Seniors Cale Vandermark of Ankeny Centennial at 126 pounds and Ben Walsh of Ankeny at 120 closed out their high school wrestling careers with fourth-place finishes in the Class 3A state tournament on Saturday at the Casey's Center. Centennial also got a sixth-place finish from senior Brandon Bogseth at 215. Junior Ethan Sodergren took seventh for the … [Read more...] about Vandermark, Walsh close out high school wrestling careers with 4th-place finishes
Ankeny’s Rathjen, Centennial’s Dhabolt to wrestle for state titles on Saturday night
Ankeny Centennial junior Max Dhabolt is one win away from capturing a second consecutive state wrestling title. Sophomore Calvin Rathjen of Ankeny has a chance to claim his first crown. Both standouts advanced to Saturday's championship matches with dominant performances on Friday night in the Class 3A semifinals at the Casey's Center. The … [Read more...] about Ankeny’s Rathjen, Centennial’s Dhabolt to wrestle for state titles on Saturday night
Eagles edge Southeast Warren in thriller, will play No. 1 Gaels for District 14 title
Survive and advance. That's what it's all about in the basketball postseason. The second-seeded Ankeny Christian Academy boys' team overcame its poor outside shooting to defeat visiting Southeast Warren, 50-49, in a Class 1A District 14 semifinal on Friday. "We weren’t our best offensively, but we found a way to win on the defensive end," said ACA … [Read more...] about Eagles edge Southeast Warren in thriller, will play No. 1 Gaels for District 14 title
Hawks top No. 3 Dowling in season finale, spoil Maroons’ bid for share of CIML crown
(Story by Stephen McDaniel) In less than two weeks, there’s a chance that the Ankeny boys' basketball team’s path to a state tournament appearance will run through Waukee Northwest. But the Hawks tossed fourth-ranked Northwest and No. 2 Waukee an assist to close out the regular season. Ankeny used a pair of big runs in the second and third quarters … [Read more...] about Hawks top No. 3 Dowling in season finale, spoil Maroons’ bid for share of CIML crown
‘They deserve to be honored’: Jaguars romp to win over Lincoln on Senior Night
The four seniors on the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team are not among the squad's leading scorers. But their value to the Jaguars' program runs much deeper than the box score. The quartet of Kolby Bechen, Carter Gustafson, Will Perpich and Brody Prill was honored on Thursday during the Senior Night festivities at Centennial, where the Jaguars … [Read more...] about ‘They deserve to be honored’: Jaguars romp to win over Lincoln on Senior Night
Jaguar wrestlers boast trio of semifinalists in Vandermark, Dhabolt and Bogseth
Despite sitting in 17th place overall after the first two days of the Class 3A state tournament, the Ankeny Centennial wrestling team made a statement on Thursday at the Casey's Center. The Jaguars advanced three wrestlers into Friday night's semifinals, putting them in some elite company. Only four teams have more semifinalists than Centennial, which has … [Read more...] about Jaguar wrestlers boast trio of semifinalists in Vandermark, Dhabolt and Bogseth
Walsh, Rathjen advance to semifinals, but Hawks fall into tie for 12th in Class 3A
The Ankeny wrestling team advanced the third-seeded duo of Ben Walsh and Calvin Rathjen into Friday night's semifinals of the Class 3A state tournament at the Casey's Center. The Hawks have scored 52.5 points, but their hopes for a top-10 finish took a major hit on Thursday when all five of their wrestlers in the consolation bracket were eliminated from … [Read more...] about Walsh, Rathjen advance to semifinals, but Hawks fall into tie for 12th in Class 3A
Hawks sit in 10th place in Class 3A; Jags advance 4 wrestlers into quarterfinals
The Ankeny wrestling team sits in 10th place with 34.5 points heading into the second day of the Class 3A state tournament at the Casey's Center. Crosstown rival Ankeny Centennial, meanwhile, bounced back from a winless opening round on Wednesday to advance four wrestlers into Thursday's quarterfinals. The Jaguars are tied for 22nd place with 23 … [Read more...] about Hawks sit in 10th place in Class 3A; Jags advance 4 wrestlers into quarterfinals
‘We just scrapped, and that’s who we are’: Jaguars battle No. 6 Ames down to wire
(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Next week, the Ankeny Centennial and Ames boys' basketball teams will be playing to keep their seasons alive in the same Class 4A substate bracket. But the Jaguars were simply focused on the task at hand of hosting the sixth-ranked Little Cyclones while trying to close out the home stretch of the season with some positive … [Read more...] about ‘We just scrapped, and that’s who we are’: Jaguars battle No. 6 Ames down to wire
‘I’m back feeling really confident’: Hawks end slide behind Campbell’s career night
(Story by Jordan Wood) Not to be overshadowed by the earlier news of a substate No. 2 seed, the Ankeny boys' basketball team bounced back from a humbling 0-3 week to dominate visiting Dallas Center-Grimes, 78-51, in a non-conference game on Monday. The result won’t do much for their standing as they approach the postseason, but it is likely to give the … [Read more...] about ‘I’m back feeling really confident’: Hawks end slide behind Campbell’s career night
