Iowa high school football 5A final: Southeast Polk rolls to three-peat

The Rams flexed their muscles throughout a 49-21 victory over Ankeny

CEDAR FALLS – Wooden edges of Iowa’s Class 5A state football championship trophy quickly broke off after Southeast Polk’s players celebrated a three-peat late Friday night inside the UNI-Dome. 

Southeast Polk owns all three editions of that 5A hardware in its trophy case after winning the third consecutive title in Iowa’s largest class since the state's 2021 expansion from 4A. The Rams flexed their muscles throughout a 49-21 victory over Ankeny.

“We’re building a dynasty over here,” Southeast Polk senior quarterback Connor Moberly said, after completing 14 of 19 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns. “We really believe that, and we just buy in. Buying in is the biggest part of being successful here, and that’s just what we do.”

Southeast Polk (13-0) has now won its last 22 games dating back to a loss to Ankeny during 2022 regular season. The Hawks (9-4) were the most recent team to defeat Southeast Polk in the playoffs with a 4A state championship win in 2020.

Evan Irlmeier gave Ankeny an initial spark when he ran back the opening kick 91 yards. The Hawks added a 63-yard pass play from Luke Anderson to Caden Henkes early in the second quarter, but Southeast Polk wouldn’t be denied.

Moberly, his wide receiver Carson Robbins (five catches, 111 yards, one touchdown) and running back C.J. Phillip (29 carries, 148 yards, five touchdowns) were all clicking for a Southeast Polk offense that punted once and didn’t turn the ball over while constructing a 35-14 lead late in the third quarter. The Rams’ defense came up with five turnovers and Southeast Polk also excelled on special teams following a hiccup on the game’s first play.

Robbins found himself wide open and hauled in a 43-yard touchdown reception to cap a 93-yard scoring drive, providing an instant response to Ankeny’s opening return.

“Our guys didn’t flinch,” Southeast Polk head coach Brad Zelenovich said. “That’s what championship teams do. We got the ball. We took it down and answered right away.”

A 26-yard return by Robbins off a 29-yard punt set up a go-ahead touchdown near the end of the first quarter. Phillip extended that drive by outrunning a pair of Ankeny defenders on a fourth-and-1 pitch for a 9-yard gain to the 12, and he later punched the ball in from the 2.

Southeast Polk won its third straight Class 5A state championship Friday night. (Photo by Nick Petaros) 

Robbins answered Ankeny’s second touchdown with a nice catch on a play-action route that he turned into a 49-yard gain to the Ankeny 26. Moberly later converted a fourth-and-three with a quick-out pass to Robbins, and Phillip found a hole on the next play for a 13-yard touchdown run that put the Rams back in front.

Ankeny fumbled away possession on a strip tackle by safety Trey Lust, and another promising Hawks drive in the first half ended when linebacker Caleb Chebuhar came up with an interception on his own 4-yard line.

Sam Zelenovich helped Southeast Polk double its lead early, 28-14, early in the third quarter. Zelenovich returned the second-half kickoff 60 yards to the Ankeny 37. After taking a sack by Manning Allen, Moberly stepped up in the pocket and located Zelenovich in the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown.

Ankeny gave the ball away again when Lust came up with an interception. Phillip then found the end zone from 4 yards out for his third touchdown run and a 35-14 advantage.

Ankeny’s Anderson found Mason Randolph for a 37-yard gain and Devon Akers for a gain of 23 during a 90-yard scoring drive capped by Caden Henkes’ 8-yard touchdown run to pull within 35-21 with 14 seconds left in the third quarter.

Southeast Polk’s defense didn’t surrender another point and continued to come up with turnovers. Phillip’s final touchdown from the goal line set the final score.

Ankeny first-year head coach Jeff Bauer is going to remember the resilience of a team that played through injuries with three players already scheduled for offseason surgery. Anderson passed for 302 yards and a touchdown, but he was also pressured into three interceptions. Ankeny netted just 17 rushing yards on 24 attempts.

“I’ll remember how awesome these kids were, their resilience, how smart they were, how tough they were,” Bauer said. “They never used excuses and they showed up every week. It’s just a great bunch of kids and I can’t thank them enough.”

Moberly and Robbins are among the Southeast Polk players continuing their love for football at the next level. They plan to join former teammate and 2022 Southeast Polk star Abu Sama at Iowa State University.

“We’ve been together since we were little kids just building that bond, being able to throw the ball to him for touchdowns and being able to celebrate,” Moberly said. “Going to the next level together, it’s going to be a great time for both of us.”

Indeed, the Rams have set the standard for Class 5A football.

“The culture here is just great,” Moberly added. “We’ve got great players, but we also have great coaches. You can tell by the guys we’re sending to the next level that there’s something special going on here.”

Scoring Summary

SOUTHEAST POLK 49, ANKENY 21

Ankeny;7;7;7;0 - 21

Southeast Polk;14;7;14;14 - 49

Ankeny – Evan Irlmeier 91 kickoff return (Ryan Harrington kick)

SEP – Carson Robbins 43 pass from Connor Moberly (Hunter Chanthaphon kick)

SEP – C.J. Phillip 2 run (Chanthaphon kick)

Ankeny – Caden Henkes 63 pass from Luke Anderson (Harrington kick)

SEP – Phillip 13 run (Chanthaphon kick)

SEP – Sam Zelenovich 21 pass from Moberly (Chanthaphon kick)

SEP – Phillip 7 run (Chanthaphon kick)

Ankeny – Henkes 8 run (Harrington kick)

SEP – Phillip 4 run (Chanthaphon kick)

SEP – Phillip 1 run (Chanthaphon kick)