Little Cyclones thwarted by Ankeny in Class 4A quarterfinal
By: Jeff Stell
Amestrib.com
11/08/2008
The Ames High offense and defense couldn't get on the same page in the fourth quarter of a 35-21 loss to Ankeny in a Class 4A quarterfinal playoff game Friday at Ames High Stadium.
When the offense needed the defense to get a stop, it couldn't. When the defense was able to shut down the Hawks, the offense stalled.
"Coming into the game, we knew we had to put together a complete game with offense, defense and special teams," Ames senior tailback/defensive back Sam Tim said. "We had certain parts of our game clicking at times, but we needed to put it all together at the same time.
The Hawks (11-1) cemented the victory with a five-minute, 87-yard drive that ended with an Alec Lewis touchdown to put the Hawks up two scores. Lewis' touchdown came on a fourth and short with two minutes left in which he took a handoff around the right end and raced untouched into the end zone.
The Little Cyclones (8-4) went down swinging against last season's 4A state finalist. They walked away with a 4A quarterfinal trophy, knowing they had posted the school's first playoff victory in 10 years and only the third eight-win season in a decade.
"We definitely set a mark for Ames High that needs to be reached consistently, year after year," Tim said. "It sucks to lose, but we couldn't be happier with the season we had. We fought like crazy; these are the best teammates I've ever had, and I can't be more proud of them."
On the Hawks' previous possession before their late touchdown march, the Little Cyclones forced them to punt. Taking over at their own 38 and having scored on their last two drives, the Little Cyclones went nowhere on three plays, with a costly holding penalty mixed in.
"That drive we had in the fourth quarter, down one score, that's the one I'm just sick about," Ames coach Bruce Vertanen said. "We have all the momentum and we went backwards. The game turned on that series right there."
Trailing 21-7 at halftime, the Little Cyclones battled back behind Tim. Tim had 111 yards on 12 carries in the Little Cyclones' two touchdown drives in the second half. He capped off the first with a seven-yard scoring run and then exploded 33 yards for his second touchdown.
Tim tallied 179 yards and two scores to end the season with 1,578 yards and 13 touchdowns.
"(Tim) played his heart out," Vertanen said. "He's a first-class kid as are a lot of them on this team. Sam plays hard and gives his best. He plays his best when the game is on the line."
Ankeny's vaunted ground attack churned out 321 yards on 56 runs but they did major damage on the few passes they attempted. Quarterback Dan Behmer connected with Ethan Matthews on scoring tosses of 73 and 11 yards.
Another Hawk touchdown was set up by a 40-yard pass from running back Jared Goforth to Matthews on a trick play.
"That's when Ankeny is at their best," Vertanen said. "They run the ball with their system better than anyone and then they work in the play action pass. We all know they're going to throw 10 times a game, and they're at their best when they can complete eight of them and get some big plays."
Ross Naylor and Lewis both reached the century mark for the Hawks at 126 and 121 rushing yards, respectively.
The Little Cyclones' first touchdown came on a 60-yard bomb from Miles Greenwald to James Wandling on the team's second offensive play from scrimmage.
Jeff Stell can be reached at (515)-663-6391, or jstell@amestrib.com.
Ankeny 7 14 7 7-35
Ames 7 0 7 7-21
First quarter
Ankeny - Ross Naylor 55 run (Cole Netten kick), 9:28 left.
Ames - James Wandling 60 pass from Miles Greenwald (Jamison DiSalvo kick), 8:28 left.
Second quarter
Ankeny - Ethan Matthews 73 pass from Dan Behmer (Netten kick), 7:08 left.
Ankeny - Matthews 11 pass from Behmer (Netten kick), 0:24 left.
Third quarter
Ames - Sam Tim 7 run (DiSalvo kick), 6:04 left.
Ankeny - Alec Lewis 1 run (Netten kick), 3:28 left.
Fourth quarter
Ames - Tim 33 run (DiSalvo kick), 11:06 left.
Ankeny - Lewis 18 run (Netten kick), 2:11 left.
Individual statistics
Rushing - Ankeny: Ross Naylor 15-126, Alec Lewis 17-121, Tyler Leo 12-56, Jared Goforth 8-21, Dan Behmer 2-1; Ames: Sam Tim 26-179, Spencer Cruise 3-12, Corey Thompson 2-6, Miles Greenwald 2-(-5).
Passing - Ankeny: Dan Behmer 3-5-0-93, Jared Goforth 1-1-0-40; Ames: Miles Greenwald 7-16-1-92, Nic Toben 0-1-1-0.
Receiving - Ankeny: Ethan Matthews 3-124, Jared Goforth 1-9; Ames: James Wandling 1-60, Will Frantzen 1-23, Nic Toben 1-12, Sam Tim 2-0, Spencer Cruise 2-(-3).
|
