What we learned from Ankeny's 48-6 blowout win over Ankeny Centennial
Matthew BainANKENY, Ia. — For the first time since 2015 and just the second time since Ankeny split into two high schools, the Hawks can claim ownership of the city.
The No. 2 Hawks dominated No. 7 Ankeny Centennial 48-6 on a breezy night in front of a mask-wearing, socially distant crowd. Iowa receiver recruit Brody Brecht hauled in two touchdown catches, Kade Somers caught a pair of his own and junior running back Colin Kadolph added three rushing scores to lead the way.
Centennial’s lone bright spot came on Ankeny’s first play, when Brecht and quarterback Jase Bauer miscommunicated on a handoff and fumbled, which Jaguars linebacker Tyler Johnson scooped up for an easy 35-yard touchdown.
After that … it was all Ankeny.
Here’s what we learned:
Ankeny’s offense will be fine, no matter what
Some of the wind got sucked out of this game when Iowa recruit Arland Bruce IV, who transferred to Ankeny from Olathe North in Kansas a couple weeks ago, announced the Iowa High School Athletic Association ruled him ineligible Friday morning. Bruce told the Register his family has hired an attorney and will appeal the ruling.
With Bruce, the Hawks (1-0) could have one of the best offenses in Iowa high school history.
Without him, they’re still pretty dang potent.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Brecht was the best player on the field and could get open basically whenever he wanted. His quarterback, the three-star prospect Bauer, was accurate with his passes and effective with his scrambles out of the pocket. He was in full command. Kadolph seemed to pick right up where he left off after eclipsing 1,000 yards as a sophomore. Somers made some big catches, including a 55-yard catch-and-run touchdown in the third, and 6-4 Brady McCullough looked like a rising star.
Translation: The pieces are definitely there, whether Bruce wins his appeal or not. It would just be really, really fun to see how good this offense could be with him.
"We've got a lot of weapons across the board," Brecht said. "You saw Kade with two touchdowns, as well. I think Kadolph is probably the best running back in the state. His cuts are just insane."
This definitely looked like the first game of the season
This game began about as sloppily as you can imagine.
You already read about Ankeny’s first-play fumble that led to Centennial’s only score. The Jaguars fumbled in their own territory on the ensuing possession, leading to the 9-yard touchdown pass from Bauer to Brecht.
The Jaguars (0-1) fumbled again on their next possession, which set up Bauer’s 37-yard touchdown pass to Brecht, who had slipped in behind Centennial’s secondary.
Later in the first half, Bauer fumbled another snap but was able to fall on this one.
The first quarter was littered with false starts, too.
All that is to be expected during a season opener, especially one in a season where COVID-19 kept teams from meeting until July.
Is Ankeny’s defense this good?
... Or is Centennial’s offense a work in progress? Sophomore quarterback J.J. Kohl showed plenty of promise, but he’s one young part of a young offense that really labored against an Ankeny defense filled with playmakers.
"You can't overlook our defense," Brecht said. "They really got a shutout — our offense gave them six points. I think we have one of the best defenses in the state. Brecken (Manus) is a great leader of that defense."
So was this more reflective of a good Hawks defense?
Or a struggling Centennial offense?
Only time will tell.
Ankeny 48, Ankeny Centennial 6
Centennial 6 0 0 0 — 6
Ankeny 14 14 13 7 — 48
Top performers
Rushing — A: Kadolph 16-160-3; C: Cahill 6-42
Passing — A: 11-14-213-4; C: Kohl 8-13-72
Receiving — A: Somers 3-119-2; C: Cahill 4-25
Matthew Bain covers recruiting and pretty much anything else under the sports sun for the Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Network. Contact him at mbain@dmreg.com and follow him on Twitter @MatthewBain_.
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