Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Archives for January 2025

After two years at Iowa Western, former Jaguar Targgart commits to S. Dakota St.

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Former Ankeny Centennial football standout Brody Targgart has committed to play for one of the top FCS programs in the country. The 6-foot-2, 290-pound defensive lineman announced over the weekend that he will play for South Dakota State. He has two years of eligibility remaining along with a redshirt year. Targgart helped Iowa Western Community … [Read more...] about After two years at Iowa Western, former Jaguar Targgart commits to S. Dakota St.

Ankeny swimmers tumble to No. 1 Cedar Falls, will face Linn-Mar, Waukee NW next

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The ninth-ranked Ankeny boys' swimming team dropped a 111-59 decision to No. 1 Cedar Falls in a non-conference dual meet on Saturday at Trail Point Aquatics Center. The Tigers entered the meet with 3,520 power points, which led the state and put them 109 points ahead of No. 2 Waukee Northwest. They showed in Saturday's meet why they're the early favorite … [Read more...] about Ankeny swimmers tumble to No. 1 Cedar Falls, will face Linn-Mar, Waukee NW next

Ankeny’s Rathjen claims Mendenhall title, while Jags’ Vandermark earns 100th win

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Saturday's Jack Mendenhall Invitational proved to be a memorable tournament for Ankeny wrestler Calvin Rathjen. Ankeny Centennial's Cale Vandermark also enjoyed an historic moment. Rathjen won the 132-pound title to lead the Hawks to a fourth-place finish in the 15-team field, while the Jaguars took sixth behind a runner-up performance at 120 from … [Read more...] about Ankeny’s Rathjen claims Mendenhall title, while Jags’ Vandermark earns 100th win

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Bryer Pearson, Ankeny boys’ swimming

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Junior Bryer Pearson has helped the ninth-ranked Ankeny boys' swimming team to a 3-4 record, including a 2-3 mark in the CIML Conference. Pearson is currently ranked eighth in the state in the 100 butterfly with a time of 52.51 seconds. He is tied for 40th in the 50 freestyle (22.71) and tied for 42nd in the 100 backstroke (58.02). Pearson is also a … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Bryer Pearson, Ankeny boys’ swimming

Ankeny girls crown 4 individual champs, place 2nd behind Osage at Ogden Invite

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team crowned four individual champions and placed second overall in the Ogden Invitational on Saturday. Osage won the 27-team event with 231.5 points. The Green Devils were led by sisters Ainsley and Gable Hemann, who won titles at 100 and 110 pounds, respectively. Ankeny racked up 209.5 points to easily finish ahead of … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls crown 4 individual champs, place 2nd behind Osage at Ogden Invite

‘We have all grown a lot’: Ankeny girls beat Valley, Johnston to stay unbeaten

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The Ankeny girls' bowling team continues to have a lot of fun. Ankeny posted a season-high score of 2,252 to defeat host Johnston by 122 pins in a CIML Conference dual meet on Friday at Game Day Lanes. The squad improved to 4-0 in the league and overall, while Johnston's records fell to 0-3 and 0-5. Ankeny has already doubled its win total from last … [Read more...] about ‘We have all grown a lot’: Ankeny girls beat Valley, Johnston to stay unbeaten

Wehde scores game-winning basket with 2 seconds left to lift Central past Loras

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Former Ankeny standout Karson Wehde scored one of the biggest baskets of his collegiate career on Saturday. The sophomore forward made a layup with 2 seconds left to give the Central College men's basketball team a 78-76 victory over Loras College at Pella. He scored off an assist from former Waukee player Owen Schipper. "The final play wasn't actually … [Read more...] about Wehde scores game-winning basket with 2 seconds left to lift Central past Loras

No. 2 Valley boys use 12-0 run in 4th quarter to thwart Hawks’ upset bid

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) For three and a half quarters, it felt like the Ankeny boys' basketball team had second-ranked Valley on the ropes and on the verge of a major victory. But a 12-0 run and one too many trips to the free-throw line for Valley helped the Tigers escape out of Ankeny with a 64-60 win on Friday. “We played really hard and … [Read more...] about No. 2 Valley boys use 12-0 run in 4th quarter to thwart Hawks’ upset bid

