2012 in Review: Ankeny Hawks Wins Class 4A State Football Championship

Editor's Note: As the year winds down, Ankeny Patch is looking back at some of the stories from 2012 that made you proud, talk, cry, laugh or simply scratch your head in bewilderment.

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By Megan VerHelst

Story first ran on Nov. 16

he Ankeny Hawks closed out their final season as a unified team by bringing home an Iowa Class 4A state championship.

The Hawks defeated Cedar Rapids Xavier, 23-17, in an exciting and, at times, nail-biting showdown Saturday at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. This is the Hawks' first state championship since 1997.

Read more: How the Ankeny Hawks Won the Class 4A Iowa High School Football Championship: Roster of Champions

The top-ranked Hawks scored first with a safety just a few minutes into the first quarter. By the end of the first, the Saints pulled ahead to 7-2.

The Hawks took the lead, 12-7, with 5:57 left in the second quarter, but the Saints managed to pull ahead by two points going into halftime with a score of 14-12.

The Hawks came back toward the end of the game, pulling ahead of the Saints following a touchdown by quarterback Joel Lanning in the fourth quarter. Cedar Rapids Xavier had the ball as the seconds counted down, but Ankeny managed to hold off the Saints to clinch the Class 4A championship.