‘It was a good game for us offensively’: Eagles roll to victory in district quarterfinal
Sharing the ball with your teammates usually produces a good outcome. The second-seeded Ankeny Christian Academy boys' basketball team placed four players in double figures and rolled past visiting Glidden-Ralston, 83-44, in a Class 1A district quarterfinal on Monday. "I loved how our team distributed the ball with 19 assists on 30 made field goals," … [Read more...] about ‘It was a good game for us offensively’: Eagles roll to victory in district quarterfinal
‘I thought we battled through adversity’: Ankeny bowlers take 5th at district meet
A tough field awaited the Ankeny boys' bowling team in a Class 3A district meet on Monday. It was going to take a huge performance at Wayward Social in Marshalltown for Ankeny to qualify for the state tournament. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. Coach Adam Booth's team placed fifth among the eight squads with a score of 2,713. "After a three-hour … [Read more...] about ‘I thought we battled through adversity’: Ankeny bowlers take 5th at district meet
Boys’ substate pairings announced: Hawks, Jaguars receive tough draws
Both the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball teams received tough postseason draws from the Iowa High School Athletic Association. The Class 4A substate pairings were announced on Monday. The Hawks (9-10) are the No. 2 seed in Substate 3, while the Jaguars (7-12) are the No. 3 seed in Substate 2. Centennial will host a substate quarterfinal … [Read more...] about Boys’ substate pairings announced: Hawks, Jaguars receive tough draws
Central Bank Athlete of the Month: Carson Johnson, Denver basketball
The former Ankeny star reaches the 1,000-point career milestone in the Pioneers' loss at Omaha on Sunday afternoon. … [Read more...] about Central Bank Athlete of the Month: Carson Johnson, Denver basketball
‘I would’ve rather gotten the win’: Johnson scores 1,000th point in loss at Omaha
Carson Johnson and the Denver men's basketball team just couldn't get over the hump. After trailing by as many as 14 points, the visiting Pioneers rallied in the second half and closed to within three points before Omaha held on for an 83-76 victory on Sunday afternoon before a crowd of 3,291 at Baxter Arena. "We came out kind of slow. We were fighting … [Read more...] about ‘I would’ve rather gotten the win’: Johnson scores 1,000th point in loss at Omaha
THE MADNESS BEGINS: State wrestling tourney brackets announced by IHSAA
The Class 3A state wrestling tournament brackets have been announced by the Iowa High School Athletic Association. Four of Ankeny Centennial's 10 qualifiers earned a top-eight seed and will receive a first-round bye. Two of Ankeny's nine qualifiers earned a No. 3 seed and will also receive a first-round bye. The Class 3A tournament begins on Wednesday … [Read more...] about THE MADNESS BEGINS: State wrestling tourney brackets announced by IHSAA
Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Jake Smith, Ankeny boys’ swimming
Sophomore Jake Smith helped the Ankeny boys' swimming team to a 17th-place finish in the state meet on Friday and Saturday at the University of Iowa's Campus Recreation & Wellness Center in Iowa City. He scored points in both of his individual events. Smith placed 15th in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:46.54. He later took ninth in the 500 … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Jake Smith, Ankeny boys’ swimming
‘That was a super tough district’: Hawks advance 9 wrestlers to state tournament
Whatever advantage the Ankeny wrestling team enjoyed by hosting a Class 3A district tournament on Saturday was offset by a loaded field that provided a huge challenge for the Hawks. Ankeny placed third in the eight-team field with 185.5 points and qualified nine wrestlers for the state tournament. Linn-Mar (Marion) captured the district crown with 218 … [Read more...] about ‘That was a super tough district’: Hawks advance 9 wrestlers to state tournament
‘We had a great meet’: Ankeny swimmers place 17th at state despite DQ in last race
Ankeny senior Bryer Pearson earned a spot on the awards podium in his final boys' high school state swimming meet. Pearson placed third in the 100 butterfly on Saturday at the University of Iowa's Campus Recreation & Wellness Center. He set a personal record of 49.60 after breaking the 50-second mark for the first time during Friday's preliminaries, … [Read more...] about ‘We had a great meet’: Ankeny swimmers place 17th at state despite DQ in last race
‘The game was very physical’: Jaguars sink 22 free throws in victory at Waterloo West
The Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team has earned back-to-back wins for the first time this season. Fresh off a 17-point victory over visiting Southeast Polk on Friday, the Jaguars traveled to Waterloo West on Saturday afternoon for a non-conference game and defeated the Wahawks, 57-51. "This was a nice, hard-fought win for us," said Centennial … [Read more...] about ‘The game was very physical’: Jaguars sink 22 free throws in victory at Waterloo West