The Ankeny Centennial boys’ tennis team is already showing signs of improvement.
After dropping a 9-2 decision to Norwalk a year ago, the Jaguars traveled to Norwalk on Tuesday for a rematch to open the 2026 season. The Warriors again prevailed, but their 7-4 victory in the non-conference meet was much closer than last year’s matchup.
“Norwalk is a great team with an outstanding coaching staff, and is a group we struggled to compete with last year,” said Centennial coach Grant Menadue. “While the result wasn’t what we wanted, there’s a lot to be encouraged by. Six matches went to a third-set tiebreaker, which shows just how close the meet really was. If you change a few points here or there, the outcome looks completely different.”
Centennial got wins in singles from Reece Dickinson at the No. 3 position and Caden Kolars at the No. 6 spot. The Warriors won the other four matches in three sets, coming back from a set down to win at both the No. 1 and 2 positions.
The Jaguars’ No. 1 doubles team of Aaron Braun and Owen George rebounded from their singles losses to post a 6-4, 7-5 win over Norwalk’s Wyatt Coburn and Isaac Lors.
Dickinson, meanwhile, teamed up with Nathan Goff for a three-set victory at No. 2 doubles.
“I’m really proud of the way our guys competed and, more importantly, how they’ve responded since,” Menadue said. “There’s a clear hunger to learn from this and lock in on the areas we need to improve. Great teams aren’t defined solely by wins and losses, but by how they handle adversity and grow from it. I am beyond confident in this team and its ability to bounce back, stay hungry, and keep improving as we move forward with the season.”
The Jaguars will host a non-conference meet against Des Moines Roosevelt (1-0) on Monday.
Here are the match-by-match results from Tuesday’s meet:
Norwalk 7, Ankeny Centennial 4
Singles: W. Coburn (N) beat Braun, 1-6, 6-4, 1-0 (6); Lors (N) beat George, 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (7); R. Dickinson (AC) beat Mills, 6-3, 6-3; Swim (N) beat Goff, 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (4); Juergens (N) beat Brazeau, 6-3, 5-7, 1-0 (3); Kolars (AC) beat Tiedt, 6-4, 6-4.
Doubles: Braun-George (AC) beat W. Coburn-Lors, 6-4, 7-5; R. Dickinson-Goff (AC) beat Mills-Juergens, 6-1, 4-6, 1-0 (6); Swim-Geisler (N) beat Kolars-Brooks, 3-6, 6-2, 1-0 (12); Tiedt-Silvers (N) beat Brazeau-Law, 6-2, 6-0; C. Coburn-Clark (N) beat May-B. Dickinson, 6-4, 6-3.