While Cedar Falls (46-1) took care of Linn-Marr in one of Iowa’s Class 5A state semifinals Thursday to advance a victory away from finishing an undefeated season, Ankeny Centennial (41-3) and West Des Moines Valley were settling a personal score in the other one.

Valley eliminated Ankeny Centennial in three straight in the semifinals a year ago – snapping Ankeny Centennial’s state streak at three in a row – but it was Ankeny Centennial which held the 2-1 advantage so far this season. As the slugfest neared its conclusion, one thing was for sure. The winner was going to be emotionally spent and faced a difficult challenge ahead, needing to regroup and reload against a confident Cedar Falls squad in the final.

Ankeny Centennial coach Jessica Rinehart wasn’t worried about that in the moment, not with the Jaguars trailing 0-4 in Game 5 and her quickly signaling for timeout.