The Ankeny Centennial football team got off to a great start in Friday’s game at second-ranked Valley.
The Jaguars took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, when Brekken Miller fired a 36-yard touchdown pass to Luke Mitchell on fourth-and-9.
“We got the ball first and put together a great drive,” said Centennial co-head coach Ryan Pezzetti. “It was over 15 plays and ended in a touchdown. We executed really well against a very good team and scored.”
Centennial was seeking just its second win ever over the Tigers at Valley Stadium. The Jaguars entered Friday’s game with a 1-3 all-time record at Valley, with the lone win coming in 2016 when future NFL player Riley Moss picked off a pass from Rocky Lombardi in the final minute to seal a 14-10 triumph in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A playoffs.
Miller, a sophomore, was in the first grade the last time Centennial defeated the Tigers on their home turf. But when he connected with Mitchell for his eighth touchdown pass of the season, it gave the Jaguars a brief glimpse of hope that they could pull off an upset.
However, the Tigers refused to let Centennial spoil their homecoming.
Valley shut down the Jaguars’ offense the rest of the way and went on to post a 24-7 victory.
“They’re a very good football team,” Pezzetti said of the Tigers. “They’re big, they’re physical, and they’re just a very sound team. To play those teams you’ve got to be able to stop the run and you’ve got to be able to run the ball. Just inconsistencies got in our way.”
The Tigers answered with the tying touchdown later in the first quarter. They then used a 10-point second quarter to build a 17-7 halftime advantage.
“We had an opportunity to make it closer, but we just didn’t execute as well as we needed to,” Pezzetti said. “They’re just really good, and our kids played super hard. I couldn’t be prouder of our kids, but with every loss you learn something else about your team and we’ll move forward.”
Valley got an insurance touchdown in the third quarter when Jayden McGregory caught a short pass from Drake DeGroote and spun his way into the end zone. McGregory has committed to play for Louisville.
Valley relied on its defense and a strong running game to control the ball in the second half. Blake Dorenkamp ran 19 times for 132 yards for the Tigers.
“For the most part, we kept both of those receivers in check,” Pezzetti said, referring to McGregory and Jayden Brown. “But their quarterback is a phenomenal athlete, and he ran the ball really well. (DeGroote and Dorenkamp) running the ball was a handful for us.”
The Tigers improved to 5-1 on the season. Their lone loss came at No. 1 Waukee Northwest, 27-24, on Sept. 5.
Centennial’s record dropped to 3-3.
“We had a realistic talk with our kids after the game about what this (next) game means to us,” Pezzetti said. “We left there with a great attitude and looking forward to getting to work next week.”
The Jaguars will host Indianola (4-2) on Friday at Ankeny Stadium. The Indians lost to Valley by a similar score, 24-0, on Sept. 26 before rebounding with a 56-0 victory over Des Moines Lincoln on Friday.
Indianola coach Eric Kluver, a former Ankeny star, is in his 22nd season at the school. The Indians moved up to Class 5A this fall after spending the previous four years in 4A.
“Eric always has those kids ready to play,” Pezzetti said. “We know where we’re at with our season right now and what needs to be done.”
