Ankeny Fanatic

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Archives for December 2025

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Noah Kearney, Ankeny boys’ swimming

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Senior Noah Kearney has helped the ninth-ranked Ankeny boys' swimming team to a 1-2 record in the CIML Conference. The squad is now 10-7 overall after placing second in the seven-team field in the Little Hawk Invitational on Saturday at Mercer Park Aquatic Center in Iowa City. Kearney won two events and also swam on two winning relays as Ankeny defeated … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Noah Kearney, Ankeny boys’ swimming

Vandermark captures 4th straight title at Miller Invite; Sodergren also wins crown

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Ankeny Centennial wrestling standout Cale Vandermark captured a fourth consecutive title in the Don Miller Invitational on Saturday at Fort Dodge, where he helped the Jaguars to a sixth-place finish in the 11-team field. Vandermark, who is ranked No. 1 at 126 pounds in Class 3A, posted a 2-1 decision over No. 9 Matthew Tran of Iowa City West in the finals … [Read more...] about Vandermark captures 4th straight title at Miller Invite; Sodergren also wins crown

‘It’s a privilege to wrestle in this event’: Hawks place 9th at Battle of Waterloo

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The holiday break is coming at a good time for the Ankeny wrestlers. The Hawks turned in a strong performance at the Battle of Waterloo, where they defeated all three of their opponents on Saturday to win Pool 3 and place ninth overall in the 32-team field. "It's a privilege to wrestle in this event," said Ankeny coach Jack Wignall, whose team improved … [Read more...] about ‘It’s a privilege to wrestle in this event’: Hawks place 9th at Battle of Waterloo

‘I am so proud of our staff’: Asst. coaches guide Ankeny to DC-G Holiday Duals title

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team defended its title on Saturday by going 5-0 at the Dallas Center-Grimes Holiday Duals. Fourth-ranked Ankeny competed most of the day without coach Dustin Roland, who left after the first dual to watch his son wrestle in another tournament. "I am so proud of our staff and their continued willingness to do whatever I ask … [Read more...] about ‘I am so proud of our staff’: Asst. coaches guide Ankeny to DC-G Holiday Duals title

Beam scores career-high 21 points, but Jaguars fall to 1-4 with loss to No. 4 Valley

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team was hoping to build off of its win over Urbandale a week ago and head into the holiday break with some positive momentum. But a matchup against fourth-ranked Valley ended the Jaguars' December slate with a 29-point loss. Centennial struggled to get its offense going in the … [Read more...] about Beam scores career-high 21 points, but Jaguars fall to 1-4 with loss to No. 4 Valley

‘It feels so good!’: Jaguars pull away in 2nd half, defeat Valley for first win of season

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) With about 50 seconds left in Friday’s game against visiting Valley, Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball coach Matt Delger walked in front of his bench with a wide grin on his face and asked the reserves that don’t get much playing time if they wanted to close out the final minute. Delger’s smile quickly spread up and down … [Read more...] about ‘It feels so good!’: Jaguars pull away in 2nd half, defeat Valley for first win of season

‘I didn’t mean to bank it!’: Kiene’s 3-pointer at buzzer lifts Hawkettes past Cedar Falls

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Ainsley Kiene wasn't supposed to take the final shot for the Ankeny girls' basketball team. But with time running out and the ball in her hands from well beyond the arc, Kiene knew that she had no other choice. The senior guard banked in a 3-point goal from the top of the key as time expired to give the third-ranked Hawkettes a 50-47 victory at No. 8 … [Read more...] about ‘I didn’t mean to bank it!’: Kiene’s 3-pointer at buzzer lifts Hawkettes past Cedar Falls

‘We just didn’t shoot very well’: Hawks drop to 3-3 with 53-38 loss at Cedar Falls

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The offensive struggles continued on Friday for the Ankeny boys' basketball team. After being held to 46 points in a loss to Southeast Polk on Tuesday, the Hawks traveled to Cedar Falls for their final game before the holiday break and dropped a 53-38 decision in a non-conference matchup. "We're 3-3 now, and that's the reality of it," said Ankeny coach … [Read more...] about ‘We just didn’t shoot very well’: Hawks drop to 3-3 with 53-38 loss at Cedar Falls

Hawks take 3rd in pool, will wrestle for 9th through 12th place at Battle of Waterloo

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The Ankeny wrestling team went 2-1 in Bracket B and placed third in its pool on Friday at the Battle of Waterloo. The Hawks opened the tournament with a 37-32 victory over Waverly-Shell Rock. They then dropped a 41-31 decision to Clarion-Goldfield-Dows, one of the top teams in Class 2A, in the semifinals. Clarion-Goldfield-Dows avenged a 54-25 loss to … [Read more...] about Hawks take 3rd in pool, will wrestle for 9th through 12th place at Battle of Waterloo

