Ankeny Fanatic

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Archives for February 2024

‘I think this was God’s plan all along!’: Ankeny’s Morrison to play for Grand View

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Despite suffering a serious knee injury last year, Ankeny linebacker Nolan Morrison will still be taking his talents to the next level. The senior has committed to play football for Grand View University in the fall. "I had been talking to quite a few schools, but Grand View was one of the few that I actually visited," said Morrison. "Some things I … [Read more...] about ‘I think this was God’s plan all along!’: Ankeny’s Morrison to play for Grand View

Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Cale Vandermark, Centennial wrestling

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Sophomore Cale Vandermark helped the Ankeny Centennial wrestling team to a fourth-place finish in the Class 3A state tournament last week at Wells Fargo Arena. It matched the Jaguars' highest finish in school history. Vandermark took fourth for the second year in a row, this time at 113 pounds. He finished the season with a 36-7 record. Here is some … [Read more...] about Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Cale Vandermark, Centennial wrestling

Centennial wrestlers place 4th, Hawks finish 14th in Class 3A state tournament

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Jack Wignall and Jay Groth both walked away from Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday with their heads held high. The respective coaches for the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial wrestling teams had plenty of reasons to be proud of their teams' performances over the last four days. They also had bright futures to be excited about. Fourth-ranked Centennial placed … [Read more...] about Centennial wrestlers place 4th, Hawks finish 14th in Class 3A state tournament

Martin, Crawford lead No. 5 Jaguars past Sioux City North in postseason opener

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Ava Martin wasn't going to let a gash on her head take her out of the lineup for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team. The junior guard made 4-of-7 3-point shots and scored 12 points to help the fifth-ranked Jaguars to a 64-30 victory over visiting Sioux City North in a Class 5A regional semifinal on Saturday. She wore a bandage across her … [Read more...] about Martin, Crawford lead No. 5 Jaguars past Sioux City North in postseason opener

Hawkettes roll past C.R. Kennedy, will host Valley for trip to state tournament

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For the fourth year in a row, the Ankeny girls' basketball team is just one win away from a trip to the state tournament. This time, the Hawkettes will get to host the regional final. Eighth-ranked Ankeny opened postseason play on Saturday with a 58-40 victory over visiting Cedar Rapids Kennedy in a Class 5A regional semifinal. The Cougars finished the … [Read more...] about Hawkettes roll past C.R. Kennedy, will host Valley for trip to state tournament

Centennial quartet, Ankeny duo come up short in Class 3A semifinal matches

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It was a rough Friday afternoon for both the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial wrestling teams. The two squads combined to go 0-for-6 in the semifinals of the Class 3A state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. "That blood round has come back to haunt us for the second year in a row," said Centennial coach Jay Groth. "We didn't have a very good one last year … [Read more...] about Centennial quartet, Ankeny duo come up short in Class 3A semifinal matches

‘We fought hard’: Jaguars advance 4 to semis, stay in contention for team trophy

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Four Ankeny Centennial wrestlers advanced to Friday's semifinals in a variety of ways at the Class 3A state tournament. In the process, the quartet moved the fourth-ranked Jaguars closer to a coveted team trophy. Centennial sits in third place at the midway point of the tournament with 77.5 points, 12 more than fourth-place Indianola. No. 1 Southeast … [Read more...] about ‘We fought hard’: Jaguars advance 4 to semis, stay in contention for team trophy

Winkel reaches milestone as Jags beat Johnston to close out regular season

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The Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team closed out the regular season Thursday on a high note. The 10th-ranked Jaguars jumped out to a 17-8 lead at the end of the first quarter and went on to post a 59-40 victory over visiting Johnston, allowing them to complete a sweep of the season series. "We got off to a great start," said Centennial coach Bob … [Read more...] about Winkel reaches milestone as Jags beat Johnston to close out regular season

Hansen, Wignall reach semifinals, but trio of OT losses sting for Hawk wrestlers

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Ankeny's bid for a top-10 finish in the Class 3A state wrestling tournament took a major hit on Thursday afternoon during the second day of the four-day meet at Wells Fargo Arena. The Hawks advanced two wrestlers into Friday's semifinals, but lost three matches in overtime and another one by just one point. They are now in 15th place with 45.5 points … [Read more...] about Hansen, Wignall reach semifinals, but trio of OT losses sting for Hawk wrestlers

Jaguars sit in 2nd place, advance 8 of their 11 state qualifiers to quarterfinals

