Ankeny Fanatic

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Archives for June 2024

‘She will be greatly missed’: Centennial boys’ tennis coach Lewton passes away

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Will Blevins will always appreciate the role that Tami Lewton played in his success on the tennis court. "Tami was instrumental in my career," the former Ankeny Centennial star said. "I had known Tami since I was about 10 years old, and we met at the Ankeny tennis courts. I began taking lessons with her and then she helped me to find other pros and clubs … [Read more...] about ‘She will be greatly missed’: Centennial boys’ tennis coach Lewton passes away

‘I’ve been itching to get back’: Johnson returns, blasts homer in win over Dodgers

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It was a Senior Night that Cassie Johnson will never forget. The Ankeny softball star returned to the team's lineup for the first time in nearly a month and blasted a two-run homer in her first at-bat, helping the eighth-ranked Hawkettes to a 4-3 victory over Class 4A No. 3 Fort Dodge in a non-conference game on Wednesday. Johnson, who had suffered a … [Read more...] about ‘I’ve been itching to get back’: Johnson returns, blasts homer in win over Dodgers

‘We’ve got to get back to some basics’: Hawkettes tumble twice at No. 3 Johnston

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The Ankeny softball team will need to regroup after being swept in Monday's doubleheader at third-ranked Johnston. The Dragons posted an 8-5 victory in the opener, then followed with a 12-2 win in six innings. They extended their winning streak to five games. The No. 7 Hawkettes, meanwhile, have lost four in a row. "We're streaky right now, and … [Read more...] about ‘We’ve got to get back to some basics’: Hawkettes tumble twice at No. 3 Johnston

‘He’s something special’: Oakie tosses another gem in Jaguars’ win over Dowling

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It was a tale of two completely different games. The second-ranked Ankeny Centennial baseball team rolled to a 10-0 victory over visiting Dowling Catholic in five innings before the Maroons salvaged a split of Monday's doubleheader with a 10-2 win in the nightcap. "They were almost polar opposites of each other, but those games like we had in the … [Read more...] about ‘He’s something special’: Oakie tosses another gem in Jaguars’ win over Dowling

‘Tonight was a special night’: Seniors help Jaguars to another sweep, into first place

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Just call it a perfect dozen. The Ankeny Centennial softball team extended its winning streak to 12 games with a doubleheader sweep over visiting Dowling Catholic on Monday. The fifth-ranked Jaguars posted a 10-0 victory in six innings in the opener, then followed with a 10-2 win in the nightcap. "Tonight was a special night for us," said Centennial … [Read more...] about ‘Tonight was a special night’: Seniors help Jaguars to another sweep, into first place

‘It’s hard to win over there’: Hawks salvage split at No. 4 Johnston with 8-7 victory

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This year's edition of the Ankeny baseball team isn't the most talented squad that Joe Balvanz has coached during his tenure with the Hawks. But it might be one of the grittiest. Ankeny bounced back from a 15-11 loss at fourth-ranked Johnston on Monday with an 8-7 victory in the second game of a doubleheader. The Hawks snapped their three-game losing … [Read more...] about ‘It’s hard to win over there’: Hawks salvage split at No. 4 Johnston with 8-7 victory

Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Carson Riggs, Ankeny baseball

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Senior infielder Carson Riggs has helped the Ankeny baseball team to a 10-16 record. He is batting .290 with three doubles and 14 RBIs for the Hawks, who will travel to Johnston on Monday for a CIML Conference doubleheader against the fourth-ranked Dragons. Riggs is headed to Iowa Lakes Community College in Estherville to play for the Lakers in the … [Read more...] about Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Carson Riggs, Ankeny baseball

Jaguars cruise to championship of Fort Dodge Invitational; Ankeny places 4th

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Mady Ott and the Ankeny Centennial softball team feel right at home at Harlan Rogers Park. Ott homered twice and drove in seven runs on Saturday as the fifth-ranked Jaguars cruised to the championship of the 16-team Fort Dodge Invitational. They rallied for an 11-5 victory over Class 3A No. 1 Williamsburg in the semifinals, then followed with an 8-2 … [Read more...] about Jaguars cruise to championship of Fort Dodge Invitational; Ankeny places 4th

Linn-Mar snaps Hawks’ winning streak, extends its own to 8 games with sweep

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One of the state's hottest baseball teams visited Ankeny on Friday for a non-conference doubleheader and swept the Hawks. Linn-Mar (Marion) posted a 12-2 victory in six innings in the opener, snapping Ankeny's three-game winning streak. The Lions then completed the sweep with an 8-4 win. Linn-Mar (16-6) has won its last eight games by a combined margin … [Read more...] about Linn-Mar snaps Hawks’ winning streak, extends its own to 8 games with sweep

