Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Dan Holm

‘We’re darn close’: Jaguars battle Dowling down to wire before suffering 46-42 loss

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) For the second straight game, the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team took a halftime lead and was just 16 minutes away from its first victory of the season. The Jaguars were still tied with under a minute left in Tuesday's game, but visiting Dowling Catholic made the plays down the stretch to escape with a 46-42 win on … [Read more...] about ‘We’re darn close’: Jaguars battle Dowling down to wire before suffering 46-42 loss

Boeding suffers scary fall during first half of Jaguars’ loss to No. 3 Dowling Catholic

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) It can take just a matter of seconds to completely change an outlook on a game, and now the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team is hoping for the best for one of its senior leaders. A scary fall and a temporary halt to the action late in the first half left Centennial without forward Rylyn Boeding for the remainder of … [Read more...] about Boeding suffers scary fall during first half of Jaguars’ loss to No. 3 Dowling Catholic

Hawks use late run to defeat Johnston, stay 1 of 4 unbeaten teams in conference

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Ankeny boys' basketball coach Brandt Carlson knows that every game on the road in the CIML Conference is going to be a grind. Fortunately, he appears to have a team capable of winning in tough environments. The Hawks used a late 13-5 run to post a 63-58 victory at Johnston on Tuesday. There were 15 lead changes and six ties in the seesaw … [Read more...] about Hawks use late run to defeat Johnston, stay 1 of 4 unbeaten teams in conference

‘Johnston keeps coming at you’: No. 1 Dragons surge past Ankeny girls, 74-51

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It's not often that a high school basketball team can take some positives away from a 23-point loss. But that was the case on Tuesday for the sixth-ranked Ankeny girls' squad, which held a lead midway through the second quarter at No. 1 Johnston before the Dragons rallied for a 74-51 victory. "That was where we expected to be," said Ankeny coach Nate … [Read more...] about ‘Johnston keeps coming at you’: No. 1 Dragons surge past Ankeny girls, 74-51

Ankeny swimmers roll to 136-32 victory over Grinnell at one of state’s best pools

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The Ankeny boys' swimming team cruised to a 136-32 victory over Grinnell in a non-conference meet on Tuesday at the Grinnell College Natatorium. Ankeny won all 11 events while raising its overall record to 4-5. The Tigers dropped to 6-4. "It was awesome to be at one of the best pools in the state of Iowa!" said Ankeny coach Dustin Rhoads. "We were able … [Read more...] about Ankeny swimmers roll to 136-32 victory over Grinnell at one of state’s best pools

‘They were hitting marks and competing’: Ankeny boys’ squad posts total of 2,571

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The Ankeny boys' bowling team nearly matched its highest score from last year in just its second meet of the season. Ankeny posted a score of 2,571 during Monday's non-conference dual meet against Gilbert at Perfect Games. Gilbert won the meet by 31 pins with a total of 2,602. "The boys had a  nice meet," said Ankeny coach Adam Booth. "They were … [Read more...] about ‘They were hitting marks and competing’: Ankeny boys’ squad posts total of 2,571

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Drew Sorensen, Ankeny boys’ basketball

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Senior guard Drew Sorensen scored seven points, all of them in the third quarter, to help the Ankeny boys' basketball team to a 58-46 victory on Friday at  Ankeny Centennial. The Hawks improved to 2-0 on the season. Sorensen averaged 7.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game as a junior, when he helped Ankeny to a 10-12 record. He earned all-conference … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Drew Sorensen, Ankeny boys’ basketball

Ankeny, Centennial wrestlers hoping to get healthy for Jag vs. Hawk showdown

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With the Jag-Hawk wrestling dual meet coming up on Thursday at Ankeny Centennial, both teams are still trying to get to full strength. It's been a rough start to the season for the Jaguars, who placed 14th among 15 teams in the Keith Young Invitational on Saturday at Cedar Falls. Defending state champion Max Dhabolt has yet to wrestle, and neither have … [Read more...] about Ankeny, Centennial wrestlers hoping to get healthy for Jag vs. Hawk showdown

Watson, Krah lead Ankeny girls’ team to 5th-place finish at Dan Gable Donnybrook

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team earned a fifth-place finish among 47 squads in the Dan Gable Donnybrook at Xtream Arena in Coralville. The two-day meet concluded on Friday with Ankeny scoring a total of 270 points. Coach Dustin Roland's squad had seven top-eight finishers. "Overall, we were pleased with our effort this weekend," said Roland. "All of … [Read more...] about Watson, Krah lead Ankeny girls’ team to 5th-place finish at Dan Gable Donnybrook

