(Story by Stephen McDaniel)
It took a whole team effort inside 8 minutes to play for the Ankeny Centennial football team to secure its first win of the 2026 season.
A third-down sack, a 90-yard drive by the offense and a walk-off, 20-yard field goal by senior kicker Noah Manning clinched the Jaguars’ 23-20 victory over Linn-Mar on Friday night in Marion.
“You talk about an improvement made from week to week, our defense did it and our kids did it,” said Centennial co-head coach Ryan Pezzetti. “They took some things away from us that we relied on a week ago. That’s what good coaches do, so you’ve got to give credit to Linn-Mar. But we adjusted as a staff and came through in the end to beat a good team.”
Both teams felt the effects of playing in the heat wave sweeping over the state of Iowa, resulting in a pair of missed PATs in the second half.
A 38-yard touchdown connection between Linn-Mar quarterback Derek Roling and receiver Deklan Thoms helped the Lions (0-2) take a 20-14 lead with a minute left in the third quarter.
The hot temperatures can affect the grip on the football with moisture building up, and the snap on Linn-Mar’s PAT slipped through the fingers of the holder and led to a failed makeshift two-point conversion.
Centennial had an opportunity to take the lead when junior quarterback Brekken Miller found senior tight end Cade Newman for a 35-yard touchdown pass on third-and-22 with 8 minutes remaining.
But the Jaguars (1-1) had the same issue with the hold on the ensuing PAT, which left the game deadlocked at 20-20.
“We just had to go one down at a time, keep going and keep thinking forward,” Manning said of not letting the missed PAT affect the team. “You can’t change the past.”
The Lions looked to drive down the field and reclaim the lead before Centennial junior defensive lineman Asher Megonnell recorded a sack on third-and-8 and forced Linn-Mar to punt from the Jaguars’ 39-yard line.
Miller and the Jaguar offense came back out on the field with about 4 minutes left hoping to put together a game-winning drive.
“I told my coach before the play that we just need one big defensive play and then we got that sack, which was huge,” Miller said. “That last drive, it just felt like I had to take over there. I had the whole offense surrounding me, and we just worked out there.”
Miller used his legs to help the Jaguars move the ball out of their territory and was able to find wideouts Luke Mitchell and Hunter Derby to keep the drive going.
Facing a third-and-10, Miller completed a pass to Derby for a first down and the sophomore receiver also took a late hit out of bounds from a Linn-Mar defender, resulting in a personal foul that moved the ball to the Lions’ 6-yard line.
“That moment that (Derby) got that last first down and that last play to get us to kick the field goal was absolutely crucial,” Miller said. “I knew we had (the win) right there. I had full confidence in Noah kicking that field goal.”
Centennial’s Matthew Nichols ran the ball down to the 2-yard line, and the Jaguars took a timeout with 2 seconds remaining to set up the game-winning kick.
“What I was mainly visualizing was just kicking it straight down the middle, everything perfect and just get it,” Manning said.
Manning split the uprights on what was essentially a PAT attempt to walk off the Jaguars’ road victory.
“It felt really great,” Manning said. “Just being with all my friends and my team, I couldn’t have done it without them. It was a great feeling.”
It was a tight battle between two squads that were both looking to bounce back from season-opening losses a week ago.
The game was scoreless after the first quarter before Centennial and Linn-Mar combined for six touchdown drives in the next three periods.
The Lions took a 7-0 lead on a 15-yard touchdown connection between Roling and fullback Bradley Duncan-Porter with 3:22 left in the first half.
The Jaguars then got a huge momentum swing by scoring two touchdowns in the final minute before the break.
Miller found senior tight end Owen Gasperi for a 15-yard touchdown with 1 minute left on the clock.
Sophomore Javon Roberson forced a fumble on the following kickoff that senior Urban Ingram recovered to give Centennial’s offense another chance starting at Linn-Mar’s 31-yard line.
Facing 3rd-and-13 shortly thereafter, Miller dumped the ball off to Nichols near the sideline and the sophomore running back cut through a swarm of defenders before scampering in for a 34-yard touchdown that gave the Jaguars a 14-7 halftime lead.
Linn-Mar scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter to regain the lead. Roling scored on a 8-yard keeper to tie it before finding Thoms for the Lions’ go-ahead touchdown late in the period.
Roling completed 11-of-13 passes for 193 yards, but the Jaguars’ defense made just enough plays to give the offense a chance to win it at the end.
“That fumble in the second quarter that led to (Nichols’) touchdown was huge for us,” Miller said. “The second half, we weren’t too hot going either way, but we fought through it. That fourth quarter, me and the offense were able to take over. It was awesome and the most fun game I’ve played in my life for sure.”
Centennial returns home to host Des Moines Lincoln (1-1) on Friday with the crosstown showdown against Ankeny (2-0) coming up the following week. The Railsplitters are coming off a 56-14 win over Des Moines North after dropping a 19-6 decision to Des Moines Roosevelt.
“It’s huge,” Pezzetti said of his team getting a bounce back victory. “You look at our schedule from top to bottom as the toughest schedule in the state. I’d argue with anyone to have one better. We got Lincoln next week and then we come back to play Ankeny, which we’re looking forward to.”