Oakie blasts homer, drives in 4 runs to lead Jaguars to 7-4 victory at Urbandale

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Joey Oakie's dominance on the pitcher's mound has been well documented. But the Ankeny Centennial senior is a pretty good hitter, too. Oakie went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs to lead the second-ranked Jaguars to a 7-4 victory at Urbandale on Thursday. He now leads the team with two homers and 19 RBIs. The win allowed Centennial to remain a … [Read more...] about Oakie blasts homer, drives in 4 runs to lead Jaguars to 7-4 victory at Urbandale

Hawks edge Waukee as trio combines on 1-hitter, Irlmeier delivers 2-run single

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A slow start this season knocked the Ankeny baseball team out of CIML Conference title contention right away. But that doesn't mean the Hawks can't be a factor in the race. Three Ankeny pitchers combined on a one-hitter as the Hawks posted a 2-1 victory over visiting Waukee on Thursday. It was the third straight loss for the fifth-ranked Warriors, who … [Read more...] about Hawks edge Waukee as trio combines on 1-hitter, Irlmeier delivers 2-run single

Rusher, Lensmeyer combine to shut down Dowling Catholic in Hawkettes’ sweep

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Abby Rusher and Aubrey Lensmeyer combined to allow just three runs as the Ankeny softball team swept a doubleheader on Wednesday at Dowling Catholic. The seventh-ranked Hawkettes posted a 5-0 victory in the opener, then completed the sweep with a 9-3 triumph. They improved to 6-2 in the CIML Conference and 11-7 overall, while Dowling's records dropped to … [Read more...] about Rusher, Lensmeyer combine to shut down Dowling Catholic in Hawkettes’ sweep

‘We swung the bats a lot better’: Jaguars snap out of funk to sweep No. 5 Waukee

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The Ankeny Centennial baseball team couldn't have picked a better time to break out of its recent offensive funk. The second-ranked Jaguars swept a doubleheader against No. 5 Waukee on Wednesday at Centennial, allowing coach Mark Hey's team to avenge an earlier 10-4 loss and move closer to the top of the CIML Conference standings. Centennial rolled to … [Read more...] about ‘We swung the bats a lot better’: Jaguars snap out of funk to sweep No. 5 Waukee

Jaguars roll past Waukee twice, move into tie for first place in CIML Conference

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The Ankeny Centennial softball team moved into a tie for first place in the CIML Conference by sweeping a doubleheader against visiting Waukee on Wednesday. The fifth-ranked Jaguars rolled to a 10-0 victory in five innings in the opener, then completed the sweep with an 8-4 triumph. They improved to 7-1 in the conference and 15-4 overall, while No. 9 … [Read more...] about Jaguars roll past Waukee twice, move into tie for first place in CIML Conference

‘They can play that way all the time’: Hawks erupt for 24 runs, sweep Dowling

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Wednesday's doubleheader at 10th-ranked Dowling Catholic might have been a turning point for the Ankeny baseball team. The Hawks used a seven-run eighth inning to post a 12-5 victory in the first game, then erupted for 11 runs in the first inning of the nightcap and went on to complete a sweep with a 12-2 win in five innings. "I hope it's a confidence … [Read more...] about ‘They can play that way all the time’: Hawks erupt for 24 runs, sweep Dowling

‘It is a devastating blow’: Ankeny Fanatic photographer Drue Wolfe passes away

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There are some stories that I never thought I'd have to write. This is one of them. Drue Wolfe, who joined Ankeny Fanatic as a photographer shortly after we launched our website in 2018, passed away earlier this week. He will be greatly missed. Drue touched the lives of countless athletes over the years with his incredible photos. The images that he … [Read more...] about ‘It is a devastating blow’: Ankeny Fanatic photographer Drue Wolfe passes away

Rawlings, Carrasco combine on 7-hitter in Centennial’s 2-1 victory at Norwalk

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Tripp Rawlings and Johnathan Carrasco combined on a seven-hitter to lead the Ankeny Centennial baseball team to a 2-1 victory at Norwalk in a non-conference game on Tuesday. The second-ranked Jaguars improved to 14-4 on the season. Norwalk's record dropped to 7-10. Rawlings (3-0) racked up nine strikeouts over the first 6 1/3 innings. Carrasco recorded … [Read more...] about Rawlings, Carrasco combine on 7-hitter in Centennial’s 2-1 victory at Norwalk

‘We just had to find a different way’: Jaguars grind out sweep over Cedar Falls

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After pounding six home runs during a doubleheader sweep over Linn-Mar (Marion) on Saturday, the Ankeny Centennial softball team didn't rely as much on the long ball during Monday's twinbill against visiting Cedar Falls. The fourth-ranked Jaguars hit only two roundtrippers while sweeping the non-conference games by scores of 9-2 and 6-3. They improved to … [Read more...] about ‘We just had to find a different way’: Jaguars grind out sweep over Cedar Falls