• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

  • Home
  • About
    • Support Us
  • News
    • Podcast
  • Hawks
    • Boys’ Track
      • Schedule
    • Girls’ Track
      • Schedule
    • Boys’ Soccer
      • Schedule
    • Girls’ Soccer
      • Schedule
    • Boys’ Tennis
      • Schedule
    • Girls’ Tennis
      • Schedule
    • Girls’ Golf
      • Roster
      • Schedule
  • Jaguars
    • Boys’ Track
      • Schedule
    • Girls’ Track
      • Schedule
    • Boys’ Soccer
      • Schedule
    • Girls’ Soccer
      • Schedule
    • Boys’ Tennis
      • Schedule
    • Girls’ Tennis
      • Schedule
    • Girls’ Golf
      • Roster
      • Schedule
You are here: Home / Hawks / Fall / Football / With a ‘chip on our shoulder’, Hawks shut down Fort Dodge in the rain

With a ‘chip on our shoulder’, Hawks shut down Fort Dodge in the rain

September 12, 2020 by Dan Holm

Ankeny’s Reid Johnson carries the ball during Friday’s game at Fort Dodge. Johnson rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries as the Hawks rolled to a 52-18 victory. (Photo by Dan Holm)

On a rainy night at Dodger Stadium, the Ankeny football team rediscovered its mojo.

One week after suffering a heartbreaking loss at Waukee, the sixth-ranked Hawks overcame the wet conditions on Friday to post a 52-18 victory over No. 10 Fort Dodge, dominating the game on both sides of the ball.

“We definitely came out with a little bit of a chip on our shoulder tonight,” said Ankeny linebacker Brecken Manus. “We really wanted to come out and get a convincing win.”

The Hawks (2-1) limited Fort Dodge star tailback Dayson Clayton to just 74 yards rushing on 22 carries. Clayton had rushed for 679 yards and 10 touchdowns in the first two games as the Dodgers (2-1) averaged 58.5 points in wins over Ames and Sioux City East.

“On the one run he had for 19 or 20 yards, he was like a freight train,” said Ankeny coach Rick Nelson. “But our kids did really well. I thought if (Fort Dodge) was going to score it would be on the ground with that guy, but they threw a couple bombs on us. It wasn’t the greatest conditions for us, but I was really proud of our kids.”

Ankeny quarterback Jase Bauer ran for three touchdowns and passed for another, doing most of his damage on the ground. He ran for 117 yards on 19 carries while completing just 8-of-23 passes for 79 yards.

“Obviously, with the mist, it was definitely harder to catch and throw the ball,” Bauer said. “We knew coming into the game that there was a possibility of rain, so we knew we’d have to run on the ground more than we’d like to. We started off a little slow, but I think we worked it out and we put up 50 (points) on the board.”

Ankeny quarterback Jase Bauer avoids a tackle along the sideline during Friday’s game. Bauer ran for 117 yards and three touchdowns and also threw a scoring toss to Brody Brecht in the Hawks’ win. (Photo by Dan Holm)

The Hawks relied heavily on sophomore running back Reid Johnson, who rushed for 135 yards on 31 carries. Johnson scored on a 6-yard run midway through the second quarter to give Ankeny a 21-6 lead at halftime.

Johnson was filling in for injured starter Colin Kadolph, who is expected to be back for Friday’s game at Council Bluffs Jefferson.

“I think we dropped the first three passes, and then we were having a little protection problems,” Nelson said. “They blitz from a lot of different angles so we just decided to see if we could get the run game going. Our kids ran hard, and we blocked up front. We just weren’t hitting on all cylinders in the passing game.”

Despite its struggles through the air, Ankeny still racked up 429 total yards. Nate Nessa capped off the win with two late touchdown runs, including one of 77 yards.

“(Ankeny)’s a really, really good football team,” Dodgers coach Nik Moser told the Fort Dodge Messenger. “They were ranked in the top three early on for a reason, and they’ll be right in the mix when all is said and done. I couldn’t be more proud of our defense for keeping us in it. We just couldn’t get out of our own way with some mental mistakes, and our offense wasn’t where it needed to be. That’s a credit to a stout Ankeny defense, but it’s also on me for not putting us in better position and calling a better game.”

