The road to the Class 3A state tournament appears to be a favorable one for the top-ranked Ankeny boys’ soccer team.
It doesn’t look too bad for No. 4 Ankeny Centennial, either.
The Iowa High School Athletic Association announced its substate assignments on Wednesday. The Hawks have been placed in Substate 1, while the Jaguars are in Substate 7.
Ankeny (14-0) will be joined in its substate bracket by Ames (5-3), Fort Dodge (0-9), Sioux City East (8-3), Sioux City North (8-3) and Sioux City West (5-6). None of those other teams are ranked.
Centennial (10-2) will be joined in its bracket by Des Moines Hoover (11-2), Indianola (4-10), Mason City (0-10), Southeast Polk (2-9) and Waukee (4-6). No. 8 Hoover is the only other ranked team in the bracket.
The first round of postseason games in all three classes is scheduled for Thursday, May 19. Second round substate games will be played on Monday, May 23, and substate final games are set for Wednesday, May 25.
Eight teams from each classification will advance to the 2022 IHSAA State Soccer Tournament, currently scheduled for June 1, 3, and 4 at Cownie Soccer Complex in Des Moines.