Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Archives for December 2024

BACK IN THE SEC: Ankeny native Rhoads joins Mississippi St. as defensive analyst

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Ankeny native Paul Rhoads is headed back to the SEC. The former Iowa State head football coach has been hired as a defensive analyst by Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby, who is making some changes to his staff after guiding the Bulldogs to a 2-10 record in his first season at the school. "Yes, I do," Rhoads told Ankeny Fanatic when asked if he … [Read more...] about BACK IN THE SEC: Ankeny native Rhoads joins Mississippi St. as defensive analyst

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Tillie Smith, Ankeny Centennial girls’ basketball

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Senior guard Tillie Smith has helped the fourth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team to a 6-2 record and a four-game winning streak heading into 2025. Smith is averaging 4.0 points per game. She leads the Jaguars with 10 3-point goals and is shooting 28.6 percent from behind the arc. Here is some inside info on Smith: Congratulations on a … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Tillie Smith, Ankeny Centennial girls’ basketball

Northern Illinois outlasts Fresno State in double OT to win Idaho Potato Bowl

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The Northern Illinois football team closed out the season on Monday with a double-overtime victory in the Idaho Potato Bowl at Boise, Idaho. Freshman wide receiver George Dimopoulos threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Dane Pardridge on the first play of the second overtime, then Jordan Hansen ended the game with a fourth-down sack to give the Huskies a … [Read more...] about Northern Illinois outlasts Fresno State in double OT to win Idaho Potato Bowl

‘We had a great meet’: Ankeny swimmers capture 3rd straight Little Hawk Invite title

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If the Ankeny boys' swimming team needed a shot of momentum heading into the holiday break, the Hawks certainly got one on Saturday. Seventh-ranked Ankeny won four events and easily captured its third consecutive title in the Little Hawk Invitational at Iowa City. The Hawks racked up 442 points to finish 63 points ahead of No. 6 Iowa City West, which took … [Read more...] about ‘We had a great meet’: Ankeny swimmers capture 3rd straight Little Hawk Invite title

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Cabryn Klingner, Centennial boys’ basketball

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Senior guard Cabryn Klingner scored a career-high 19 points as the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team posted a 64-59 victory at Iowa City Liberty in a non-conference game last Monday. He also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists as the Jaguars (1-5) earned their first win of the season. Klingner is averaging 9.3 points, 3.3 rebounds … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Cabryn Klingner, Centennial boys’ basketball

Vandermark wins 3rd consecutive Miller crown, earns outstanding wrestler award

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Ankeny Centennial's Cale Vandermark exercised a few demons on Saturday. The fourth-ranked junior won the 120-pound title in the Don Miller Invitational at Fort Dodge and earned the Tim Ascherl/Brent Helmkamp outstanding wrestler award after leading the Jaguars to a fifth-place finish in the 14-team field. "I was honored to have earned such an esteemed … [Read more...] about Vandermark wins 3rd consecutive Miller crown, earns outstanding wrestler award

Ankeny wrestlers earn 6th-place finish among 32 teams at Battle of Waterloo

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The Ankeny wrestling team went 4-2 and placed sixth overall among 32 squads in the Battle of Waterloo on Friday and Saturday at Young Arena. The sixth-ranked Hawks are now 7-2 on the season heading into the holiday break. "We wrestled really well," said Ankeny coach Jack Wignall. "The kids fought for every point that they could get all … [Read more...] about Ankeny wrestlers earn 6th-place finish among 32 teams at Battle of Waterloo

Waring leads Grand View football team to its 2nd NAIA national championship

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Several players from Ankeny, including standout quarterback Jackson Waring, are members of the national champion Grand View University football team. The Vikings (14-0) capped off an historic season on Saturday with a 35-7 victory over defending champ Keiser University in the NAIA title game at Durham, N.C. It was the first title for coach Joe Woodley and … [Read more...] about Waring leads Grand View football team to its 2nd NAIA national championship

‘It was a great win’: Surging Centennial girls win top-5 showdown vs. C.R. Prairie

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Last December, the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team suffered through a five-game losing streak and limped into the holiday break with a pedestrian 5-5 record. With everyone back from that squad, the Jaguars are in a much better position 12 months later. Fourth-ranked Centennial raised its overall mark to 6-2 by defeating No. 5 Cedar Rapids … [Read more...] about ‘It was a great win’: Surging Centennial girls win top-5 showdown vs. C.R. Prairie

Ankeny girls win Holiday Duals crown at DC-G to remain unbeaten on season

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Saturday was another amazing day for the Ankeny girls' wrestling program. Third-ranked Ankeny remained unbeaten by defeating four opponents to win the Holiday Duals at Dallas Center-Grimes. Coach Dustin Roland's team improved to 11-0 on the season. Ankeny posted wins over Woodward-Granger (42-36), Valley (54-24), Vinton-Shellsburg (51-24) and Dallas … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls win Holiday Duals crown at DC-G to remain unbeaten on season

