Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Dan Holm

As Oakie awaits MLB draft, No. 1 Jaguars appear to be primed for special season

by

There's a lot of hype surrounding Joey Oakie and the Ankeny Centennial baseball team. Oakie, an Iowa recruit, is one of the top high school pitchers in the country and a probable first- or second-round pick in the upcoming MLB amateur draft, which is slated for July 14-16. It's possible, however, that Oakie could turn professional before the season … [Read more...] about As Oakie awaits MLB draft, No. 1 Jaguars appear to be primed for special season

‘This group has been dedicated’: Ankeny baseball team boasts high hopes

by

A year ago, the Ankeny baseball team came up one victory shy of qualifying for the Class 4A state tournament. Coach Joe Balvanz and the Hawks are hoping to clear that hurdle this season. "The practices have been going great," said Balvanz. "The players are working hard every day to improve their skill set and baseball IQ. This group has … [Read more...] about ‘This group has been dedicated’: Ankeny baseball team boasts high hopes

Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Connor Welsch, Centennial boys’ track

by

Senior Connor Welsch of the Ankeny Centennial boys' track team is one of the state's top sprinters. He won the 100 in a state qualifying meet on Thursday at Waukee Northwest, setting a school record and posting the fastest time among all Class 4A qualifiers with a clocking of 10.66 seconds. Welsch anchored the winning 4x200 relay and ran on the victorious … [Read more...] about Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Connor Welsch, Centennial boys’ track

Jaguars blank D.M. East, then outlast Sioux City North to reach substate final

by

The Ankeny Centennial boys' tennis squad is one of 16 teams still left standing in the Class 2A team competition. The Jaguars rolled to a 5-0 victory over visiting Des Moines East in a substate quarterfinal on Friday, ending the Scarlets' season with a 1-11 record. Centennial then traveled to Sioux City North on Saturday and posted a 5-3 win over the … [Read more...] about Jaguars blank D.M. East, then outlast Sioux City North to reach substate final

‘It’s our Achilles’ heel’: Hawkettes lose another PK shootout, share CIML crown

by

The Ankeny girls' soccer team ran out of gas. It resulted in another shootout loss. The second-ranked Hawkettes closed out the regular season on Friday with a 2-1 loss at No. 4 Valley. The Tigers' win, coupled with No. 1 Waukee Northwest's 4-2 victory at No. 7 Ankeny Centennial, allowed the Wolves to tie Ankeny for the CIML Conference title. "The … [Read more...] about ‘It’s our Achilles’ heel’: Hawkettes lose another PK shootout, share CIML crown

Hawks beat Indianola in substate team tourney before falling to C.R. Washington

by

The Ankeny boys' tennis squad advanced to the semifinals of a Class 2A substate team tournament on Saturday before dropping a 5-1 decision at seventh-ranked Cedar Rapids Washington, which lost a total of only 10 games in the five singles matches that it won. The Warriors (11-4) advanced to play Johnston (6-4) in the substate final on Wednesday. The Hawks … [Read more...] about Hawks beat Indianola in substate team tourney before falling to C.R. Washington

No. 1 Wolves top Centennial girls, earn share of CIML Conference championship

by

Freshman Ayrissa Robinson recorded a hat trick to lead the top-ranked Waukee Northwest girls' soccer team to a 4-2 victory at No. 7 Ankeny Centennial on Friday, allowing the Wolves to earn a share of the CIML Conference title when No. 2 Ankeny lost at No. 4 Valley in a shootout. Northwest scored twice off corner kicks in the second half to break a 2-2 … [Read more...] about No. 1 Wolves top Centennial girls, earn share of CIML Conference championship

‘We just didn’t finish chances’: Jaguars suffer their 3rd straight shutout loss

by

The Ankeny Centennial boys' soccer team will have a full week to figure out its offensive woes. The Jaguars closed out the regular season on Friday with a third consecutive shutout loss, dropping a 2-0 decision at third-ranked Waukee Northwest. The Wolves finished 6-2 in the CIML Conference and improved to 12-3 overall, while Centennial's records dropped … [Read more...] about ‘We just didn’t finish chances’: Jaguars suffer their 3rd straight shutout loss

Former Centennial basketball player Louis passes away at the age of 19

by

The leading scorer on the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team in the 2021-22 season has passed away at the age of 19. Chris Louis, who averaged 12.1 points per game while helping the Jaguars to a 12-10 record as a senior, died unexpectedly last week. Here is Louis' obituary: Christian Louis, a vibrant soul, bid farewell to this world on May 3, … [Read more...] about Former Centennial basketball player Louis passes away at the age of 19

Tentative qualifiers announced for coed state track and field meet

by

The tentative qualifiers for this year's coed state track and field meet at Drake Stadium have been announced. Here are all of the qualifiers from Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial: Girls 100--Morgan Posusta (AC) 200--Karsen Jacks (A) 400--Charlee Cibula (A), Morgan Johnson (A), Ellie Pollock (AC) 800--Ellie Blevins (AC), Julia Flick (AC), Alli … [Read more...] about Tentative qualifiers announced for coed state track and field meet

