Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Dan Holm

Hawkettes’ 11-match winning streak ends with quarterfinal loss to reigning champs

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One of the axioms in sports is that it's difficult to beat the same team three times. When that opponent is a talented young squad that has continued to get better throughout the season, it's even tougher to do it a fourth time. That proved to be the case for the Ankeny volleyball team on Monday in the Class 5A quarterfinals at the state … [Read more...] about Hawkettes’ 11-match winning streak ends with quarterfinal loss to reigning champs

Jaguars sweep Cedar Falls behind Miller’s 24 kills, earn 3rd straight trip to semifinals

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The Ankeny Centennial volleyball team is headed back to the Class 5A semifinals for the third consecutive year. The second-ranked Jaguars posted a 25-19, 25-22, 25-23 victory over No. 7 Cedar Falls in the quarterfinals of the state tournament on Monday at Xtream Arena in Coralville. "It feels incredible," said Centennial outside hitter Delaney Miller, … [Read more...] about Jaguars sweep Cedar Falls behind Miller’s 24 kills, earn 3rd straight trip to semifinals

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Maya Ridgeway, Ankeny volleyball

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Senior outside hitter Maya Ridgeway had seven kills to help the third-ranked Ankeny volleyball team to a 25-15, 25-10, 27-25 victory over visiting Iowa City High in a Class 5A regional final on Tuesday. The Hawkettes (36-4) advanced to the state tournament for the seventh consecutive year. Ridgeway currently ranks fourth on the team with 217 kills in 583 … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Maya Ridgeway, Ankeny volleyball

‘I really liked the team and coaches’: Sickerson verbally commits to UNI

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Ankeny sprinter Tyler Sickerson is fully healthy now, and he's made his college plans. The senior announced his verbal commitment over the weekend to join the Northern Iowa men's track and field program in the fall of 2025. "I really liked the team and coaches at UNI," said Sickerson. "I have a lot of teammates that I ran with in the past that already … [Read more...] about ‘I really liked the team and coaches’: Sickerson verbally commits to UNI

Ankeny Christian boys’ cross country squad earns runner-up finish in Class 1A

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Ankeny Christian Academy might need a bigger trophy case. With the school's volleyball team just a few days away from possibly winning a third consecutive Class 1A championship, the ACA boys' cross country squad picked up its own hardware on Saturday. The fifth-ranked Eagles raced to a runner-up finish in the Class 1A state meet at Lakeside Golf Course … [Read more...] about Ankeny Christian boys’ cross country squad earns runner-up finish in Class 1A

‘I knew he was ready to break out’: Larmie runs for 279 yards, 4 TDs in Hawks’ victory

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Ankeny Centennial's Braeden Jackson put on a show Friday night at Ankeny Stadium. Over the next few hours, Ankeny's Daniel Larmie proved to be just as spectacular. The junior running back rushed for 279 yards and four touchdowns to lead the eighth-seeded Hawks to a 47-21 victory over No. 9 Linn-Mar (Marion) in the nightcap of a first-round Class 5A … [Read more...] about ‘I knew he was ready to break out’: Larmie runs for 279 yards, 4 TDs in Hawks’ victory

Jackson erupts for 372 all-purpose yards, 6 TDs in Jaguars’ win over Iowa City High

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Braeden Jackson felt pretty good when he woke up on Friday, and that turned out to be the worst possible news for the Iowa City Little Hawks. Ankeny Centennial’s standout running back delivered an historic performance as he amassed 372 all-purpose yards and six total touchdowns to lead the seventh-seeded Jaguars to a 52-28 … [Read more...] about Jackson erupts for 372 all-purpose yards, 6 TDs in Jaguars’ win over Iowa City High

‘It’s the greatest feeling ever’: Zuber wins 2nd title, leads Hawks to 8th-place finish

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Ankeny's Ethan Zuber raised his arms in triumph as he crossed the finish line on Friday. The senior pulled away in the final half mile to defend his boys' Class 4A state cross country title at Fort Dodge. He posted a time of 15:01.2 in the 5K race. "It's the greatest feeling ever to come across with that win," said Zuber. "I'm very excited to see how … [Read more...] about ‘It’s the greatest feeling ever’: Zuber wins 2nd title, leads Hawks to 8th-place finish

