season after making 35 tackles( 23 solos) in 2024. He also recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass.
Look for junior running back / defensive lineman Imanol Borges to continue improving in only his second season of football.
The team is making the most of the taller grass field just north of the Kennedy Activity Center. Meanwhile, construction on the new stadium and turf field southeast of the KAC continues, with only a handful of days remaining before the season begins.
Moffitt said the natural grass makes it more challenging to make decisive cuts to track down the ball carrier.“ It’ s more difficult because the grass is more slippery,
See KENNEDY | PAGE 24
Head Coach
Kedrick Williams Seventh Season
Last Year’ s Record: 4-5
Key Returning Players
Kennedy has several two-way regulars back from last year’ s 4-5 team.
Stabilizing both lines is Jayveon Kelly. Junior Joshua Amadi is an outstanding linebacker and also provides offense for the Eagles as a running back.
Another skill-position player is D’ Andre Moffitt, a wide receiver on offense and a defensive back.
Schedule
Schedule( 6 p. m. start unless noted) Aug. 28 Roosevelt Sept. 4 vs. St. Louis Park( at TCO
Performance Center, Eagan) 7 p. m. Sept. 12 Tartan Sept. 19 at Mahtomedi 7 p. m. Sept. 26 at Columbia Heights Oct. 4 Cretin-Derham Hall noon Oct. 10 Park Center Oct. 15 at Jefferson 6:30 p. m.
Game times 7 p. m. unless otherwise noted