‘I’m proud of the boys’: Depleted Hawks fall to Valley boys, drop to 9-7 on season

by

A week off to prepare for postseason play might be just what the Ankeny boys' soccer team needs. Unfortunately, the seventh-ranked Hawks still have one game left to close out the regular season. Ankeny dropped a 3-0 decision on Friday to visiting Valley, one of the state's hottest teams. The No. 5 Tigers extended their winning streak to 13 … [Read more...] about ‘I’m proud of the boys’: Depleted Hawks fall to Valley boys, drop to 9-7 on season

Ankeny girls edge Roughriders, will play No. 4 Valley in regional semifinal Tuesday

by

The Ankeny girls' tennis team will get a shot at CIML Conference rival Valley after all. The Hawkettes won two of the three doubles matches to beat visiting Des Moines Roosevelt, 5-4, in the quarterfinals of a Class 2A regional team tournament on Friday. The Roughriders finished the season with a 6-4 record. Ankeny (4-8) will play No. 4 Valley (9-3) in … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls edge Roughriders, will play No. 4 Valley in regional semifinal Tuesday

‘We had an amazing night’: Centennial teams break 3 school records at SQM

by

A weather delay of nearly an hour couldn't slow down the Ankeny Centennial track teams. Both squads turned in some stellar performances on Thursday in a Class 4A state qualifying meet at Waukee Northwest. The meet was halted at about 5:15 p.m. due to rain and lightning, but was able to resume 50 minutes later. "We had an amazing night of competition!" … [Read more...] about ‘We had an amazing night’: Centennial teams break 3 school records at SQM

Drefke earns medalist honors again, leads Jaguars to victory over Ankeny

by

Ankeny Centennial's Payton Drefke earned medalist honors for the third time in four days and for the fifth time this season on Thursday. The senior carded a 4-over-par 39 at Copper Creek to finish one stroke ahead of Southeast Polk's Kate Wahman in a CIML Conference triangular meet. Her round was highlighted by a birdie on the par-4, No. 4 … [Read more...] about Drefke earns medalist honors again, leads Jaguars to victory over Ankeny

Hawks, Hawkettes sweep team titles at Class 4A SQM in impressive fashion

by

It was a jubilant bus ride home for the Ankeny track teams on Thursday night. Both squads captured team titles in a Class 4A state qualifying meet at Council Bluffs. More importantly, the Hawkettes and Hawks unofficially qualified for next week's state meet in 17 and 15 events, respectively. "We are so excited with how our team competed," said Ankeny … [Read more...] about Hawks, Hawkettes sweep team titles at Class 4A SQM in impressive fashion

Hawkettes, Jaguars earn No. 1 regional seeds, but face tough roads to state

by

The road to the state tournament won't be an easy one for the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial girls' soccer teams. Both the Hawkettes and Jaguars earned No. 1 seeds for regional play from the Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union, but will likely have to beat familiar opponents from the CIML Conference in order to qualify for state. Second-ranked Ankeny … [Read more...] about Hawkettes, Jaguars earn No. 1 regional seeds, but face tough roads to state

Indian Hills’ Fulk named NJCAA Region 11 D1 Softball Offensive Player of Year

by

Former Ankeny softball standout Eva Fulk, a sophomore outfielder at Indian Hills Community College, has been named the 2024 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 11 DI Softball Offensive Player of the Year, announced by the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) on Wednesday. Fulk, who was named to the NJCAA All-Region 11 … [Read more...] about Indian Hills’ Fulk named NJCAA Region 11 D1 Softball Offensive Player of Year

Victor uses ‘Herculean effort’ to become Ankeny’s first state qualifier since 2017

by

Ankeny junior Dylan Victor is headed to the boys' state tennis tournament later this month. Victor qualified with a second-place finish in singles at a Class 2A district tournament on Wednesday at Norwalk. He became the Hawks' first state qualifier since Griffin Laib in 2017. "I had a little bit of confidence based on the schools we were playing," said … [Read more...] about Victor uses ‘Herculean effort’ to become Ankeny’s first state qualifier since 2017

Drefke wins conference title by 9 shots, leads Centennial to 3rd-place finish

by

Ankeny Centennial's Payton Drefke entered the final round of the CIML Conference girls' golf meet with a three-stroke lead. The senior didn't have to sweat out a narrow victory. Drefke carded a 4-over-par 75 on Wednesday at Otter Creek to finish with a 36-hole total of 152, allowing her to earn medalist honors by nine strokes over Adalyn Wiig of Waukee … [Read more...] about Drefke wins conference title by 9 shots, leads Centennial to 3rd-place finish