Centennial’s Vander Wilt, Moll nearly cross finish line together in boys’ Class 4A race

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It wasn't planned, but the Ankeny Centennial duo of Brayden Vander Wilt and Cohen Moll nearly crossed the finish line together during the boys' Class 4A state cross country meet on Friday at Fort Dodge. Vander Wilt, a senior, closed out his career with a 73rd-place finish. He posted a time of 16:39.6 on the 5K course. "I don't knew where I finished, … [Read more...] about Centennial’s Vander Wilt, Moll nearly cross finish line together in boys’ Class 4A race

‘It was an amazing day of racing!’: Jaguars place 4th, Hawkettes take 7th in Class 4A

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' cross country team did everything it could to capture a trophy on Friday. The fourth-ranked Jaguars simply lost to three better squads. Centennial placed fourth in the Class 4A state meet at Fort Dodge with 145 points. The Jaguars finished 12 points behind No. 3 Dubuque Senior for the third-place trophy. No. 1 Pleasant … [Read more...] about ‘It was an amazing day of racing!’: Jaguars place 4th, Hawkettes take 7th in Class 4A

‘It’s kind of a relief’: Two-time defending champ Eagles move closer to threepeat

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The Eagles are soaring back to Coralville with a chance to make history. Two-time reigning Class 1A state volleyball champion Ankeny Christian Academy has its sights set on a threepeat, and the top-ranked Eagles are one step closer to that goal after sweeping Southeast Warren, 25-15, 25-14, 25-11, in the Region 1 … [Read more...] about ‘It’s kind of a relief’: Two-time defending champ Eagles move closer to threepeat

‘It’s one of the best feelings ever’: No. 2 Jaguars are headed back to Coralville

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) By no means is the Ankeny Centennial volleyball program charting unfamiliar territory. But that doesn’t mean the feeling of winning a region championship and punching its ticket back to the Class 5A state tournament isn’t still one of the greatest feelings on the planet. “Honestly, it’s one of the best feelings ever,” … [Read more...] about ‘It’s one of the best feelings ever’: No. 2 Jaguars are headed back to Coralville

‘It’s just really special’: Hawkettes sweep Iowa City High, earn another trip to state

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The players on the Ankeny volleyball team aren't just teammates. They're also best friends--and perhaps that's a big part of their success. The third-ranked Hawkettes advanced to the state tournament for the seventh consecutive year by sweeping No. 11 Iowa City High, 25-15, 25-10, 27-25, in a Class 5A regional final on Tuesday at Ankeny. "We're all … [Read more...] about ‘It’s just really special’: Hawkettes sweep Iowa City High, earn another trip to state

‘They’ve really changed the program’: Henkes joins Ankeny parade to Sioux Falls

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Ankeny's Caden Henkes and Ankeny Centennial's Chase Kluver both wear a No. 5 jersey for their respective football teams. At least one of them will have to wear a different number next season. Henkes, a senior running back, has verbally committed to play for the University of Sioux Falls. He becomes the fourth player from Ankeny to commit to the … [Read more...] about ‘They’ve really changed the program’: Henkes joins Ankeny parade to Sioux Falls

Eagles sweep Sigourney, will play SE Warren for another trip to 1A state tourney

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It's hard to prepare for the aggressiveness of Ankeny Christian Academy's serves. Just ask the Sigourney volleyball players. The top-ranked Eagles pounded 20 more aces and rolled to a 25-8, 25-15, 25-9 victory over visiting Sigourney in a Class 1A regional semifinal on Monday. "Our serving was solid again," said ACA coach Michele Quick, whose team … [Read more...] about Eagles sweep Sigourney, will play SE Warren for another trip to 1A state tourney

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Anna Weathers, Ankeny Christian volleyball

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Senior Anna Weathers helped the top-ranked Ankeny Christian Academy volleyball team to a sweep over visiting Melcher-Dallas in a Class 1A regional quarterfinal on Wednesday. She had five kills in five total attacks for a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage and also recorded six digs. Weathers ranks third on the team with 226 kills and is hitting .416 on the … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Anna Weathers, Ankeny Christian volleyball