On Friday night, Oct. 27, Ankeny and Johnston faced off in a rematch, this time in their first playoff game. With Ankeny looking to defend their victory over Johnston, the Hawks put on an amazing show of solid, defensive play as well as several impressive touchdowns from the offense. 

The game kicked off with an early fumble recovery by junior Manning Allen, giving Ankeny possession of the ball. Ankeny’s junior Caden Henkes scored a 22 yard touchdown, putting Ankeny in the lead with a score of 7-0. 

After a second quarter with strong defense from both teams, the score remained 7-0 at the half. 

The third quarter started out with a field goal from Johnston, putting the score at 7-3 with Ankeny still on top. This was followed by another touchdown from Henkes for the Hawks, making the score 13-3. 

The Johnston Dragons responded with a recovered fumble and a drive which ended in a rushing touchdown. However, Johnston’s attempted two-point conversion was unsuccessful, leaving the score at 14-9 with Ankeny maintaining their lead.

Late in the fourth quarter, Ankeny intercepted the ball on Johnston’s 43 yard line. With Ankeny looking to score once more, senior Devon Akers received a 32 yard pass, and scored the final touchdown of the game. 

Once again, the Ankeny Hawks were able to triumph over Johnston with a 21-9 final score for the game. 

Ankeny’s victorious win over Johnston puts them in position to take on Dowling next week in the quarterfinals.