Ankeny Centennial boys’ soccer star Andrew Heckenlaible has completed his high school career.
After graduating early, Heckenlaible will leave on Monday to join the Minnesota United FC U19 Academy team. He’ll spend the next six months playing against top-level talent before beginning his college career at St. Louis.
“It’s a great opportunity for Truckie. It’d be hard to pass up,” said Centennial coach Brian Duax. “We obviously wish he was sticking around for his senior year to try to get that big trophy, but it’d be a hard opportunity to pass up if it was my child.”
Heckenlaible helped Centennial to a 41-15 record over the last three seasons. The Jaguars made three consecutive trips to the state tournament, including back-to-back semifinal appearances in 2022-23.
“I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished,” said Heckenlaible. “I’m a little disappointed we couldn’t win it all, but it was such a great group of guys that was always so much fun to play with.”
Heckenlaible racked up 43 goals in his high school career. He was a three-time first-team all-conference pick.
After scoring 17 goals as a freshman in 2021, Heckenlaible had 14 goals and 21 assists as a sophomore. He earned all-state honorable mention.
As a junior, Heckenlaible finished with a team-high 12 goals and 31 points while helping the Jaguars to a 10-6 mark. He was named to the Class 4A all-state first team.
Heckenlaible scored a goal as 10th-ranked Centennial upset No. 1 Valley, 2-0, in last year’s quarterfinals, then had another goal in the Jaguars’ 3-1 loss to No. 2 Johnston in the semifinals. He was a repeat pick to the all-tournament team.
“He’s graduating early so he won’t have to concentrate on school,” Duax said. “He can just focus on soccer for the next six months.”
The Jaguars, meanwhile, will try to figure out how to replace Heckenlaible’s prolific production.
“It will affect our team. It’s like losing another senior,” Duax said. “I had super high hopes for this season, but he’ll be tough to replace. We’ve got plenty of guys in line ready to step up, though.”