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Football

‘It was a great feeling’: Manning’s field goal as time expires lifts Jaguars past Linn-Mar

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(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 … [Read more...] about ‘It was a great feeling’: Manning’s field goal as time expires lifts Jaguars past Linn-Mar

Jaguars’ passing game unable to keep pace with S.E. Polk’s prolific ground attack

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The Ankeny Centennial football team got off to a promising start in its season opener on Friday. The Jaguars scored a touchdown on the game's first possession and trailed visiting Southeast Polk by just 21-18 at halftime after Noah Manning kicked a 42-yard field goal with 4 seconds left in the second quarter. But the Rams then totally dominated the … [Read more...] about Jaguars’ passing game unable to keep pace with S.E. Polk’s prolific ground attack

‘We’re excited to see what we can do’: Jaguars to host S.E. Polk in Friday’s opener

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In recent years, the Ankeny Centennial football team has produced several Division I players. Easton Miller and Connor Welsch are on Iowa State's roster, while Braeden Jackson plays for Iowa. Brothers Elijah and Trey Porter are teammates at Northern Illinois. "It's really a compliment to our staff and to the program," said Centennial co-head coach Ryan … [Read more...] about ‘We’re excited to see what we can do’: Jaguars to host S.E. Polk in Friday’s opener

‘I just really liked the coaching staff’: Centennial TE Newman commits to Illinois

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Ankeny Centennial football standout Cade Newman is headed to Champaign. The junior tight end announced his verbal commitment to Illinois on Saturday. Iowa State, Wake Forest, Air Force and Army were among his 19 Division I offers. "I took two official visits--one to Iowa State and the other to Illinois," said Newman. "I just really liked the coaching … [Read more...] about ‘I just really liked the coaching staff’: Centennial TE Newman commits to Illinois

‘I loved the staff’: Centennial’s Targgart commits to play football for Wartburg

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Ankeny Centennial linebacker Nash Targgart has verbally committed to play football at Wartburg College next year. Targgart said he reached out to various schools all over the Midwest in an effort to continue his career on the gridiron. "Wartburg was the only one that I heard back from," said Targgart. "I felt like at Wartburg I loved the staff and the … [Read more...] about ‘I loved the staff’: Centennial’s Targgart commits to play football for Wartburg

Jerry Pezzetti to be inducted Friday into Melcher-Dallas Athletic Hall of Fame

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Chalk up another honor for legendary football coach Jerry Pezzetti. Pezzetti, the co-head coach at Ankeny Centennial along with his son Ryan, will be inducted into the newly established Melcher-Dallas Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday night. He will be honored along with the other members of the inaugural class of inductees about 7:15 p.m. between the … [Read more...] about Jerry Pezzetti to be inducted Friday into Melcher-Dallas Athletic Hall of Fame

‘St. Thomas felt like the best for me’: Centennial’s Morgan commits to Tommies

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Ankeny Centennial running back JJ Morgan has verbally committed to play football for the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. St. Thomas went 7-5 this season, including a 20-13 victory at Drake on Nov. 8. The Tommies compete at the NCAA Division I FCS level as a member of the Pioneer Football League. "I was looking at a lot of schools around the … [Read more...] about ‘St. Thomas felt like the best for me’: Centennial’s Morgan commits to Tommies

Morgan, Dieken-Keahey, McIntire among 10 Jaguars on all-district first team

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The Ankeny Centennial football team landed 10 players on the all-district first team, led by senior running back JJ Morgan, who was named the District 4 Offensive MVP. Senior offensive lineman Braylin Dieken-Keahey and senior punter Austin McIntire were among the other first-team picks. Dieken-Keahey earned first-team honors for the second straight year … [Read more...] about Morgan, Dieken-Keahey, McIntire among 10 Jaguars on all-district first team

