Two Ankeny football teams squared off in a rematch for a spot in the state championship game at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI)-Dome on Friday, Nov. 10. Both the Centennial Jaguars and the Ankeny Hawks had a lot on the line, and came prepared for battle. 

Much like the first game between the Hawks and the Jaguars, this game came down to the very last minutes as both teams were determined to land a spot in the championship. Strong defense was on display from Ankeny as well as Centennial, but in the end, the Ankeny Hawks came out on top with the victory. 

Ankeny’s first big play of the game came in the form of a field goal block by senior Jacob Mohrfeld, preventing Centennial from putting points on the scoreboard. 

However, with 43 seconds left in the first quarter, the Jaguars scored a touchdown on an 8-yard run. This put the score for the first quarter at 7-0 with Centennial in the lead.

In the middle of the second quarter, the Jaguars put together a long drive, but strong defense from the Hawks stopped their momentum and forced a 48 yard field goal attempt. Centennial failed to make the field goal, turning the ball back over to the Hawks. 

On Ankeny’s next possession, they completed an impressive 80-yard drive, powered by sophomore Daniel Larmie. The drive included a 28-yard Larmie run, and eventually a 3-yard touchdown run. This tied the score at 7-7 for the half.

Early in the second half, Centennial’s first possession was cut short by an interception by Ankeny’s junior Kinnick Vos. This allowed the Hawks to set up a long drive that included a 45-yard pass to junior Evan Irlmeier. 

The drive led to a 44-yard field goal by junior kicker Ryan Harrington. This put the Hawks in the lead with a score of 10-7, Ankeny. 

Ankeny’s powerful defensive game continued to thwart the Centennial offense and led to an interception by Ankeny’s Mohrfeld with seconds remaining in the third quarter. Mohrfeld was able to make a 61-yard run, putting the ball on the Centennial 4-yard line.

With about five minutes remaining in the game, Ankeny’s defense struck again with an interception by senior Nolan Dalton, giving Ankeny possession at the Hawks’ 7-yard line. 

The Centennial defense would force Ankeny to punt, and turn the ball over to Centennial for one more opportunity to score. As the clock ran down, the Jags attempted a 39-yard field goal, which was no good. This ended the game and gave Ankeny the win with a score of 10-7. 

The Hawk victory puts Ankeny in the championship game against Southeast Polk for one final matchup. Ankeny will return to the UNI-Dome once again for the game, and will face off against the Rams at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 17.