Ankeny Fanatic

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Jeff Bauer

‘It was a total team loss’: Hawks’ late lead slips away against No. 5 Johnston

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The Ankeny football team just couldn’t find a way to get its offense and defense to sync up in a top-five showdown. As fourth-ranked Ankeny’s offense started to get going in the second half, so did No. 5 Johnston and the Dragons were able to pull out a 30-21 victory on Friday at Ankeny Stadium. “Obviously, we’re … [Read more...] about ‘It was a total team loss’: Hawks’ late lead slips away against No. 5 Johnston

Hawks build 26-0 lead, then hold off S.C. East’s furious rally for homecoming win

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Two of the state's top defensive units were on display Friday night at Ankeny Stadium. In the end, the fourth-ranked Ankeny football team made just enough plays to hold on for a 26-20 victory over previously unbeaten Sioux City East. It was the Class 5A District 3 opener for the Hawks (4-1), who survived an onside kick with 20 seconds left to extend their … [Read more...] about Hawks build 26-0 lead, then hold off S.C. East’s furious rally for homecoming win

‘He’s insane’: Larmie runs for 210 yards, carries No. 5 Hawks past rival Centennial

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With the game on the line, the Ankeny football team trusted its faith in Daniel Larmie. The senior running back delivered another virtuoso performance. Larmie ran 35 times for 210 yards and two touchdowns to carry the fifth-ranked Hawks to a 29-15 victory over Ankeny Centennial on Friday at Ankeny Stadium. "I love when they trust me like that," … [Read more...] about ‘He’s insane’: Larmie runs for 210 yards, carries No. 5 Hawks past rival Centennial

‘We tried to spread the ball around’: Hawks rout Riders, limit Larmie’s touches

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The Ankeny football team didn't need a heavy dose of Daniel Larmie on Friday night. The leading rusher in Class 5A, Larmie scored the game's first touchdown before the fifth-ranked Hawks relied on some other weapons and a strong defensive performance to beat Des Moines Roosevelt, 49-0, at Ankeny Stadium. "We were trying to limit Larmie, and we had some … [Read more...] about ‘We tried to spread the ball around’: Hawks rout Riders, limit Larmie’s touches

‘Our defense was lights out’: Hawks shut down Waukee for 26-13 road victory

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Friday night’s showing in Waukee might have been one of the top defensive performances Ankeny coach Jeff Bauer has seen during his tenure at the helm of the Hawks’ program. Ankeny marched into Waukee Stadium, locked the Warriors down on their home turf and walked away with a 26-13 victory for the Hawks’ first win of the … [Read more...] about ‘Our defense was lights out’: Hawks shut down Waukee for 26-13 road victory

‘We know we’ve got a good team’: Hawks fall short in opener against Waukee NW

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) For just a brief moment, the Ankeny football players thought they’d put the dagger in what would have been a season-opening victory over Waukee Northwest. An untimely holding penalty wiped away an Ankeny touchdown and opened up the opportunity for the fourth-ranked Wolves to snatch a 25-24 win from the jaws of defeat during … [Read more...] about ‘We know we’ve got a good team’: Hawks fall short in opener against Waukee NW

All-staters Clark, Larmie, Whitinger give Ankeny football team strong nucleus

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Despite some heavy losses to graduation, the Ankeny football team isn't starting over from scratch. The Hawks return several key players from a team that posted a 6-5 record and reached the Class 5A quarterfinals, including a trio of all-staters. "This might be the best looking team I've had getting off the bus, but we've got a lot of guys who haven't … [Read more...] about All-staters Clark, Larmie, Whitinger give Ankeny football team strong nucleus

‘We didn’t play our best’: Hawks close out season with 21-13 loss at Iowa City Liberty

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) After coming off a Class 5A championship game appearance, the Ankeny Hawks planned on finishing their 2024 football season at the UNI-Dome. Things didn’t necessarily end up happening how the Hawks wanted to as their season ended about 83 miles southeast of Cedar Falls in Iowa City, just one game shy of returning to the … [Read more...] about ‘We didn’t play our best’: Hawks close out season with 21-13 loss at Iowa City Liberty

‘I knew he was ready to break out’: Larmie runs for 279 yards, 4 TDs in Hawks’ victory

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Ankeny Centennial's Braeden Jackson put on a show Friday night at Ankeny Stadium. Over the next few hours, Ankeny's Daniel Larmie proved to be just as spectacular. The junior running back rushed for 279 yards and four touchdowns to lead the eighth-seeded Hawks to a 47-21 victory over No. 9 Linn-Mar (Marion) in the nightcap of a first-round Class 5A … [Read more...] about ‘I knew he was ready to break out’: Larmie runs for 279 yards, 4 TDs in Hawks’ victory

