Intro:
The stage is set for a huge matchup on Friday (10/3) at Ankeny Stadium, as the Ankeny Hawks host the Johnston Dragons at 7 PM on October 3rd in a highly anticipated Week 5 5A Matchup. Both teams enter the game 4-1 and undefeated in district play. Ankeny boasts a 4-game win streak after a devastating loss in week one to #1 Waukee Northwest, while Johnston is on a 3-game hot streak following a week 2 loss to Dowling Catholic. The Hawks and Dragons have met 16 times since 2008, with Ankeny leading the series, 10 – 6. The teams exhibit unique yet equally effective play styles, which will make for an exciting game and will be, without a doubt, one of the biggest games in Iowa this week.

Strengths and Weaknesses:

Ankeny enters the match up relying heavily on an aggressive run game that averages around 225 yards per game and has attained 1124 yards already this season with an average of 5.9 yards per carry. This strategy is powered by Senior running back Daniel Larmie. Larmie leads Class 5A in rushing yards with an impressive 891 yards earned by powering through defenders and working to earn every yard possible. For perspective on Larmie’s utilization, Johnston, as a team, has put up 150 rushing attempts, while Larmie himself has 152. With this heavy reliance on the run game, the Hawks’ pass game can seem a little less polished. Nonetheless, senior quarterback Kael Roush has thrown for 717 passing yards, 8 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. Senior Wide Receivers Andrew Brandhorst and Hayden Carlson are playmakers and always ready to step up and make big plays when needed. Brandhorst has racked up 28 REC, 310 YDS, 5 TDS, and Carslon has 8 receptions, 127 yards, and 2 TDS.

The Dragons’ game play features a more balanced offense with a stronger pass game led by junior quarterback Trevin Helming, who has thrown for 850 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Trevin has two top receivers in Senior Tino Daye Jr. and Junior Henry Clevenger. Daye Jr. has recorded 15 receptions for 270 yards with 4 touchdowns on the season, with Clevenger getting 11 receptions for 198 yards and 1 touchdown. These two give Johnston good possibilities for big plays in the air. On the ground, the dragons have put up 678 rushing yards in 150 attempts, with around 4.5 yards per carry. This ground play is led by junior running back Emri Jones, who has 313 rushing yards in 75 carries with 4 touchdowns. This brings some balance and opportunities to the dragon’s defense, but doesn’t quite match the intensity of the Hawks’ run game.

On the defensive side, the Hawks continue to impress as they hold their opponents to an average of 14.6 points per game and boast impressive stats such as getting 192.5 tackles, 99 of those being solo, 13 sacks, 34 tackles for loss, 20 passes defended, 3 Forced Fumbles, 6 Fumble recoveries, 6 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery for touchdown, and 1 Interception returned for TD. The hawks know how to create turnovers and force pressure on an offense. Two huge components of this pressure are Senior DB La’Marious Clark and Junior LB Dawson Whitinger. Clark has a touchdown, 3 interceptions, 15 tackles, and a fumble recovery, and Dawson has 2 forced fumbles and 18 tackles.

Johnston’s also has a notable defense with 187 Tackles, 154 of those being solo, 7 sacks, 27 tackles for loss, 1 Forced fumble, 4 fumble Recoveries, 1 recovery for a touchdown, and 9 interceptions with 2 returned for touchdowns. The dragon’s defense is led by senior linebacker Max Mincks, who holds 37 tackles on the season, 15th most in Class 5A, 29 being solo tackles, and 4 tackles for loss. Another notable name is junior defensive back Jarret Baade, who has two interceptions and 10 tackles, with 8 being solo.

In 5 games, the Hawks’ defense only allowed 339 rushing yards, while the Dragons allowed 623. This could be pivotal for the Hawks since they lean on the run game, and if the Dragons leave that door open, the Hawks could easily take advantage and leave Johnston in for a long night.
On the passing side, both sides are similar, with the Hawks allowing 762 and the Dragons allowing 747. This could be a sore spot for the Hawks as they don’t have as strong a pass game as the Dragons and are a little more likely to give up some yardage on passing plays.

Key Players:

Offense :

QB –
Ankeny – QB Kael Roush, SR – 70/118, 709 passing yards, 7 TDS, 3 INT
Johnston – QB Trevin Helming, JR – 49/85, 850 passing yards, 10 TDs, 2 INT

WR :
Ankeny- Andrew Brandhorst, SR – 28 REC, 310 YDS, 5 TDS
Hayden Carlson, SR – 8 REC, 127 YDS, 2 TDS

Johnston – Henry Clevenger, JR – 11 REC, 198 YDS, 1 TD
Tino Daye Jr., SR – 15 REC, 270 YDS, 4 TDS

RB :
Emri Jones, JR – 75 carries for 313 yards, 4.2 yards per carry, with 4 touchdowns
Daniel Larmie, SR – 152 carries for 891 yards, 5.9 yards per carry, with 7 touchdowns

Defense:

Ankeny –
La’Marious Clark, Senior Defensive Back, – 3 INT, 1 TD, 1 F REC, 15 Tackles, 9 Solo
Dawson Whitinger, Junior Linebacker – 2 FF, 18 TOT Tackles, 11 Solo
Nathan Becker, Senior Linebacker – 21.5 TOT, 12 Solo
Logan Wirtz, Junior Safety – 19 TOT, 13 Solo
Seniors, Nathan Jenkins, Linebacker, and Joey Sandvig, Defensive Back, – 19 TOT, 9 Solo

Johnston –

Max Mincks, SR – 37 TOT, 29 SOLO,
Owen Hupfer, JR – 21 TOT, 16 SOLO
Zachary Grider, JR -17.5 TOT, 15 SOLO
Caleb Gbarjolo, SR – 14 TOT, 12 SOLO, 1 INT, 1 TD

Things to Look For :

Can Johnston Contain Larmie? :
Daniel Larmie has dominated this season so far, finding lane after lane in game after game. With Johnston allowing 623 yards in the last 5 games, this could really create some opportunities for Larmie to break out and make some big plays. Because of Larmie’s high value on the field, be on the lookout for how Johnston plans to contain him.

Turnover Battle:
Ankeny and Johnston both feature high-caliber defenses, with the Dragons having 13 takeaways and the Hawks having 12 this season. A single takeaway could flip the entire momentum of the game.

Quarterback Battle :
Both Kael Roush and Trevin will face off against top defenses. Look out for who steps up during the pressure.

Game Flow:
Ankeny plays using a ground strategy where they like to have control of the clock while on the field; Johnston has a higher tendency for more explosive plays. How will these different tempos affect gameplay?

Late Game Performance :
Football games are decided in the final minutes of the game. If this game turns into a close battle until the end, which team will step up and overcome the pressure with higher late-game performance?

Some things to remember going into the game,
Ankeny will rely on their aggressive ground game and their disruptive defense, while Johnston will try to counter with a balanced offensive attack and strong defensive playmakers. This game will be decided through turnovers, how each team utilizes opportunities through their own play style, and will definitely be a hard-fought classic.