Ankeny opened the game with a long drive that ended with a 5-yard scoring run by Bauer. The Hawks completed just one pass on that possession.

After the ensuing kickoff, Fort Dodge began its first possession in a wildcat formation with Clayton taking direct snaps from center. On the Dodgers’ first two plays, Clayton was stopped for little or no gain.

Ankeny defenders Ryan Crandall (No. 6) and Caleb Rathjen (No. 20) team up to tackle Fort Dodge’s Dayson Clayton during Friday’s game. Clayton was held to just 74 yards rushing after combining for 679 yards in his first two games this season. (Photo by Dan Holm)

“We just stacked the box,” Manus said. “We put in a package for him and really tried to load the box and make them pass. They hit a few passes on us, but we’ll take that.”

On third down, Clayton took another direct snap and started to run, then pulled up and fired a 74-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Tyler Schreier down the middle of the field.

“I think they surprised us a little bit with that one,” Manus said.

However, Ankeny answered with a 10-yard scoring run by Bauer less than 2 minutes later. The Hawks eventually built a 31-6 advantage before Fort Dodge scored again on a 61-yard pass from Carson Peterson to Schreier with 51 seconds left in the third quarter.

“Our defense has been great all year,” said Bauer, who also scored on a 30-yard run in the second half. “They get us in so many short fields that it makes it easy for us to go score. I had all the confidence in the world in them tonight. They played great. I was pretty proud of them.”

Bauer connected with Brody Brecht for an 8-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter. Ankeny’s other points came on a 21-yard field goal by Max Pelham after the Dodgers failed to convert a fake punt from their own 10-yard line midway through the third quarter.

“They really dominated us on special teams and with field position,” Moser told the Messenger. “We have a lot of improving still to do overall. We knew that coming in. Ankeny is obviously better than us at this point, and we caught them at a bad time (coming off a loss). But I’m not going to fault our effort at all.”

Filed Under: Football, Hawks Tagged With: Brecken Manus, Featured, Jase Bauer, Rick Nelson

Primary Sidebar

Support Ankeny Fanatic

Recent Posts

  • Jaguars return 6 varsity regulars, led by two-time state placewinner Peterson
  • ‘Leave it on the field’: Experienced Jaguars seek their 4th title in 7 seasons
  • Ankeny Fanatic Podcast: Episode 217
  • From Wenatchee to Flint: Ankeny native describes his TBL journey in pro hoops
  • Ankeny Fanatic Rodcast: Episode 11

Find Us on Facebook

Ankeny Fanatic

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017

Categories

  • Hawks
    • Fall
      • Boys’ Cross Country
      • Boys’ Golf
      • Football
      • Girls’ Cross Country
      • Girls’ Swimming
      • Volleyball
    • Spring
      • Boys’ Soccer
      • Boys’ Tennis
      • Boys’ Track
      • Girls’ Golf
      • Girls’ Soccer
      • Girls’ Tennis
      • Girls’ Track
    • Summer
      • Baseball
      • Softball
        • Roster
    • Winter
      • Boys’ Basketball
      • Boys’ Bowling
      • Boys’ Swimming
      • Girls’ Basketball
      • Girls’ Bowling
      • Boys’ Wrestling
  • Jaguars
    • Fall
      • Boys’ Cross Country
      • Boys’ Golf
      • Football
      • Girls’ Cross Country
      • Girls’ Swimming
      • Volleyball
    • Spring
      • Boys’ Soccer
      • Boys’ Tennis
      • Boys’ Track
      • Girls’ Golf
      • Girls’ Soccer
      • Girls’ Tennis
      • Girls’ Track
    • Summer
      • Baseball
      • Softball
    • Winter
      • Boys’ Basketball
      • Girls’ Basketball
      • Wrestling
  • Top Sports Stories
    • Football
    • Volleyball
  • Baseball
  • Softball

© 2023 Ankeny Fanatic. All rights reserved.