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Football

‘I loved the facilities and the culture’: Centennial’s Heither commits to Wartburg

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Ankeny Centennial wingback Sam Heither has committed to play football at Wartburg College next year. Heither announced his decision on social media Wednesday. "I was pretty keyed in on Wartburg during the recruiting process," Heither said. "I loved the facilities and the culture that they have over in Waverly." Heither helped Centennial to an 8-3 … [Read more...] about ‘I loved the facilities and the culture’: Centennial’s Heither commits to Wartburg

Centennial lineman Juravich commits to play football at William Jewell College

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Ankeny Centennial offensive lineman Lucas Juravich has committed to play football at William Jewell College. Juravich announced his decision on social media earlier this week. "I want to thank my mom, dad and all my siblings for pushing me farther than I thought I could go," Juravich tweeted on X. Juravich was part of one of the state's best … [Read more...] about Centennial lineman Juravich commits to play football at William Jewell College

‘Iowa was always going to be my first choice’: Jackson commits to Hawkeyes

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It didn't take long for Ankeny Centennial running back Braeden Jackson to accept a preferred walk-on offer from the Iowa football program. Jackson committed to play for the Hawkeyes on Friday--just four days after receiving the offer. "Other than Iowa Western giving a scholarship, Iowa was the only other offer or PWO on the table at the moment," said … [Read more...] about ‘Iowa was always going to be my first choice’: Jackson commits to Hawkeyes

Centennial offensive lineman Humphrey commits to play for UW-Platteville

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Ankeny Centennial offensive lineman Gavin Humphrey has verbally committed to play football next year at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, an NCAA Division III school. The 6-foot-1, 240-pound Humphrey announced his decision on social media over the weekend. "I’m blessed to announce that I will be committing to UW-Platteville to pursue my academic … [Read more...] about Centennial offensive lineman Humphrey commits to play for UW-Platteville

Six Jaguars named to Class 5A District 1 first team for 2nd consecutive year

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Six Ankeny Centennial football players have been named to the Class 5A District 1 first team for the second straight year. Running back Braeden Jackson earned repeat honors along with offensive linemen Max Dickinson and Gavin Humphrey, defensive linemen Isaiah Bassett and Mitchell Grider, and linebacker Reed Anderson. The six seniors led the Jaguars to an … [Read more...] about Six Jaguars named to Class 5A District 1 first team for 2nd consecutive year

Dowling uses two late defensive stands to hold on for 14-10 victory over Jaguars

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Friday's rematch between the Ankeny Centennial and Dowling Catholic football teams didn't feature as many points as last month's meeting at Valley Stadium. But there was still plenty of drama. The second-ranked Maroons made two late defensive stops in the fourth quarter and held on for a 14-10 victory over No. 7 Centennial in the Class 5A quarterfinals … [Read more...] about Dowling uses two late defensive stands to hold on for 14-10 victory over Jaguars

Jackson erupts for 372 all-purpose yards, 6 TDs in Jaguars’ win over Iowa City High

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Braeden Jackson felt pretty good when he woke up on Friday, and that turned out to be the worst possible news for the Iowa City Little Hawks. Ankeny Centennial’s standout running back delivered an historic performance as he amassed 372 all-purpose yards and six total touchdowns to lead the seventh-seeded Jaguars to a 52-28 … [Read more...] about Jackson erupts for 372 all-purpose yards, 6 TDs in Jaguars’ win over Iowa City High

Jaguars rout Urbandale on Senior Night, earn No. 7 seed for Class 5A playoffs

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) All season long, the Ankeny Centennial football team has made a living running the ball. But on Friday, the Urbandale J-Hawks caught a glimpse of just how dangerous the Jaguars' passing game can be. Centennial closed out its regular season and gave its seniors plenty to smile about after recording dominant offensive and … [Read more...] about Jaguars rout Urbandale on Senior Night, earn No. 7 seed for Class 5A playoffs

Jaguars likely clinch playoff berth with dominant 2nd half at Waukee Northwest

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Two big plays, back-to-back, was all it took for the door to get knocked off its hinges. With some playoff implications on the line, the 12th-ranked Ankeny Centennial football team went on the road and dominated the second half for a 28-10 win over a Waukee Northwest squad fighting to keep its postseason hopes … [Read more...] about Jaguars likely clinch playoff berth with dominant 2nd half at Waukee Northwest

