It won’t take long for the Ankeny Centennial boys’ golf team to find out where it stands.
The Jaguars will open their season on Thursday with a CIML Conference triangular meet against Dowling Catholic and Johnston at Terrace Hills. The Dragons are coming off their second state title in three years and return three of the top 15 players in Class 4A, led by state runner-up Andrew Johannsen.
But Centennial coach Andrew Reedy thinks his team is ready for the challenge.
“The returning varsity players have done the things they need to do individually in order to prepare themselves for the season,” said Reedy. “They have encouraged each other to work, spent time with each other in the offseason and generally done a nice job of staying engaged with the game throughout the offseason.”
Seniors Jackson Lewis and Jett Lovanh are back along with juniors Tiernan Logan and McCoy Miller from a team that placed ninth in Class 4A with a two-day total of 629. The state meet was held on the Jaguars’ home course at Briarwood Golf Club.
This year’s state meet will be held on Oct. 13-14.
“We have a great upside!” Reedy said. “Our goals are all centered around competing in the postseason. We do have a few questions that need to be answered, but I am confident we have a group of kids that will do all they can to be the best they can be.”
Miller led the team as a sophomore with a 38.13 average. He placed fifth in last year’s opening triangular against the same teams with a 69, then took sixth in the Jesse Peck Invitational at Briarwood with a 74.
Miller later placed fifth in the Southeast Polk Invitational at Copper Creek with a 70. He went on to tie for 27th at the state meet with a 157 total, including a 76 in the final round.
“McCoy has his sights set on being one of the best players in the state,” Reedy said.
Logan was fourth on the squad with a 39.24 average. He was followed by Lovanh at 39.67 and Lewis at 40.42.
Logan shot a season-best 73 in a triangular meet at Otter Creek, where he helped the Jaguars to a five-stroke win over host Ankeny. He later placed 13th with a 76 in the Joe August Invitational at Elmwood Country Club in Marshalltown, where he led his team to a fifth-place finish.
Lovanh placed 10th at the Peck Invitational with a 76, then later shot a 77 in the conference meet at Otter Creek, where he placed 16th and led the team to a seventh-place finish. He went on to tie for 40th at the state meet with a 160 total.
After struggling at times as a junior, Lewis tied for ninth with a 73 in the district meet at Council Bluffs, where he helped the Jaguars to a third-place finish. He then tied for 36th at the state meet with a 159 total.
“When I took this job in 2023, this group of seniors were sophomores,” Reedy said. “There was a lot of them, and it was clear they loved golf, were talented and were excited to be a part of Centennial golf. At that time, I looked ahead to 2025 and was excited for them to have matured by two years, gained experience as golfers and honed their games for two years. Now, here we are! So yes, there is a ton of potential.”
Tryouts for the team began on Monday and will conclude on Tuesday. Reedy will pick his varsity lineup from a pool of 58 players.
“This is the most we have had try out by far. My first two seasons we had 40 to 45 kids trying out,” Reedy said. “We will need a couple of kids that have no varsity experience to step up and contribute, but there are a lot of kids with an opportunity to do that.”