Ankeny Fanatic

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Archives for October 2025

‘We needed a game like this’: Hawks rout Little Cyclones in tune-up for No. 4 Valley

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Ankeny football coach Jeff Bauer just wanted to see his squad execute and handle business coming off the Hawks' loss to Johnston in a top-five showdown a week ago. And by the end of the first quarter on Friday in Ames, the Hawks were already pushing for a running clock. Seventh-ranked Ankeny got the bounce-back win and a … [Read more...] about ‘We needed a game like this’: Hawks rout Little Cyclones in tune-up for No. 4 Valley

Jaguars strengthen playoff hopes with dominant 2nd half in win over Indianola

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Going into the final third of the regular season, the Ankeny Centennial football team didn't have much margin for error. That's what made Friday's contest against visiting Indianola a de facto playoff game for the Jaguars, who entered the night ranked 14th in the initial RPI rankings from the Iowa High School Athletic Association--one spot behind the … [Read more...] about Jaguars strengthen playoff hopes with dominant 2nd half in win over Indianola

‘We’re excited for the season’: Ex-Jaguar Churchman gets fresh start with Cougars

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Former Ankeny Centennial all-stater Damin Churchman is happy to be back on the baseball field. For awhile, Churchman wasn't sure if he would ever play again. After graduating from Centennial in 2023, Churchman spent one year at Upper Iowa University--where he sat out the season as a redshirt due to arm problems. "I ultimately left because (Upper … [Read more...] about ‘We’re excited for the season’: Ex-Jaguar Churchman gets fresh start with Cougars

Centennial girls place 2nd at Fort Dodge; Hawkettes finish 11th behind Madetzke

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Many of the girls' cross country teams competing in the Fort Dodge Invitational on Thursday will likely be back at Lakeside Golf Course on Nov. 1 for the Class 4A state meet. It provided a good test run for the fourth-ranked Ankeny Centennial squad, which placed second among 25 teams with 90 points. No. 3 Waukee Northwest captured the team title with 57 … [Read more...] about Centennial girls place 2nd at Fort Dodge; Hawkettes finish 11th behind Madetzke

Centennial boys place 4th, Hawks take 12th in state meet preview at Fort Dodge

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Thursday's Fort Dodge Invitational offered a little bit of a preview of next month's state cross country meet, which will also be held at Lakeside Golf Course. Both the Ankeny Centennial and Ankeny boys' teams are hoping to be back in Fort Dodge on Nov. 1. And Thursday's meet was another step forward in potentially meeting that goal. The eighth-ranked … [Read more...] about Centennial boys place 4th, Hawks take 12th in state meet preview at Fort Dodge

Ankeny swimmers top Newton, Roosevelt, Indianola to win Ankeny Quadrangular

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The Ankeny girls' swimming team cruised to a first-place finish in the Ankeny Quadrangular on Thursday at Trail Point Aquatics Center. The seventh-ranked Hawkettes racked up 648 points while raising their overall record to 7-6 on the season. No. 24 Newton was second with 496 points, followed by Des Moines Roosevelt with 424 and Indianola with 323. "It … [Read more...] about Ankeny swimmers top Newton, Roosevelt, Indianola to win Ankeny Quadrangular

Regional volleyball pairings announced: Jags, Hawkettes, Eagles to start at home

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The regional volleyball pairings were announced on Thursday by the Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union. As expected, both Ankeny Centennial and Ankeny earned No. 1 seeds in Class 5A, meaning that the Jaguars and Hawkettes will only have to win two matches--both of them at home--to advance to the state tournament in Coralville. Second-ranked … [Read more...] about Regional volleyball pairings announced: Jags, Hawkettes, Eagles to start at home

‘Iowa Central felt like home’: Centennial’s Bartine commits to play for Tritons

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Another Ankeny Centennial softball player has made her college decision. Senior outfielder Lauren Bartine has verbally committed to play for Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge. "I looked at a few other schools, and it was definitely a tough decision. Everyone had so much to offer," said Bartine. "However, Iowa Central felt like … [Read more...] about ‘Iowa Central felt like home’: Centennial’s Bartine commits to play for Tritons

‘I thought we played some good ball’: Jags avoid letdown, sweep past Johnston

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) When it gets late in the season, the Ankeny Centennial volleyball team isn’t going to overlook any opponent. Especially not a CIML Conference foe on the road. The second-ranked Jaguars traveled to Johnston on Tuesday and swept the Dragons in three sets, 25-16, 25-16, 25-14, to remain in third place in the league … [Read more...] about ‘I thought we played some good ball’: Jags avoid letdown, sweep past Johnston

No. 1 Wolves sweep Ankeny for their 15th straight win, clinch share of CIML crown

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The Ankeny volleyball team put together a few brief runs against top-ranked Waukee Northwest on Tuesday. It's difficult, though, to sustain any kind of momentum against the powerful Wolves--who boast four Division I recruits. Northwest eventually pulled away in each set to post a 25-19, 25-18, 25-16 victory at No. 4 Ankeny, allowing the Wolves to … [Read more...] about No. 1 Wolves sweep Ankeny for their 15th straight win, clinch share of CIML crown

Centennial defender Boyle commits to play soccer at Southwest Minnesota St.

