(Story by Stephen McDaniel)
After coming off a run to the Class 5A state championship game last season, the Ankeny Hawks returned plenty of talent to ensure they’d undoubtedly be contenders for the title that slipped through their fingers.
But now the Hawks are battling to keep any postseason hopes alive.
A 24-7 road loss against the Johnston Dragons on Friday sunk Ankeny’s record to 1-3 to open the 2024 season after closing the 2023 campaign with a 9-4 mark as the state runner-up.
“Now our backs are against the wall,” said Ankeny coach Jeff Bauer. “It’s like the playoffs start next week. We have to worry about one week at a time.”
Going into Friday’s attempt to spoil Johnston’s homecoming, the Hawks were looking to follow up their big win over then-No. 1 ranked Dowling Catholic.
Ankeny had the picture perfect start that it needed to potentially even out its record.
Luke Anderson hit Evan Irlmeier near the Dragons’ sideline and the senior receiver rumbled down to the Johnston 33 for a gain of 41 yards on the first play of the game.
The Hawks drew a defensive pass interference call, and it didn’t take many plays after that for Daniel Larmie to power the ball into the end zone from 2 yards out to cap off a 74-yard opening drive with an Ankeny touchdown. Larmie rushed for 105 yards on 21 carries.
Ankeny’s defense matched the offense’s energy and forced a quick three-and-out on Johnston’s first drive of the game. There was a chance for the Hawks to go up two possessions in the first half and be in the driver’s seat the rest of the way.
But a pass into a tight window resulted in the Dragons intercepting the ball, which would be just the first of four picks for the Johnston defense. Jacob Helgeson had two of them.
“We’re not executing on offense like we should be,” Bauer said. “That game was there for us. If we don’t turn the ball over and finish some drives, we’re up 21-0 at halftime and that thing is over.”
From there, the Hawks struggled to find their footing offensively, while the defense did their best to hold onto the 7-0 lead.
Ben Taylor got the ball back for Ankeny on its own 2-yard line after intercepting an overthrown ball down the field.
When the Hawks had to punt shortly after starting near their end zone, the defense forced another punt after a big tackle for loss set up a third-and-long.
When the Dragons intercepted the ball for the second time, Mason Randolph broke up a potential first down conversion before ultimately blocking a field goal attempt that would’ve been Johnston’s first points of the game.
Ankeny’s offense strung together one last drive with 50 seconds left in the half.
Some big runs from Larmie, along with a couple pass completions between Anderson and Andrew Brandhorst, gave them a shot at a 37-yard field goal with a handful of seconds left. A low kick blocked by the line sent the teams to the locker room with the Hawks leading the battle between the defenses.
The same consistency issues followed Ankeny’s offense into the second half, but the same couldn’t be said for the Dragons.
Following a first-drive punt to open the third quarter, the Dragons strung together four consecutive scoring drives.
The first came on the back of running back D’Angelo Barkue, who guided them down the field and set up a 2-yard touchdown for Andrew Kallen. The second score was a quarterback keeper on the goal line.
In must-score territory for the Hawks, the Johnston defense forced two more interceptions and turned them into a 34-yard field goal and a near pick-six that resulted in another power up the middle to ice the game.
“Our defense battled and battled in the first half and we only had a 7-0 lead,” Bauer said. “(Johnston) finally got us in the second half. We were worn down. We have to get better.”
Ankeny isn’t quite eliminated from postseason play, but the Hawks have an uphill battle to fight if they want to turn their season around and contend for the 5A title like they did last season.
Homecoming is supposed to be a fun week for the students at Ankeny High, but for the Hawks, their sights are laser-focused on the Iowa City West Trojans–who will visit Ankeny Stadium Friday for the homecoming game.
With five games left in the regular season, the Hawks would need to win at least four of them to finish with a winning record. Winning out against the likes of Iowa City West, Cedar Rapids Prairie, Iowa City Liberty, Valley and Cedar Rapids Washington would end the regular season at 6-3 for the Hawks.
“We have Iowa City West next week, and that’s all our focus can be,” Bauer said. “It’s going to be Homecoming, so we have to get away from the distractions. We have to get better and execute.”