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

Editor's Note: The story was posted this morning with an out of date roster. The team roster now at the end of the story is this year's.

The Ankeny Hawks' drive to the Class 4A football championship did not come down to the team relying on its offense or on its defense.

Rather, the Hawks defeated Cedar Rapids Xavier on Friday night at the UNI-Dome with a complete team effort, scoring 11 points in the 4th quarter and allowing 0 for the Saints.

End result: Hawks win, 23-17, for 74-year-old head coach Jerry Pezzetti and the last unified high school team in Ankeny.

“You realize just how close it is from being successful and being the runner-up or champion,” Pezzetti told The Des Moines Register. “These kids were playing for a whole bunch of people. This is probably the best team that we’ve ever had from top to bottom.

“But you know who made it that way? All the people that we’ve had in the past that devoted themselves and showed these guys that this is what it takes to be an Ankeny football player.”

Ankeny fans turned out at the high school gym at 12:45 a.m. to welcome the team and its championship trophy back to town. The celebration was planned whether the team won or lost, but the victory in the Ankeny's last season with one high school made it all the sweeter. Next fall, Ankeny Centennial High School opens, splitting the athletic system into two.

Members of the team spoke at the late-night rally, thanking fans for their support during the perfect season.

Ankeny senior Joel Lanning thanked the fans, telling them, "We won it for the whole town, we won it for everyone."

Lanning, Ankeny’s standout quarterback, rushed for 164 yards and two touchdowns. His final score as a Hawk put Ankeny ahead with 3:16 to play.

Xavier’s Reggie Schulte hit Wes Gardner on a pass that would’ve given the Saints the ball at the Ankeny 18 with 1:22 to play, but that was called back on an illegal-formation penalty.

Several penalties later, Schulte’s fourth-down heave to Woods from the Xavier 45 fell incomplete, and the Hawks had the championship.

Ankeny outgained the Saints 231-143 in the first half, piled up 199 yards rushing and nearly a four-minute advantage in possession time — and still trailed 14-12 at halftime after Xavier’s Brendan Miller scored on touchdown runs of 10 and 7 yards.

Trailing 17-15, Ankeny’s defense came up big and got the ball back for Lanning and the offense at their own 48 with 4:16 to play.

During the drive, Lanning threw a short hitch to junior receiver Marshall Clark, who raced 34 yards down the sideline to put the Hawks at the Xavier 7. Lanning scored the go-ahead touchdown two plays later.

“Till the day I die, I’m going to remember every single one of these players, every single one of these coaches, the community, all the fans we had, this team,” Clark told the Register. “It was the best team I’ve ever been a part of.”

Pezzetti said that for now he’s not going to think about whether to retire.

“I kind of don’t want to think about it,” he said. “It’s kind of a no-win situation for me. If I retire, I won’t be happy with myself because I’ve done this for so many years. … If I take one job or the other, I won’t be happy with myself. It kind of puts me in a situation, but I’m going to have to make a decision.”

Here is the roster of players responsible for bringing home the prize: 