Johnson shines in collegiate debut for MSUM, will face Winkel later this season

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Carson Johnson's collegiate debut on the hardwood proved to be a memorable one. The former Ankeny basketball standout poured in 22 points on Saturday to lead sixth-ranked Minnesota State Moorhead to a 90-64 victory over Minnesota-Crookston. The freshman guard was inserted into the starting lineup and played a team-high 31 minutes, going 8-of-16 from the … [Read more...] about Johnson shines in collegiate debut for MSUM, will face Winkel later this season

Centennial boys hang with two-time defending champs until 4th quarter

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) If there’s one point of emphasis the Centennial boys' basketball team wants to focus on heading into the holiday break, it’s working on closing out games. The Jaguars went out on the road Friday and stuck with two-time reigning Class 4A champion Valley through three quarters, but the wheels fell off for Centennial in the … [Read more...] about Centennial boys hang with two-time defending champs until 4th quarter

‘I was kind of shocked by it’: Pratt scores career-high 30 in Jaguars’ rout at Valley

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Jaeden Pratt is playing with a lot of confidence, and it helps when she’s got the perfect team around her. It was just a pair of free throws to begin Friday night’s contest that broke open the floodgates to a career-high 30-point outing for the Illinois State commit and a dominant 73-42 road win for the Ankeny Centennial … [Read more...] about ‘I was kind of shocked by it’: Pratt scores career-high 30 in Jaguars’ rout at Valley

‘They’re really good’: Unbeaten Tigers pull away for 67-53 victory over Ankeny boys

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Ankeny boys' basketball coach Brandt Carlson was impressed by what he saw of Cedar Falls while preparing for Thursday's non-conference game. The visiting Tigers were just as impressive in person. "They're really good," Carlson said after his team dropped a 67-53 decision. "They look great on film, and live they were just as good." Anthony Galvin … [Read more...] about ‘They’re really good’: Unbeaten Tigers pull away for 67-53 victory over Ankeny boys

Cold-shooting Ankeny girls tumble to Cedar Falls for 5th consecutive loss

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The holiday break is coming at a good time for the Ankeny girls' basketball team. The 15th-ranked Hawkettes suffered their fifth straight loss on Thursday, dropping a 41-37 decision to visiting Cedar Falls. Junior guard Karis Finley, a Drake recruit, scored 16 points as the No. 10 Tigers (6-2) won their third consecutive game. "We just played five … [Read more...] about Cold-shooting Ankeny girls tumble to Cedar Falls for 5th consecutive loss

Jaguars top Urbandale again, allow Groth to reach 450-victory career milestone

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Behind every successful wrestling coach is a group of talented assistant coaches. At least that's what Ankeny Centennial coach Jay Groth believes. Groth paid credit to his assistants on Thursday after earning his 450th career victory when the Jaguars defeated visiting Urbandale, 42-30, in a CIML Conference dual meet. "Like I've said before, my best … [Read more...] about Jaguars top Urbandale again, allow Groth to reach 450-victory career milestone

Ankeny swimmers drop 99-71 decision at Valley, will head to Iowa City Saturday

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Ankeny boys' swimming coach Dustin Rhoads wasn't too concerned about his team's 99-71 loss at Valley on Thursday. "We had a fun meet with them," Rhoads said. "They are always tough especially at their home pool, but I thought my guys swam pretty well at our final dual meet of 2024. We were missing one of our best swimmers tonight, but I thought a lot … [Read more...] about Ankeny swimmers drop 99-71 decision at Valley, will head to Iowa City Saturday

Ankeny wrestlers rack up 5 pins, pair of technical falls in 40-28 victory at Waukee

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For the second week in a row, bonus points proved to be the difference for the Ankeny wrestlers. The Hawks, who are sixth the Class 3A dual rankings, recorded five falls and a pair of technical falls in a 40-28 victory at No. 24 Waukee on Thursday. They improved to 3-0 in the CIML Conference and overall. The Warriors also won seven matches, but had … [Read more...] about Ankeny wrestlers rack up 5 pins, pair of technical falls in 40-28 victory at Waukee

‘We just had some guys make plays’: Hawks outlast S.E. Polk boys in double OT

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There are no easy wins in the Central Iowa Metropolitan League. The Ankeny boys' basketball team had to play an extra 8 minutes on Tuesday to earn its second conference victory of the season. The visiting Hawks scored the final six points of the game over the last 20 seconds to outlast Southeast Polk, 74-68, in double overtime. They improved to 2-3 in … [Read more...] about ‘We just had some guys make plays’: Hawks outlast S.E. Polk boys in double OT