Ankeny’s crosstown rivals will collide on the gridiron for the 12th time on Friday at Ankeny Stadium to kick off the 2023 high school football season.
Ankeny Centennial leads the all-time series, 8-3, but Ankeny has won two of the last three meetings–including a 17-10 victory by the Hawks in 2022.
“Ankeny’s had a very nice run the last few years,” said Centennial co-head coach Ryan Pezzetti. “I know they want to keep that up.”
Friday’s game marks the debut for Ankeny coach Jeff Bauer. He previously was an assistant under coach Rick Nelson, who left after last season to become an assistant coach at Northern Iowa.
Ankeny won a state title in 2020 and went 30-6 over the last three seasons, but returns just five starters from last year’s squad. With lower expectations outside the program, Bauer said nobody is talking about the Hawks.
“It’s not a bad spot for us to be in,” he said. “But the kids have bought in this summer, and they’ve worked really hard. I can’t wait to see how it looks on Friday.”
Centennial, meanwhile, has been listed in some of the preseason rankings. The Jaguars posted a 5-5 record a year ago and return 12 players who had significant roles.
“Obviously, they’re good,” Bauer said. “They have an experienced quarterback (in Trenton Smith), and (Chase) Schutty is as good as anybody around at tight end. (Receiver Max) Snyder is good, and they’ve got three guys who can run the ball and take it the distance. They do a lot of misdirection stuff, too.
“It’s a tall task, but our guys are excited,” he added.
Pezzetti said the Jaguars practiced in the mornings this week to avoid the extreme heat. The temperature is expected to be 87 degrees at kickoff, which is slated for 7 p.m.
“We all know the weather can change in Iowa,” Pezzetti said. “Hopefully, we’ll get some relief (from the heat) by Friday night.”
Pezzetti said both teams have a lot of unknowns heading into the contest.
“Once the game starts, we’re going to have to adjust to what they’re doing to us,” he said. “And they’re going to have to adjust to what we’re doing to them.”
Jag-Hawk Series History
2013: Centennial 17, Ankeny 7
2014: Centennial 24, Ankeny 21
2015: Ankeny 24, Centennial 16
2016: Centennial 31, Ankeny 18
Centennial 34, Ankeny 24 (playoffs)
2017: Centennial 21, Ankeny 0
2018: Centennial 20, Ankeny 0
2019: Centennial 17, Ankeny 14
2020: Ankeny 48, Centennial 6
2021: Centennial 14, Ankeny 7
2022: Ankeny 17, Centennial 10
