Six Ankeny football players and four more from Ankeny Centennial have earned all-state honors from the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association. The teams were selected by the IPSWA in conjunction with the Iowa Football Coaches Association.
Senior receiver Devon Akers, junior offensive lineman Lukis Beroth, senior linebacker Connor Kayser and senior defensive back Dylan Dougherty of Ankeny were named to the Class 5A all-state first team along with senior running back Elijah Porter and senior tight end Chase Schutty of Centennial. The Hawks placed junior running back Caden Henkes and senior defensive back Jacob Mohrfeld on the second team, while the Jaguars were represented by senior quarterback Trenton Smith and senior defensive back Connor Welsch.
Akers caught 52 passes for 959 yards and eight touchdowns. The Northern Illinois recruit ranked second in Class 5A and 12th in the entire state in receiving yards.
Beroth was the anchor of Ankeny’s offensive line and also served as the long snapper on special teams. He helped the Hawks to a 9-4 record and a runner-up finish in Class 5A.
Kayser led Ankeny with 96.5 tackles, including 60 solo stops and 4.5 sacks. He is a Northern Iowa recruit.
Dougherty made 96 tackles for the Hawks. He also intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble.
Porter ran for 1,166 yards and 16 touchdowns on 158 carries while also catching 20 passes for 216 yards and three more scores. The Northern Illinois recruit helped the Jaguars to a 7-5 mark and a trip to the Class 5A semifinals.
Schutty caught 22 passes for 390 yards and nine touchdowns. He tied for fifth in Class 5A in receiving scores.
Henkes rushed for 1,126 yards and 13 touchdowns on 208 carries. He also caught 29 passes for 258 yards and two more scores.
Mohrfeld made 36.5 tackles. He led the Hawks with six interceptions, which tied for the most in Class 5A.
Smith completed 148-of-227 passes for 1,848 yards. He passed for 21 touchdowns while throwing 13 interceptions.
Welsch made 39.5 tackles and also intercepted a pass. He will join Iowa State’s program as a preferred walk-on.
Southeast Polk quarterback Connor Moberly was named the captain of the Class 5A team. He led the Rams to their third consecutive state title.
All-district teams
Both Ankeny and Centennial were also well represented on their respective all-district teams.
In District 6, Kayser was named the defensive player of the year, while Beroth was selected the lineman of the year. Ankeny coach Jeff Bauer was also honored–he was named the district coach of the year after guiding the Hawks to the title game in his first season as head coach.
Kayser was a repeat pick to the all-district first team. He was joined on the squad by Akers, Beroth, Dougherty, Henkes and Mohrfeld.
The Hawks’ other first-team picks were junior quarterback Luke Anderson, sophomore running back Daniel Larmie, senior offensive linemen AJ Hoeck and Evan Spence, junior place-kicker Ryan Harrington and senior defensive end Lio Aguirre.
In District 1, the Jaguars placed Porter, Schutty, Smith and Welsch on the first team. Schutty and Smith were both repeat picks.
They were joined on the first team by junior running back Braeden Jackson, senior receiver Max Snyder, junior offensive linemen Max Dickinson and Gavin Humphrey, senior defensive lineman Zechariah Howe, junior defensive linemen Isaiah Bassett and Mitchell Grider, junior linebacker Reed Anderson, senior linebacker Jack Cahill and senior defensive back Nate Christiansen.
Junior receiver Evan Irlmeier of Ankeny was a repeat pick to the all-district second team in District 6. He was joined on the squad by senior tight end Carson Sommerfeld, junior offensive lineman Jack Dorfler, junior defensive end Andrew Haase, senior linebacker Angelo Wernau, senior defensive back Nolan Dalton, and junior defensive backs Sam Sandvig and Kinnick Vos.
In District 1, the Jaguars placed senior receiver Lawson Langford on the second team along with senior offensive lineman Blaine Sandquist, junior offensive lineman Lucas Juravich, senior linebacker Cole Pieper, senior defensive back Drake Dittmar and junior defensive back Chase Kluver.
Both teams also had three honorable mention selections. They are senior offensive lineman Trysten Mullis, junior defensive tackle Manning Allen and senior linebacker Samuel Zea of Ankeny, and sophomore running back JJ Morgan, senior offensive lineman Drew Schneden and junior place-kicker Ryan Bendezu of Centennial.
