(Story by Stephen McDaniel)
After two quarters of play, the Ankeny Centennial football team was within striking distance going into the locker room after a momentum-swinging interception right before halftime.
But things took a nose dive south from the very first play of the second half, and the Jaguars watched as the annual Jag-Hawk crosstown rivalry game gradually favored the Hawks in a 29-15 defeat for Centennial on Friday at Ankeny Stadium.
“It was a blood bath. It got away from us, and they made great plays,” said Centennial co-head coach Ryan Pezzetti. “Daniel Larmie and Kael Roush were the two stars tonight, in my opinion. They’re outstanding football players and played incredibly well. At times, we did play well and we were in it. But a couple things didn’t go our way, and that was the end of it.”
Both teams entered the game with a stingy defense and one of the state’s best running backs in Larmie and JJ Morgan, who both ranked among the top five rushers in Class 5A.
Centennial’s defense and Morgan were two of the biggest factors in the Jaguars keeping things close as they attempted to follow up their 31-10 victory over the Hawks last season with a second consecutive rivalry win.
Behind Larmie, new quarterback Roush and an experienced group of wideouts, the Hawks were rolling into the game a mere holding call against Waukee Northwest away from an undefeated record.
And yet, the Centennial defense kept finding ways to shut the Hawks down.
The Jaguars used the mantra “bend, don’t break” on the game’s opening drive, when they held Ankeny to a 43-yard field goal by Canden Ganahl that got just enough power to clear the crossbar.
After that, Centennial forced turnovers on three of the Hawks’ remaining four drives of the first half.
“(The defense) played solid,” Pezzetti said. “It’s one of those situations where you need to get off the field, they did and forced some turnovers. Compliments to them, they kept us in it. We just need to get better.”
In the first quarter, Roush coughed up the ball in Jaguar territory and Centennial senior linebacker Nash Targgart made the recovery, leading to an offensive drive capped off by a 19-yard touchdown run from Morgan.
Centennial forced a turnover on downs on Ankeny’s ensuing drive after the Jaguars were able to stuff a Larmie run in the backfield.
The Hawks were able to take a 9-7 lead on a 31-yard touchdown connection from Roush to senior wideout Hayden Carlson, and they threatened to extend the margin right before halftime until senior linebacker Will Morris picked off a Roush pass with 12 seconds left at the Jaguars’ 5.
But the first two snaps of the ball in the second half foreshadowed what was to come for Centennial.
The first snap resulted in an offensive holding penalty by the Jaguars. Then, on the next play, Morgan fumbled and the Hawks recovered at the Centennial 36.
“I thought we had a nice selection of plays going into that first drive and to turn it over and give them the short field was a killer,” Pezzetti said. “It’s not just one thing. It’s a collection of positives and negatives. We’ll get better as the season goes on.”
Ankeny (3-1) capitalized with a 9-yard Larmie touchdown run, but the Jaguars then responded with a scoring drive after recovering an onside kick. Morgan raced 16 yards for his second touchdown, then Brekken Miller passed to Cade Newman for a two-point conversion that tied the game, 15-15, with 7:15 left in the third quarter.
A 37-yard Dawson Whitinger touchdown run and a 1-yard scoring run from Larmie put things out of reach as Centennial’s defense struggled to slow the Hawks down and the offense struggled to find the points to keep pace.
The Jaguars’ last four possessions ended with two punts, an interception by Ankeny’s La’Marious Clark and a turnover on downs.
“Anytime you’re playing in a game of this magnitude with the talented kids we saw tonight, there were a lot of collegiate football players that were on the field,” Pezzetti said. “To be a part of that, you’ve got to be able to finish it off. We were in it, then we weren’t.”
Pezzetti and the Jaguars know the best is still yet to come for Miller, who made his third straight start under center. The sophomore quarterback contributed some big plays on both of Centennial’s scoring drives.
Miller connected with senior tight end Cameron Meiners for a 36-yard gain into Hawk territory to set up Morgan’s first touchdown. The pair later drew a defensive pass interference penalty against the Hawks to set up Morgan’s second score and the tying two-point conversion.
“When you play at this caliber and at this level, you get better in a hurry,” Pezzetti said. “You don’t get better in practice, you get better by playing. (Miller) will take a lot of positives from this and go forward to Urbandale next week, and I’ll look for big things from him.”
Morgan’s touchdown streak continued with his pair of rushing scores. He now has 10 touchdowns in the last three games and 11 on the season.
With Morgan and the defense on the other side of the ball, the Jaguars (2-2) will always have a chance at bouncing back and they have some big games coming up.
Centennial will travel to Urbandale on Friday to face a 2-2 J-Hawks team fresh off a win over Cedar Rapids Jefferson. Road tests against Valley and Dowling Catholic still await the Jaguars.
“One game at a time,” Pezzetti said. “I think we had five starters out tonight and when you’re trying to replace guys last minute, it’s tough on your offense and your defense, but you have to do it. We did the best job we could with what we had, and our kids played their hearts out.”