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Ankeny Centennial senior defender Evie Boyle will continue her soccer career at Southwest Minnesota State. Boyle has verbally committed to play for the Mustangs, an NCAA Division II program located in Marshall, Minn. They compete in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. "I'm so excited to continue my soccer and academic career at Southwest … [Read more...] about Centennial defender Boyle commits to play soccer at Southwest Minnesota St.

‘We had fun with it’: Swimmers begin busy week with 132-54 loss to No. 1 Dowling

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There wasn't much pressure Tuesday on the Ankeny girls' swimming team. So coach Dustin Rhoads and his swimmers decided to have some fun in their home dual meet against top-ranked Dowling Catholic. "It was good to be back home competing. We enjoyed hosting Dowling," Rhoads said after his No. 7 squad dropped a 132-54 decision at Trail Point Aquatics … [Read more...] about ‘We had fun with it’: Swimmers begin busy week with 132-54 loss to No. 1 Dowling

‘We just didn’t play up to our potential’: Ankeny golfers place 8th at district meet

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On Tuesday, the Ankeny boys' golf team finished just seven stokes behind sixth-ranked Valley, the Class 4A state champion in 2023 and last year's third-place finisher. On some days, that might have been good enough to allow the Hawks to earn a third consecutive trip to the state meet. But on this particular sunny day, it wasn't nearly … [Read more...] about ‘We just didn’t play up to our potential’: Ankeny golfers place 8th at district meet

Centennial all-stater Morris headed to Iowa Central as two-way baseball player

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Ankeny Centennial baseball standout Will Morris has decided to follow in the footsteps of his older brother. Morris, a pitcher and third baseman, has verbally committed to play for Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge. His brother, Trey, started his college career at Ellsworth Community College, then spent his sophomore year at Iowa Central before … [Read more...] about Centennial all-stater Morris headed to Iowa Central as two-way baseball player

Jaguars place 4th at district meet, but Miller qualifies for state as an individual

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The Ankeny Centennial boys' golf team faced a formidable task on Monday. The Jaguars knew that they would likely have to defeat one of the top six teams in Class 4A in order to earn a third consecutive trip to the state meet under coach Andrew Reedy. And they nearly did it. Centennial placed fourth among 14 teams in a district meet at the Fort Dodge … [Read more...] about Jaguars place 4th at district meet, but Miller qualifies for state as an individual

Hawks are No. 7, Jaguars No. 14 in initial Class 5A RPI football rankings from IHSAA

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Both Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial are in position to make the Class 5A football playoffs with three weeks left to go in the regular season. The Iowa High School Athletic Association unveiled its initial RPI rankings for Class 5A on Monday. The Hawks are No. 7 with an RPI of 0.6085, while the Jaguars are No. 14 with an RPI of 0.5285. The RPI … [Read more...] about Hawks are No. 7, Jaguars No. 14 in initial Class 5A RPI football rankings from IHSAA

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Ivy Wiegand, Ankeny girls’ cross country

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Senior Ivy Wiegand led the 20th-ranked Ankeny girls' cross country team to a ninth-place finish in the Southeast Polk Invitational on Thursday. She placed 35th in the 5K race with a time of 21 minutes 34 seconds. Wiegand placed 89th for the Hawkettes in last year's Class 4A state meet. She was clocked in 20:14. Here is some inside info on … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Ivy Wiegand, Ankeny girls’ cross country

‘I was composed’: Kohl gets his first start, helps App State to 27-23 win over Beavers

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JJ Kohl's first collegiate start produced a huge victory for the Appalachian State football team. The former Ankeny and Iowa State quarterback passed for one touchdown and ran for another to help the Mountaineers to a 27-23 win over Oregon State before a crowd of 35,021 on Saturday at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, N.C. "It was very emotional," said … [Read more...] about ‘I was composed’: Kohl gets his first start, helps App State to 27-23 win over Beavers