Hawks weather lightning delay, gear up for playoffs with rout over C.R. Washington

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The Ankeny football team was hoping to get an extra day of rest prior to the start of the postseason. But those plans went out the window after Thursday's game against Cedar Rapids Washington was suspended due to lightning at Kingston Stadium. After a long night on the bus, the Hawks were forced to return to Cedar Rapids on Friday afternoon--and they … [Read more...] about Hawks weather lightning delay, gear up for playoffs with rout over C.R. Washington

‘I was so proud of our defense’: Clark’s pick in OT seals Hawks’ 13-10 win over Valley

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The Ankeny football team didn't want its postseason hopes to hinge on next week's regular-season finale at Cedar Rapids Washington. Friday's overtime victory against fourth-ranked Valley likely punched the Hawks' playoff ticket. LaMarious Clark picked off a third-down pass from Valley quarterback Drake DeGroote to end the game, and No. 15 Ankeny evened … [Read more...] about ‘I was so proud of our defense’: Clark’s pick in OT seals Hawks’ 13-10 win over Valley

‘We have our work cut out for us’: Hawks fall to 3-4 with loss at Iowa City Liberty

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The margin for error has been eliminated for the Ankeny football team. Following Friday's 28-20 loss at second-ranked Iowa City Liberty, the No. 12 Hawks are now 3-4 on the season and could drop out of the top 16 in the Class 5A RPI rankings this week. Ankeny will likely need to win its final two games against No. 4 Valley (6-1) and Cedar Rapids … [Read more...] about ‘We have our work cut out for us’: Hawks fall to 3-4 with loss at Iowa City Liberty

Hawks even record, continue push for playoff bid with 35-16 win over C.R. Prairie

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Regardless of gold jerseys or white jerseys, one of two Hawk teams was bound to exit Ankeny Stadium on Friday with a much-needed victory to keep its playoff hopes alive. And in the end, it was the Ankeny Hawks who soared past the visiting Cedar Rapids Prairie Hawks, 35-16, to improve to 3-3 on the season. “We needed (the … [Read more...] about Hawks even record, continue push for playoff bid with 35-16 win over C.R. Prairie

Henkes, Hawks run past Iowa City West for 38-22 win, keep playoff hopes alive

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Caden Henkes and the Ankeny football team got a much-needed win on Friday night. Henkes ran for two touchdowns in the first half and the Hawks went on to beat visiting Iowa City West, 38-22, in their district opener. The homecoming victory raised Ankeny's record to 2-3, keeping its playoff hopes alive. "We needed that one," said Ankeny coach Jeff … [Read more...] about Henkes, Hawks run past Iowa City West for 38-22 win, keep playoff hopes alive

‘Now our backs are against the wall’: Hawks drop to 1-3 with loss at Johnston

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) After coming off a run to the Class 5A state championship game last season, the Ankeny Hawks returned plenty of talent to ensure they’d undoubtedly be contenders for the title that slipped through their fingers. But now the Hawks are battling to keep any postseason hopes alive. A 24-7 road loss against the Johnston … [Read more...] about ‘Now our backs are against the wall’: Hawks drop to 1-3 with loss at Johnston

‘It feels amazing’: Irlmeier’s late TD allows Hawks to stun No. 1 Dowling Catholic

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With its back against the wall, the Ankeny football team found a way to pull off a huge upset against a familiar opponent. Luke Anderson fired a 7-yard touchdown pass to Evan Irlmeier with 1 minute 16 seconds left to give the Hawks a 23-16 victory over top-ranked Dowling Catholic on Friday at Ankeny Stadium. It was the first win of the season for … [Read more...] about ‘It feels amazing’: Irlmeier’s late TD allows Hawks to stun No. 1 Dowling Catholic

‘We have to get better’: Hawks fall to 0-2 after losing rematch of 5A title game

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The last time Ankeny and Southeast Polk collided on the football field, it was for the Class 5A state championship at the UNI-Dome. But inside Ram Stadium on Friday night, the three-time defending champion Rams and Hawks battled to see who could pick up their first win of the season. Two scoring drives in the second half … [Read more...] about ‘We have to get better’: Hawks fall to 0-2 after losing rematch of 5A title game

‘We just have to make some adjustments’: Hawks look to bounce back from loss

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Earlier this week, Ankeny Centennial co-head football coach Ryan Pezzetti lauded the experience of his team's offensive line. "We have five or six (players) on the line who have played before and that's huge," Pezzetti said. "That's where the games are won or lost--in the trenches." He turned out to be prophetic. Centennial's Braeden Jackson rushed … [Read more...] about ‘We just have to make some adjustments’: Hawks look to bounce back from loss