Unanimous pick Flanders joins Schmidt, Lei-Butters on all-CIML first team

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Ankeny Centennial volleyball standouts Mya Lei-Butters and Tatem Schmidt have been named to the CIML Conference first team along with Ankeny star Hailey Flanders, who was a unanimous selection. A total of 14 players from the two schools earned recognition from the league's coaches. The Jaguars landed Maegan Cheeseman and Mady Ott on the all-conference … [Read more...] about Unanimous pick Flanders joins Schmidt, Lei-Butters on all-CIML first team

‘We just came up a little bit short’: Jaguars’ late rally falls short in loss at Johnston

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After twice falling behind by three touchdowns, the Ankeny Centennial football team could have let its season come to an uneventful conclusion. But the Jaguars refused to go away quietly. Visiting Centennial rallied for a pair of scores and had a chance to drive for a tying touchdown in the final minutes before third-seeded Johnston held on for a 34-26 … [Read more...] about ‘We just came up a little bit short’: Jaguars’ late rally falls short in loss at Johnston

‘We’re extremely confident’: Jags wrap up playoff berth with 49-7 win over S.C. North

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) With playoff football looming in the background, Ankeny Centennial needed to come out on its home turf and take care of business before it worried about the postseason. And the Jaguars did just that. Centennial had the running clock going in the second half as the Jaguars earned their spot in the Class 5A playoffs with a … [Read more...] about ‘We’re extremely confident’: Jags wrap up playoff berth with 49-7 win over S.C. North

Playoff pairings announced: Hawks to host S.E. Polk, Jaguars travel to No. 3 Johnston

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The Class 5A football playoff pairings have been announced by the Iowa High School Athletic Association. Fifth-seeded Ankeny (7-2) will host No. 12 Southeast Polk (5-4) in Friday's opening round. The Rams are the four-time defending state champions. The winner of that game will play either No. 4 Iowa City Liberty (8-1) or No. 13 Waukee (4-5) in the … [Read more...] about Playoff pairings announced: Hawks to host S.E. Polk, Jaguars travel to No. 3 Johnston

Jaguars tumble to No. 2 Dowling, will host S.C. North next with playoff berth at stake

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) On a night when two of the top three football teams in Class 5A got beat, the 12th-ranked Ankeny Centennial Jaguars wanted to get in on the action of knocking off a top seed. But Centennial just couldn’t find its footing offensively, and No. 2 Dowling Catholic took control in the second half as the Jaguars dropped to 4-4 on … [Read more...] about Jaguars tumble to No. 2 Dowling, will host S.C. North next with playoff berth at stake

Jaguars strengthen playoff hopes with dominant 2nd half in win over Indianola

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Going into the final third of the regular season, the Ankeny Centennial football team didn't have much margin for error. That's what made Friday's contest against visiting Indianola a de facto playoff game for the Jaguars, who entered the night ranked 14th in the initial RPI rankings from the Iowa High School Athletic Association--one spot behind the … [Read more...] about Jaguars strengthen playoff hopes with dominant 2nd half in win over Indianola

Hawks are No. 7, Jaguars No. 14 in initial Class 5A RPI football rankings from IHSAA

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Both Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial are in position to make the Class 5A football playoffs with three weeks left to go in the regular season. The Iowa High School Athletic Association unveiled its initial RPI rankings for Class 5A on Monday. The Hawks are No. 7 with an RPI of 0.6085, while the Jaguars are No. 14 with an RPI of 0.5285. The RPI … [Read more...] about Hawks are No. 7, Jaguars No. 14 in initial Class 5A RPI football rankings from IHSAA

‘They’re just really good’: No. 2 Tigers overcome early deficit to beat Centennial

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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 … [Read more...] about ‘They’re just really good’: No. 2 Tigers overcome early deficit to beat Centennial

Jaguars rely on balanced offense, stingy defense to post 42-0 victory at Urbandale

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A balanced offensive attack and a stingy defensive effort proved to be a winning combination for the Ankeny Centennial football team. The Jaguars scored a pair of touchdowns in the first, second and fourth quarters while allowing just 192 total yards and rolled to a 42-0 victory at Urbandale on Friday. It was the Class 5A District 4 opener for both … [Read more...] about Jaguars rely on balanced offense, stingy defense to post 42-0 victory at Urbandale