Friday’s rematch between the Ankeny Centennial and Dowling Catholic football teams didn’t feature as many points as last month’s meeting at Valley Stadium.
But there was still plenty of drama.
The second-ranked Maroons made two late defensive stops in the fourth quarter and held on for a 14-10 victory over No. 7 Centennial in the Class 5A quarterfinals at Mediacom Stadium.
“We knew it was going to be a state title type game, and it was,” said Centennial co-head coach Ryan Pezzetti. “We gave our blows and they gave theirs, and we both were able to withstand it. We could have played all night and it would have been back and forth. But when the clock stopped, that’s where we were at.”
It was the eighth consecutive win for Dowling (10-1), which advanced to play No. 4 Valley (9-2) in Friday’s semifinals at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. The Jaguars, meanwhile, finished the season with an 8-3 record.
“I don’t really have any words,” said Centennial running back Braeden Jackson. “I’m just happy to play my last game with my teammates and just thankful for everything that happened this year.”
The Maroons won the first meeting against Centennial, 41-35, in triple overtime on Oct. 4. In that game, Sam Drexler scored the winning touchdown on a 15-yard pass from Joey Nahas.
On Friday, that duo again combined for the go-ahead score with 25 seconds left in the third quarter. Nahas threw a pass along the right sideline to Drexler, who broke a pair of tackles, stayed inbounds, and dashed to the end zone for a 39-yard touchdown.
Dowling gained 80 of its 227 total yards on that drive.
“Our defense played great all year,” Pezzetti said. “We were bend but don’t break a week ago (against Cedar Falls), but tonight we had a good matchup and we held tight and gave us opportunities at the end, and that’s all you can ask for.”
Centennial responded with a long drive of its own and nearly took the lead when Jackson ran 11 yards to the Maroons’ 1-yard line.
“We thought Braeden got into the end zone,” Pezzetti said. “It looked like the ball was across (the goal line), but the refs said it wasn’t.”
The drive stalled when Centennial’s Chase Kluver was stopped short of the goal line on a pair of quarterback sneaks. After a fumbled snap on third down took the ball back to the 3, Caleb Reed caught a pass from Kluver on fourth-and-goal but was tackled at the 2.
Then, after forcing a punt, the Jaguars had one final possession. Isaac Bruhl ran 17 yards to the Dowling 18, but the next three plays netted just 1 yard.
On fourth-and-9, Kluver lofted a pass into the end zone for Bruhl, but the ball was knocked away by two Dowling defenders. The Maroons then picked up a first down and ran out the clock.
“We had some opportunities at the end and just couldn’t close the door against a very good Dowling team,” Pezzetti said.
It didn’t help that Centennial suffered a rash of injuries in the second half. Linebacker Reed Anderson left the game after being banged up on a kickoff, while Bruhl and Jackson both sat out some plays on the final two drives.
“When you’re trying to call an offense and those pivotal people are gone, it’s tough,” Pezzetti said. “But I thought Chase did a great job, and so did Braeden and Bruhl and Caleb. All those guys contributed in a good way. I just wish we would have been on the other end of (the outcome).”
Jackson ran for 163 yards on 19 carries in his final game. Nearly half of his yards came on one play in the third quarter, when he took a handoff over left tackle, bounced it outside and raced 77 yards for a touchdown.
It gave the Jaguars a 10-7 lead with 2:27 remaining in the period.
“It was just an outside zone,” Jackson said. “I just saw it and cut it up, and I ran down the sideline.”
Centennial held a 3-0 lead at halftime. Ryan Bendezu kicked a 26-yard field goal with 3:09 left in the half, capping a 14-play, 55-yard drive.
Cael Woods had an interception for the Jaguars, who limited Dowling to just 86 yards in the first two quarters. The Maroons were led by Ra’Shawd Davis, who ran 24 times for 111 yards.
Davis had three carries for 20 yards to set up Dowling’s first touchdown, which came on a 7-yard pass from Parker DePhillips to Trey Wilson with 3:27 left in the third quarter. DePhillips and Nahas combined to go 10-of-15 through the air for 101 yards.
“They’re very well coached, and they have extremely good talent,” Pezzetti said of the Maroons.
