(Story by Isaiah Pine)
After a disappointing loss to second-ranked Johnston a week ago, the No. 3 Ankeny football team looked to bounce back against Ames in its homecoming game on Friday.
And that’s exactly what the Hawks did, rolling to a 56-7 victory.
Devan Goode ran for a pair of touchdowns in the first half, while Caleb Alhussaini ran for one and later returned a punt 56 yards for another score to give Ankeny a 42-0 advantage early in the second quarter.
For Alhussaini, Friday’s game was an opportunity to play in a homecoming game even though he doesn’t attend Ankeny. The junior running back goes to school at Ankeny Christian Academy, which does not field a football program.
“I had a lot of fun playing, and I’m glad to be on the team,” said Alhussaini.
Ankeny won the game in dominant fashion. Nobody was more efficient than senior quarterback Mason Machan, who bounced back after a rough night in the loss to the Dragons.
Machan completed all 10 of his passes for 158 yards and three touchdowns. He threw scoring passes of 10 yards to Gavin Hanfelt, 5 yards to Quin Somers and 39 yards to DJ Tate.
“I am proud of how I performed and glad I was able to bounce back,” said Machan.
Ankeny’s defense and special teams also played big roles in the win. Ben Fairchild blocked one Ames punt, and another attempt resulted in a fumble that the Hawks recovered.
Linebacker Rowan Doak had two of Ankeny’s four fumble recoveries. He later moved to quarterback in the second half and threw a 79-yard bomb to Jamello Cooper for the Hawks’ final touchdown.
Ace Parton and Nolan Bennett each picked off a pass from Ames quarterback Jace Hennigar. Logan Wirtz racked up a team-high 8.5 tackles.
Ankeny improved to 6-1 on the season. The Hawks will travel to Valley (4-3) on Friday before closing out the regular season at home on Oct. 23 against Council Bluffs Lincoln (3-4).
“We plan to prepare the same as we always do, showing up and working hard at each practice, and staying rested and healthy,” Somers said.
