Ankeny Dictates Tone with Early Advantage
By ROB GRAY • robgray@dmreg.com • November 4, 2008
Ross Naylor scans the sheets honoring extraordinary efforts on a wall in the Ankeny locker room and finds a sore spot.
"One sack," said the Hawk senior with a slight shake of the head. "I should have more than that. I had, like, nine last year."
There's no category labeled "four touchdowns," but Naylor placed his name in that frame Monday, leading Ankeny to a 55-21 Class 4-A first-round playoff win over Waukee.
Ever the self-critic, the running back/defensive lineman shrugged upon achieving the benchmark.
"I probably did it when I was younger, but it's been a long time," Naylor said of his 24 points in the Hawks' second triumph over the Warriors this season. "It was all the offensive line. It wasn't like I broke a 30-yarder. They were all goal-line deals."
True enough, but his effort - though not necessarily to be put in print on the wall - is part of a larger body of work.
"He puts in everything he has," Ankeny coach Jerry Pezzetti said.
So did the rest of the Hawks, who bolted to a 21-0 lead and forced the Warriors to pass.
"That's not the game plan we wrote up," said Waukee coach Scott Carlson, whose team finished 7-4. "Our guys were able to make some plays to try to get back in the game."
Among the playmakers was quarterback Chad Owens, who uncorked a 67-yard run that set up Waukee's first touchdown, a 10-yard pass to Jake Knott.
But the Warriors could never pull closer than 14 points from the lead and the Hawks (10-1) simply couldn't be stopped.
Ankeny rushed for 470 yards, with Naylor gobbling up 121 and teammate Tyler Leo going for 206.
Leo scored two touchdowns, including the final one of the game.
"This win gives us great momentum," said Leo, who credited running track beginning in eighth grade for some of his shifty and explosive moves.
Entering the season, the Hawks were largely inexperienced at the varsity level and question marks loomed.
Those have been emphatically answered.
"We're looking forward to it," Naylor said. "We think we've got a lot of season left."
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