‘One game at a time’: Jaguars rebound to beat Roosevelt, face Waukee NW next

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) There’s no doubt that the Jaguars wanted to knock off Dowling Catholic at Valley Stadium last Friday, but there was just simply no time to dwell on their triple-overtime loss. Instead, Ankeny Centennial kept its sights set on reaching the postseason and it resulted in a 45-3 bounce-back victory over visiting Des Moines … [Read more...] about ‘One game at a time’: Jaguars rebound to beat Roosevelt, face Waukee NW next

‘It came down to the last play’: Centennial falls to No. 1 Dowling in triple-OT thriller

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As the pass from Ankeny Centennial's Chase Kluver sailed toward the right corner of the end zone, Sam Heither dove for the ball in an effort to make a spectacular catch. Heither somehow made the grab, which would have provided the tying points for the sixth-ranked Jaguars in the third overtime of Friday's game against No. 1 Dowling Catholic. Centennial … [Read more...] about ‘It came down to the last play’: Centennial falls to No. 1 Dowling in triple-OT thriller

Jackson scores on opening kickoff to spark Jaguars to 44-7 victory at East

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A trip to Williams Stadium on Friday night provided an opportunity for the Ankeny Centennial football team to bounce back from its first loss of the season. The Jaguars took advantage of it. Braeden Jackson returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown and Centennial went on to beat host Des Moines East, 44-7, in its district opener. "My … [Read more...] about Jackson scores on opening kickoff to spark Jaguars to 44-7 victory at East

‘We didn’t play well enough to win’: Jaguars’ rally falls short against S.E. Polk

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The Southeast Polk football team isn't ready to give up its throne. The three-time defending Class 5A state champions scored two touchdowns in a span of 2 minutes in the third quarter and went on to beat top-ranked Ankeny Centennial, 21-13, on Friday at Ankeny Stadium. The Jaguars (3-1) suffered their first loss of the season, while Southeast Polk (2-2) … [Read more...] about ‘We didn’t play well enough to win’: Jaguars’ rally falls short against S.E. Polk

‘We just played great’: Pezzetti earns his 450th career win as Jags top Cedar Falls

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Iowa high school football’s all-time winningest coach has checked off a milestone no other coach has reached. Ankeny Centennial co-head coach Jerry Pezzetti is just one of three coaches to pass the 400-win threshold, but thanks to the Jaguars’ 31-14 road win over Cedar Falls on Friday, the Ankeny legend became the first … [Read more...] about ‘We just played great’: Pezzetti earns his 450th career win as Jags top Cedar Falls

Jaguars take advantage of short fields, romp to 55-14 victory over Ames

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It's usually important for a football team to win the battle of field position. It certainly was for Ankeny Centennial on Friday night. The Jaguars played almost the entire first half against visiting Ames in the Little Cyclones' territory, allowing them to build a 35-7 lead en route to a 55-14 victory. "Field position is a key, no question about … [Read more...] about Jaguars take advantage of short fields, romp to 55-14 victory over Ames

No. 3 Centennial looks to build off last year’s postseason run to UNI-Dome

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The Ankeny Centennial football team got hot at the right time last season, advancing to the Class 5A semifinals as a No. 13 seed. The Jaguars are hoping to reach the UNI-Dome again this year--perhaps as a higher seed. Centennial returns 10 all-district players from a team that finished with a 7-5 record under co-head coaches Jerry and Ryan … [Read more...] about No. 3 Centennial looks to build off last year’s postseason run to UNI-Dome

Sioux Falls hits the trifecta: Centennial’s Dickinson commits to Cougars, too

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The pipeline from Ankeny to Sioux Falls continues. Ankeny Centennial offensive lineman Max Dickinson has verbally committed to play football for the University of Sioux Falls, announcing his decision on social media Saturday. He became the third player from Ankeny to commit to the Cougars over the weekend. Centennial teammate Chase Kluver and fellow … [Read more...] about Sioux Falls hits the trifecta: Centennial’s Dickinson commits to Cougars, too