‘We prepared for it all week’: Ankeny boys defeat Jaguars for 5th consecutive time

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The Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team took a huge step forward on Friday night. It still wasn't enough, though, to end the Jaguars' recent losing streak to crosstown rival Ankeny. The Hawks opened the second half with an 11-0 run to take the lead for good and went on to post a 58-46 win at Centennial. It was their fifth straight triumph in the … [Read more...] about ‘We prepared for it all week’: Ankeny boys defeat Jaguars for 5th consecutive time

‘I’m just happy for our girls’: Hawkettes end four-game skid against Centennial

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) For just the third time since Ankeny split into two high schools, the Ankeny Hawkettes defeated their crosstown rival in girls' basketball. Sixth-ranked Ankeny stayed a few steps ahead of a young, scrappy Ankeny Centennial team for a 55-39 road victory on Friday night. It snapped a four-game losing streak in the series and … [Read more...] about ‘I’m just happy for our girls’: Hawkettes end four-game skid against Centennial

‘It’s been quite the experience’: St. Louis, Heckenlaible reach NCAA Tourney Elite 8

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During his high school soccer career at Ankeny Centennial, Andrew Heckenlaible never got a chance to play in a state championship game. Now a sophomore forward at St. Louis University, Heckenlaible is just two wins away from advancing to the title game of the NCAA Tournament. The Billikens have advanced through the tournament in thrilling fashion, … [Read more...] about ‘It’s been quite the experience’: St. Louis, Heckenlaible reach NCAA Tourney Elite 8

‘I am back and ready to bring the heat’: Harris shines in dual against Urbandale

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The Ankeny bowling teams were swept by visiting Urbandale in a CIML Conference dual meet on Thursday at B-Roll Bowling. The J-Hawks won the boys' meet by a score of 2,310 to 2,093. They won the girls' meet by a score of 1,953 to 1,776. The Ankeny girls' team dropped to 0-2 in the conference. Olivia Harris led the squad with a 342 series, while Kylie … [Read more...] about ‘I am back and ready to bring the heat’: Harris shines in dual against Urbandale

Ex-Jags Winkel, Bechen earn postseason honors after Dubuque’s 26-5 campaign

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Former Ankeny Centennial volleyball standouts Delainey Winkel and Taylor Bechen are still enjoying a lot of success at the collegiate level. Now teammates at the University of Dubuque, the two juniors both received some postseason honors after helping the Spartans to a 26-5 record and the American Rivers Conference regular season title. Winkel, an … [Read more...] about Ex-Jags Winkel, Bechen earn postseason honors after Dubuque’s 26-5 campaign

‘I liked the way we fought’: Depleted Jags open season with 53-21 loss at Northwest

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The Ankeny Centennial wrestlers saw their team's season come to an end a year ago at the hands of Waukee Northwest after winning the previous matchup. Now, the Jaguars hope to flip the script in the 2025-26 season. Centennial traveled to Northwest on Thursday and won just four of the 14 matches with three falls in a 53-21 … [Read more...] about ‘I liked the way we fought’: Depleted Jags open season with 53-21 loss at Northwest

‘I thought we competed hard’: Ankeny swimmers suffer 104-66 loss to Waukee

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The Ankeny boys' swimming team faced visiting Waukee for the second time in 10 days. After placing fifth behind the runner-up Warriors in the Ankeny Sprint Invitational on Nov. 25, the Hawks collided with Waukee again in the CIML Conference opener for both teams on Thursday at Trail Point Aquatics Center. The Warriors won 10 of the 11 events and posted … [Read more...] about ‘I thought we competed hard’: Ankeny swimmers suffer 104-66 loss to Waukee

Ankeny girls’ team sits in 5th place going into final day of Dan Gable Donnybrook

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team sits in fifth place with 236 points heading into the final day of the Dan Gable Donnybrook on Friday at Xtream Arena in Coralville. Defending champion Raccoon River-Northwest leads the 47-team field with 338 points. Cedar Rapids Prairie is second with 270. Ankeny's Lauren Watson at 110 pounds and Jammie Krah at 140 both … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls’ team sits in 5th place going into final day of Dan Gable Donnybrook

‘Our kids showed a lot of heart’: Hawks drop 37-31 decision to Valley in opener

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The Ankeny wrestling team closed out Thursday's season-opening dual meet against visiting CIML Conference rival Valley with four consecutive wins, but it wasn't enough to overcome a 24-point deficit and the Tigers held on for a 37-31 victory. Valley avenged a 53-19 loss in last year's opener. The Hawks wrestled without two of their five returning state … [Read more...] about ‘Our kids showed a lot of heart’: Hawks drop 37-31 decision to Valley in opener