Gage surpasses 1,000-point milestone, leads Ankeny past Tigers to end skid

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Over the course of her career, Savannah Gage has scored countless baskets and accumulated many points in the process. But her 14 points on Friday night gave the Ankeny girls' basketball team more than one reason to celebrate. Gage not only helped the 15th-ranked Hawkettes snap a seven-game losing streak in a 52-49 win over … [Read more...] about Gage surpasses 1,000-point milestone, leads Ankeny past Tigers to end skid

‘They beat us in every phase of the game’: No. 3 Wolves roll past Centennial boys

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The struggles continued on Friday for the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team. The Jaguars fell behind by 20 points at halftime and eventually dropped a 77-36 decision at third-ranked Waukee Northwest. It was their worst loss of the season. "We were down by nine with 4 minutes left in the second quarter, but then they outscored us by 11 the rest of … [Read more...] about ‘They beat us in every phase of the game’: No. 3 Wolves roll past Centennial boys

‘We’ve got to make better adjustments’: Jags’ lead slips away in loss at Northwest

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For the third time in the last four games, the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team let a halftime lead slip away. The fourth-ranked Jaguars were able to recover in those previous games to defeat Cedar Rapids Prairie and Ankeny, but they weren't as fortunate on Friday at No. 3 Waukee Northwest. The Wolves used a 15-1 run in the third quarter to … [Read more...] about ‘We’ve got to make better adjustments’: Jags’ lead slips away in loss at Northwest

Northern Iowa’s Anderson named Big 12 Conference Wrestler of the Week

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Northern Iowa's Trever Anderson has been named the Big 12 Conference's Wrestler of the Week, as announced by the league office on Wednesday. The selection is the first weekly conference honor of his career. Anderson's selection comes after the Panther redshirt sophomore helped set the tone for UNI with a key upset victory in its 24-9 dual win over … [Read more...] about Northern Iowa’s Anderson named Big 12 Conference Wrestler of the Week

No. 1 S.E. Polk completes dominant win over Ankeny matmen before empty gym

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Emotions were running high on Thursday night as two of the state's top wrestling teams in Class 3A collided in a CIML Conference dual at the Ankeny High School gym. The final six matches of top-ranked Southeast Polk's dominant win over No. 4 Ankeny were contested before an empty gym after the referee ejected the entire crowd due to some unruly fans and … [Read more...] about No. 1 S.E. Polk completes dominant win over Ankeny matmen before empty gym

‘That should do a lot for his confidence’: Keller’s pin seals Jaguars’ win at Dowling

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After losing four of the first five matches, the Ankeny Centennial wrestlers won seven of the next eight bouts and posted a 45-33 victory at Dowling Catholic on Thursday. The sixth-ranked Jaguars raised their records to 4-1 in the CIML Conference and 9-3 overall, but coach Jay Groth still had some concerns after the meet. "We need to continue to not … [Read more...] about ‘That should do a lot for his confidence’: Keller’s pin seals Jaguars’ win at Dowling

Centennial lineman Juravich commits to play football at William Jewell College

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Ankeny Centennial offensive lineman Lucas Juravich has committed to play football at William Jewell College. Juravich announced his decision on social media earlier this week. "I want to thank my mom, dad and all my siblings for pushing me farther than I thought I could go," Juravich tweeted on X. Juravich was part of one of the state's best … [Read more...] about Centennial lineman Juravich commits to play football at William Jewell College

No. 8 Ankeny swimmers rebound from loss to Dowling with victory over S.E. Polk

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The eighth-ranked Ankeny boys' swimming team bounced back from Tuesday's loss to Dowling Catholic with a 121-49 victory over No. 14 Southeast Polk on Thursday at Trail Point Aquatics Center. The Hawks won nine of the 11 events while raising their records to 2-3 in the CIML Conference and 3-3 overall. They swept the top two places in two of the three … [Read more...] about No. 8 Ankeny swimmers rebound from loss to Dowling with victory over S.E. Polk

Ex-Ankeny quarterback Kohl announces commitment to Appalachian State

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Former Ankeny and Iowa State quarterback JJ Kohl is headed to Appalachian State. The 6-foot-7, 250-pound redshirt freshman announced his decision via social media on Wednesday. "Excited to announce my commitment to App State!" Kohl tweeted on X. Kohl was a two-time all-stater at Ankeny, where he passed for 4,208 yards and 42 touchdowns in his … [Read more...] about Ex-Ankeny quarterback Kohl announces commitment to Appalachian State