The Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys’ soccer teams combined to fill 11 of the 13 slots on the CIML Iowa Conference first team. The Jaguars had six first-team picks, while the Hawks had five.
Central Conference champion Ankeny had three unanimous picks to the first team–junior defender Kwaku Kwarteng, senior forward Lucas Newhard and senior midfielder Conor Wahlberg. That trio helped the Hawks to a 19-2 record and a No. 1 seed in the Class 3A state tournament.
Senior defender Isaac O’Toole and senior goalkeeper Kyle Pederson were Ankeny’s other first-team picks. Pederson was a repeat selection along with Wahlberg.
Four of Centennial’s first-team picks were also repeat selections. They are sophomore midfielder Ty Duax, sophomore forward Andrew Heckenlaible, senior defender Jackson Helmkamp and senior midfielder Evan Larson.
Senior defender Clayson Cox and junior forward Rashidi Ishibwami were the Jaguars’ other first-team picks. Cox, who helped the Jaguars to a 16-4 mark and a trip to the Class 3A semifinals, was a unanimous selection.
Senior midfielder Kellen Welsch of Centennial and sophomore defender Tyler Woods of Ankeny were both repeat picks to the all-conference second team. The Hawks also placed senior midfielders Hunter and Mason Yeatts on the second team, while the Jaguars were represented by senior defender Quinn Geiger and senior forward Jesus Gonzalez.
Sophomore midfielders Gannon Ripley of Ankeny and Braden Thiele of Centennial both earned all-conference honorable mention for the second straight year. Senior midfielders Jace Ward and Jace Wood of Ankeny also received honorable mention along with sophomore defender Beau Brazeau and sophomore goalkeeper Andrew Nelson of Centennial.