#1 BRENT JONES - JUNIOR - 6'0" - 170 LBS - QBS

#2 JOEL LANNING - SENIOR - 6'2" - 205 LBS - QB

#3  IAN BEGG - SENIOR - 5'8" - 175 LBS - B - SR

#4  TANNER BUENTING - SENIOR - 6' - 180 LBS - SE - S

#5  NATHAN GUST - SENIOR - 6' - 186 LBS - B - LB

#6  JACK HIGGINS - JUNIOR - 5'11" - 185 LB

#7 BEN LEDVINA - SENIOR - 6'2" - 190 LBS - E

#8 SAM PICKARD - SENIOR - 6 - 175 - SE - S

#9 ISAIAH KRAMME - SOPHOMORE - 6'2" - 165 LBS - QB - S

#10  MARSHALL CLARK - JUNIOR- 6'2" - 185 LBS - SE - C -R

#11 TRENTON OLDHAM - JUNIOR - 6 - 178 LBS - SE - LB

#12 CALE ANSELM - SOPHOMORE - 6'4" - 195 LBS - QB - S

#13 JACOB BUYS - JUNIOR - 5'10" - 185 LBS - SE - LB

#14 PATRICK STEFFEN - SENIOR - 5'10" 158 LBS - SE - C

#15 ERIC SUNDE - SENIOR - 6'1" - 170 LBS - SE - C

#16 COLE HEAGLE - JUNIOR - 5'10" - 150 LBS - SE - S - R

#17 ZACH HALDER - SENIOR - 5'10" - 140 LBS - K

#18 DREW DEITER - SENIOR - 6'2" - 178 LBS - SE - S

#19 DREW CARLSON - SENIOR - 6' - 192 LBS - FB - LB

#20 RYAN SCHROEDR - JUNIOR - 6'1" - 165 LBS - TE - LB - LS

#21 TANNER CLAYBERG - SENIOR - 6'3" - 210 LBS - TE - LB

#22 BRYCE EVANS - JUNIOR - 5'8" - 155 LBS - B - C

#23  ZACH MATTER - SENIOR - 5'11" - 170 LBS - SE - C

#24 TYLER PAGLIAI - JUNIOR - 5'7" - 145 LBS - B - C - R

#25 JOE SIEHLMANN - SENIOR - 6'4" - 200 LBS - TE - E

#26 GARRETT AUKES - JUNIOR - 6'2" - 185 LBS - B - LB - P 

#27 HEATH NAYLOR - SOPHOMORE - 5'9" - 160 LBS - K

#28 LUKE GIBBS - SENIOR - 6'2" - 196 LBS - SE - S

#29 BRANDON HUBER - JUNIOR - 5'10" - 150 LBS - B - S

#30 JOE O'BRIEN - JUNIOR - 5'11" - 160 LBS - S

#31 NICK MCINTSOH - SENIOR - 6'2" - 200 LBS - B - E

#33 STEPHEN GOFORTH - SENIOR - 5'11" - 175 LBS - B - C

#34  SHAUN AHERN - SENIOR - 6'1" - 160 LBS - B- C

#35  JOSH JOHNSON - JUNIOR - 5'8" - 170 LBS - FB- SS - K

#36  NATHAN THOMPSON - SENIOR - 5'10" - 153 LBS - SE - C

#37 COLLIN SHULTICE - JUNIOR - 6' - 170 LBS - DB - R

#38  ZACH SMITH - JUNIOR - 5'9" - 182 - TE 

#39 ERIC JOHNSON - JUNIOR - 5'8" - 125 LBS - SE

#40 NICK SMITH - JUNIOR - 5'9" - 185 LBS - FB - LB - LS

#41 ARIC STURM - SENIOR - 5'9" - 228 LBS - T

#42 JACKSON DOBESH - JUNIOR - 5'8" - 200 LBS - FB - LB

#43 DREW SHAFFER - JUNIOR - 5'11" - 180 LBS - FB - LB

#44 NICHOLAS SCHILTZ - SENIOR - 5'10" - 195 LBS - FB - T

#45 LOGAN THOMAS - JUNIOR - 5'10" - 190 LBS - FB - LB 

#46 BEN SILVERS - SENIOR - 5'11" - 200 LBS - N

#47 CLINT OTTO - SENIOR - 6'1" - 175 LBS - TE - LB

#48 CHRIS BLYTHE - JUNIOR - 6' - 160 LBS - FB - LB

#49  JOEL ZELLE - SENIOR - 5'7" - 173 LBS - N

#51 BOBBY COON - JUNIOR - 6'2" - 205 - T - E

#52 COLLIN OLSON - SOPHOMORE - 6'1" - 230 LBS - G - T

#53 DESMEND MENJARES - SENIOR - 6' - 210 LBS - T