‘The whole team was motivated to swim fast’: Ankeny routs Johnston on Sr. Night

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The seniors on the Ankeny boys' swimming team celebrated their special night with a dominating victory. Eighth-ranked Ankeny won all 11 events and rolled to a 132-38 victory over No. 16 Johnston on Thursday at Trail Point Aquatics Center. It was Senior Night for coach Dustin Rhoads' team, which improved to 1-2 in the CIML Conference and 5-6 overall. … [Read more...] about ‘The whole team was motivated to swim fast’: Ankeny routs Johnston on Sr. Night

‘They were pretty jacked’: Ankeny boys’ bowling squad snaps long losing streak

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The drought has ended for the Ankeny boys' bowling team. The squad defeated visiting Johnston in a CIML Conference dual meet on Thursday at B-Roll Bowling. They won by a score of 2,225 to 2,071 to end a streak of 26 consecutive losses. "I believe that was their first win in three years," said Ankeny coach Adam Booth. "They were pretty jacked." The … [Read more...] about ‘They were pretty jacked’: Ankeny boys’ bowling squad snaps long losing streak

‘We need to get tougher’: Jaguars tumble to 0-4 with 57-15 loss to No. 2 Dowling

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) It’s safe to say that the Ankeny Centennial wrestlers haven’t seen the start to the season that they were hoping for. The Jaguars have been struggling in a battle with injuries and have now dropped their first four CIML Conference duals of the season  after Dowling Catholic handed them a 57-15 defeat on Thursday at … [Read more...] about ‘We need to get tougher’: Jaguars tumble to 0-4 with 57-15 loss to No. 2 Dowling

‘We were confident we could come back’: Hawks rally for 41-30 victory at Johnston

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The Ankeny wrestling team won four of the last five matches to post a 41-30 victory at Johnston on Thursday night. The Hawks defeated Johnston in a dual meet for the first time since the 2022-23 season opener. They had finished nine points behind the Dragons while placing sixth on Saturday in the Frank Baltzley Invitational, which was held in the same … [Read more...] about ‘We were confident we could come back’: Hawks rally for 41-30 victory at Johnston

‘It was not fun to go through’: Ankeny boys struggle offensively in 61-46 loss to Rams

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After getting off to an impressive 3-0 start, the Ankeny boys' basketball team has suffered back-to-back losses on its home court. Friday's 66-59 loss to an unbeaten Waukee squad was disappointing, but hardly a cause for concern. Tuesday's 61-46 defeat at the hands of Southeast Polk was more puzzling. "It was one of those situations," said Ankeny coach … [Read more...] about ‘It was not fun to go through’: Ankeny boys struggle offensively in 61-46 loss to Rams

‘We’re hungry this year’: Hawkettes move up to No. 3 in 5A after defeating S.E. Polk

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The target on their backs is only going to get bigger for the Ankeny girls' basketball players. The Hawkettes moved up one spot to No. 3 in the latest Class 5A rankings after posting a 52-38 victory over visiting Southeast Polk on Tuesday. It is the program's highest ranking since the community of Ankeny split into two high schools in 2013. "Every game … [Read more...] about ‘We’re hungry this year’: Hawkettes move up to No. 3 in 5A after defeating S.E. Polk

Ankeny girls’ wrestling team rolls to wins over N. Polk, Des Moines Public Schools

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team dropped only one match while defeating a pair of opponents in a double dual meet on Tuesday at Northview Middle School. Fourth-ranked Ankeny rolled to an 84-0 victory over North Polk before following with a 78-6 win over Des Moines Public Schools to raise its overall record to 11-2. DMPS also lost to Ankeny by the same … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls’ wrestling team rolls to wins over N. Polk, Des Moines Public Schools

Pearson, Smith combine for 3 victories in Ankeny’s loss to No. 5 Valley swimmers

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Despite two wins from Bryer Pearson and another from Jake Smith, the eighth-ranked Ankeny boys' swimming team dropped a 95-75 decision to No. 5 Valley on Tuesday at Trail Point Aquatics Center. The Tigers won eight of the 11 events to improve to 2-0 in the CIML Conference and 7-2-1 overall. Ankeny's records dropped to 0-2 and 4-6. "We battled a very … [Read more...] about Pearson, Smith combine for 3 victories in Ankeny’s loss to No. 5 Valley swimmers