Ankeny Ends Dowling’s Incredible Seven-Year Run In 4A
Photo: IAHSAA Twitter
Dana Becker
In this article:
The king has been dethroned in Class 4A, as Ankeny knocked off seven-time defending state champion West Des Moines Dowling in a thrilling double-overtime semifinal Friday night, 31-24.
University of Iowa commit [player_tooltip player_id="35343" first="Arland" last="Bruce IV"] picked off a pass in the extra session to seal the victory for the Hawks, who advance to face Southeast Polk in the finals.
<em>Bruce, a do-everything offensive standout</em>, ran for 87 yards and caught a pair of passes for 46. He will no doubt find success with the Hawkeyes as they take advantage of his speed, quickness and knowledge of the game.
Ankeny missed a potentially game-winning field goal in the final minute as quarterback <em>[player_tooltip player_id="23828" first="Jase" last="Bauer"] set up the kick with a dazzling run</em> on third-and-18. <em>Bauer, who remains one of the top uncommitted players in the state</em>, threw for 123 yards and two touchdowns, adding 90 yards and another score on the ground.
[player_tooltip player_id="23810" first="Brody" last="Brecht"], also headed to Iowa, had a TD catch and ran in another score with Brady McCullough also catching a pass. <em>Brecht out-muscled a defender in the end zone for the first touchdown in overtime. </em>
Dowling, which entered having captured each of the past seven state titles, was led by Jaxon Smolik, as he tossed two TD passes to [player_tooltip player_id="23850" first="Andrew" last="Lentsch"]. Khameron Middleton ran for 86 yards and Zach Schwager had a touchdown.
The finals will feature many of the top players in the state in both the Class of 2021 and Class of 2022. Southeast Polk boasts junior standouts [player_tooltip player_id="23983" first="Titus" last="Christiansen"], [player_tooltip player_id="23942" first="Xavier" last="Nwankpa"], [player_tooltip player_id="23947" first="Jaxon" last="Dailey"] and Class of 2023’s [player_tooltip player_id="24023" first="Kadyn" last="Proctor"].
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