#54 DILLON HAUSER- JUNIOR - 5'10" - 180 LBS - G

#55 BLAKE EMEHISER - JUNIOR - 5'10" - 165 - G - E

#56 DOMINIC DEANGELO - JUNIOR - 6'1" - 240 LBS - CT

#57 BRANDON REYNOLDS - SENIOR - 6' - 200 LBS - E

#58  CONNOR SCHAEFFER - SENIOR - 6' - 197 LBS - T - T

#59  JOSH PETERSEN - SENIOR - 6'2" - 205 LBS - E

#60 BRIAN BRCKA - JUNIOR - 6' - 225 LBS - C - T

#61 KOHL GULLET - JUNIOR - 6'0" - 230 LBS - G - T

#62 ISSAC DAHLMAN - SENIOR - 5'11" - 185 LBS - G - T

#63 WIL SIMPKINS - SENIOR - 6'0" - 210 LBS - C - T - LS

#64  JAKE ROODE - JUNIOR - 6'0" - 171 LBS - G - N

#65 JACOB VOSS - SENIOR - 5'11" - 195 LBS - T - T 

#66 TAYLOR SHEEKS - SENIOR - 6'0" - 210 LBS - C - E - LS

#67 DYLAN STOLP - JUNIOR - 6'1" - 185 LBS - E

#68  JAKE MILLSAP - SENIOR - 6'0" - 200 LBS - T - T

#69 CHANCE LEISURE - JUNIOR - 6'2" - 181 LBS - T - E

#70 JAKE GEREN - SENIOR - 5'11" - 180 LBS - T - E

#71 SPENCER ENGA - JUNIOR - 6'0" - 245 LBS - T - T - P

#72 BRANDON SCHMIDT - SENIOR - 5'10" - 230 LBS - G - T

#73  CODY OLSON - SENIOR - 6'2" - 225 LBS - G - T

#74  XAVIER QUIGLEY - SENIOR - 6'4" - 260 LBS - T - T

#75 GRAYESON GRIESS - JUNIOR - 6'4" - 230 LBS - T - T

#76 CARSON LINKENMEYER - JUNIOR - 6'5" - 315 LBS - TN

#77  HAROLD GAUCA - SENIOR - 5'9" - 257 LBS - T - N

#78  AUSTIN BREHM - JUNIOR - 6'1" - 157 LBS - E

#79 QUINCY GRIFFITH - SENIOR - 6'2" - 270 LBS - T - N

#80  JOSH DAVIS - SOPHOMORE - 5'11" - 175 LBS - SE - C

#81  ADAM LYNN - JUNIOR - 6'5" - 175 LBS - SE - S - P

#82  DAVID MCCOY - JUNIOR - 6'3" - 200 LBS - TE - S

#83 JOHN NIELSEN - JUNIOR - 6'2" - 190 LBS - TE - E

#84 AARON KLINKER - JUNIOR - 6'7" - 200 LBS - TE - E

#85 AUSTIN CHIPPS - JUNIOR - 6'1" - 200 LBS - TE - E

#86 P.J. CAREY - JUNIOR - 6'0" - 140 LBS - SE - S - H

#87 NOAH GAVIN - JUNIOR - 5'11" - 160 LBS - G - E

#88  BLAKE RHOADS - SENIOR - 5'11" - 162 LBS - SE - C

#89  JACOB AMOS - SENIOR - 5'7" - 165 LBS - SE - LB

#90 NATHAN CHRISTENSEN - JUNIOR - 6' - 170 LBS - E

#91 TAYLOR WILSON - JUNIOR - 5'7" - 180 LBS - LB

#95 NICK PORTER - JUNIOR - 5'11" - 205 LBS - T

#99 DAX HAGGE - JUNIOR - 5'8" - 245 LBS - N

JOHN WARE - SOPHOMORE - 5'11" - 197 LBS - FB - T

Coaches                                                      

            Jerry Pezzetti                        Head  Coach           

            Mark Becker

            Eric Griffith   

            Dave Jones  

            Ryan Pezzetti

            Peter Rameh                       

            Volunteer Coaches                                              

            Andy Brodell

            Mike Fontana          

            Jeffrey Helgeson

            Travis Mohler

            Ned Rasmussen

            Brian Sharp

            Aaron Tjarks