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In 2019, the Ankeny Centennial wrestling team placed fourth in the Class 3A state tournament, the school's highest finish ever. This week at Wells Fargo Arena, the fourth-ranked Jaguars are looking to finish even higher. Centennial got off to a great start on Wednesday, when the Jaguars went 11-3 on the opening day of the tournament and advanced eight … [Read more...] about Jaguars sit in 2nd place, advance 8 of their 11 state qualifiers to quarterfinals

Hawks are tied for 9th place in Class 3A, advance 5 wrestlers to quarterfinals

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With only three top-eight seeds among its nine state qualifiers, the Ankeny wrestling team likely wasn't expected to contend for a top-10 finish at this week's Class 3A tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. But the Hawks are doing just that. On Wednesday, Ankeny went 8-4 on the opening day of the tournament and advanced five wrestlers to Thursday's … [Read more...] about Hawks are tied for 9th place in Class 3A, advance 5 wrestlers to quarterfinals

Ankeny’s Dalton commits to play football at Iowa Central Community College

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Ankeny defensive back Nolan Dalton has made his college plans. The senior has committed to play football for Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge. "It was down to Iowa Central, Ellsworth and Grand View," said Dalton. "It was a hard decision, but I wanted to go to a two-year (school) to see where I could end up after that." Dalton emerged as … [Read more...] about Ankeny’s Dalton commits to play football at Iowa Central Community College

Tigges bowls 641 series at state qualifying meet; Hawks finish 7th overall

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Ankeny senior Sam Tigges closed out his high school bowling career with another solid effort on Tuesday at Cedar Falls. But he still wasn't satsified. Tigges bowled a three-game series of 641 in a Class 3A state qualifying meet. He bowled games of 212, 204 and 225, but it wasn't good enough to qualify for state. "I feel like I could have done … [Read more...] about Tigges bowls 641 series at state qualifying meet; Hawks finish 7th overall

Johnson, Hawks outduel Born, Norwalk to close out regular season at 15-6

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The Ankeny boys' basketball team finally got a defensive stop Monday when the Hawks needed it the most. Norwalk's Redek Born came up short on a 3-point shot at the buzzer and eighth-ranked Ankeny held on for a 66-64 victory over the visiting Warriors in a non-conference game to close out the regular season. Born, who finished with 39 points on 11-of-19 … [Read more...] about Johnson, Hawks outduel Born, Norwalk to close out regular season at 15-6

‘We played a lot better the 2nd half’: Jags solve zone defense, beat Winterset

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It took awhile for the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team to figure out its opponent's zone defense on Monday night. After trailing by one point at halftime, the 10th-ranked Jaguars pulled away in the second half for a 59-47 non-conference win over visiting Winterset, the No. 7 team in Class 3A. It wasn't pretty, but Centennial improved to 15-6 … [Read more...] about ‘We played a lot better the 2nd half’: Jags solve zone defense, beat Winterset

Ankeny girls’ bowling team ends season, places 8th at 3A state qualifying meet

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The Ankeny girls' bowling team ended its season on Monday with an eighth-place finish in a Class 3A state qualifying meet at Cedar Falls. The Hawkettes got off to a good start with a 149 in the first of their 15 baker games, putting them in third place. But they then fell behind with a 95 in their second game and never recovered. Ankeny finished with a … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls’ bowling team ends season, places 8th at 3A state qualifying meet

Rubber match?: Ankeny, Centennial boys are top 2 seeds in Class 4A Substate 8

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The Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball teams finally learned their postseason assignments on Monday. The crosstown rivals may have to play each other for a trip to the state tournament. After moving into the No. 8 spot in the final Class 4A rankings, Ankeny (14-6) was awarded the No. 1 seed in Substate 8 by the Iowa High School Athletic … [Read more...] about Rubber match?: Ankeny, Centennial boys are top 2 seeds in Class 4A Substate 8

No. 4 Jaguars capture district crown, qualify 11 wrestlers for state tournament

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The Ankeny Centennial wrestlers turned in a dominating performance on Saturday. The fourth-ranked Jaguars easily won a Class 3A district tournament at Cedar Rapids Prairie, racking up 210 points and qualifying 11 wrestlers for this week's state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. Iowa City West was a distant second with 148 points. "For the most part we … [Read more...] about No. 4 Jaguars capture district crown, qualify 11 wrestlers for state tournament

‘I feel like we qualified a good number of kids’: Hawks advance 9 wrestlers to state

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The Ankeny wrestling team placed second in a Class 3A district tournament on Saturday at Norwalk and qualified nine wrestlers for this week's state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. Ninth-ranked Johnston captured the district crown with 239.5 points. The Hawks finished with 182.5 points. Ankeny crowned two champions among its six finalists and had three … [Read more...] about ‘I feel like we qualified a good number of kids’: Hawks advance 9 wrestlers to state