(Story by Stephen McDaniel)
It was tough for Braeden Jackson to pick out his favorite touchdown run.
The Ankeny Centennial senior running back scored three times in the second half and rushed for 236 yards to fuel the third-ranked Jaguars to a 31-10 victory over No. 2 Ankeny in the season opener for both teams on Friday.
“It feels great,” said Jackson, who was named the player of the game. “Losing to (the Hawks) two times last year, this is the game we’ve been thinking about for 10 months. I know when I’ve went to put in work, this is the game that’s in the back of my mind.”
The safest bet was his third touchdown of the night where Jackson high-stepped across the goal line from 11 yards out to give Centennial its final margin with 1 minute 40 seconds left to play.
Jackson’s scoring run was the dagger to the team’s first win over Ankeny since the 2021 season. The cherry on top was a Malachi Curvey interception with less than a minute remaining to close out a second half shutout for the Jaguar defense.
One of Centennial’s goals was to play more physical than Ankeny, and a 39-yard run by Jackson is what helped ignite the Jaguars’ successful ground game in the second half. He capped off the 80-yard drive to open the half by reversing the field and diving into the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown that broke a 10-10 halftime tie.
The Jaguars found similar success on their following possession after driving 75 yards with Jackson starting the drive with a 35-yard run. He ended the drive by running the ball in from 25 yards out for a 24-10 lead.
“Once we got under center and found our rhythm, our kids had confidence in it and they loved it,” said Centennial co-head coach Ryan Pezzetti. “It’s a different offense. It’s something you don’t see from day to day in Iowa 5A football. It’s something we love to do.”
But the offense wasn’t the only thing clicking for the Jaguars in the second half. The defense kept the Hawks scoreless by forcing two punts, a turnover on downs and intercepting two passes.
Senior defensive back Isaac Bruhl intercepted a pass from Ankeny quarterback Luke Anderson on a 3rd-and-2 play in the fourth quarter. The interception led to Jackson’s final touchdown of the game that sealed the win.
Prior to that, the Hawks elected to keep their offense out on the field on 4th-and-1 from Centennial’s 22-yard line with a 14-point deficit and under 8 minutes left to play. Some traffic over the middle of the field led to an incompletion and a turnover on downs, which helped the Jaguars burn off some clock before punting it back into Ankeny territory.
“We were joking, ‘(The defense) don’t give us a break, it’s constant three-and-outs,’” Jackson said. “They give us momentum, the way they’re just able to come in and dominate, it really gets (the offense) going. I’m very glad to have those guys on my team.”
Ankeny looked to spoil the second half shutout with a big connection through the air from Anderson to receiver Owen Fischer in the final minute, but Curvey then iced things for the Jaguars by intercepting a short pass and allowing Centennial quarterback Chase Kluver to kneel out the remaining seconds.
The Hawks seemed poised to take control of things in the second quarter with a 79-yard touchdown connection from Anderson to Andrew Brandhorst on the first play of the period, erasing Centennial’s 3-0 lead.
LaMarious Clark immediately got the ball back for the Hawks after intercepting a pass from Kluver, which ultimately led to a 30-yard field goal from Ryan Harrington for a 10-3 lead.
Centennial utilized several different players to help move the ball with the likes of JJ Morgan, Jeremiah Bassett and Sam Heither.
Morgan came up with a couple of big carries in Ankeny territory to set up a 9-yard touchdown pass from Kluver to Heither to tie the game late in the first half. He ran for 91 yards on 13 carries.
“Our offensive line, shoutout to them, they played amazing tonight and I know they’ve really been dialed in on film,” Jackson said. “JJ (Morgan) ran the ball hard when I needed a break. Kluver plays both ways and was a dog tonight. Shoutout Caleb Reed and Sam Heither, all those guys blocking downfield. I’m really thankful for all of them.”
Senior Ryan Bendezu earned the honor of scoring Centennial’s first points of the season by nailing a 44-yard field goal and giving the Jaguars a 3-0 lead late in the first quarter.
One area the Jaguars will need to clean up after the first week of play is taking penalties. Centennial was flagged 14 times on Friday with eight of those coming on false starts. Kluver had a touchdown pass to Morgan wiped off the board in the first half due to a holding call.
As for now, Centennial will celebrate improving its all-time record against the Hawks to 9-5 and snapping Ankeny’s three-game winning streak in the series dating back in 2022.
“Anytime you can go against a quality opponent and win, you’re satisfied,” Pezzetti said. “The first game of the year we knew it was going to be tough. A lot of different kids played in some key spots. We struggled at times, but at the end to hold an offense like this to 10 points is gratifying and running the ball like we did today, our team is elated.”
The Jaguars look to start 2-0 on the season when they return to Ankeny Stadium on Friday to host Ames. The Little Cyclones lost to Waukee, 59-14, in their opener.
