Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Hawks

Ankeny girls surge past Warriors behind barrage of 3s from Baldwin, Schaapveld

by

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Some photos will be added to this story on Tuesday. Apologies for the delay.) The Ankeny girls' basketball team relied heavily on all-state guard Jayla Williams to reach the state tournament for the first time since 2013. But on a day when Williams became the program's all-time leading scorer, it was the squad's supporting cast who led … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls surge past Warriors behind barrage of 3s from Baldwin, Schaapveld

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Jayla Williams, Ankeny girls’ basketball

by

Senior guard Jayla Williams has led the sixth-ranked Ankeny girls' basketball team to a 15-8 record. The Creighton recruit ranks among the leaders in Class 5A in scoring (21.1 points), steals (3.5) and field goals made (8.1) per game. Williams scored 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out six assists as Ankeny rolled to a … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Jayla Williams, Ankeny girls’ basketball

Aguirre records rare triple-double, leads Hawks to rout over Valley in substate play

by

There was no chance that Rio Aguirre and the Ankeny boys' basketball team were going to overlook their first opponent in postseason play. CIML Conference rival Valley entered Friday's game at Ankeny with just two wins, but the Tigers were still the three-time defending Class 4A state champions. And, they were riding the momentum of a 62-59 triumph at … [Read more...] about Aguirre records rare triple-double, leads Hawks to rout over Valley in substate play

‘It’s so incredible!’: Ankeny routs S.C. East, advances to state for first time since 2013

by

(Story by Stephen McDaniel) After 13 years, the wait is officially over. The Ankeny girls' basketball team is headed to the state tournament. The sixth-ranked Hawkettes ended their drought by defeating No. 11 Sioux City East, 60-30, in a Class 5A regional final on Tuesday at Ankeny. “It’s so incredible!” senior guard Ainsley Kiene said with a … [Read more...] about ‘It’s so incredible!’: Ankeny routs S.C. East, advances to state for first time since 2013

Hawkettes rout S.C. North, advance to regional final for 6th consecutive year

by

The Ankeny girls' basketball team moved one step closer toward ending its state tournament drought. The sixth-ranked Hawkettes rolled to a 57-21 victory over visiting Sioux City North in a Class 5A regional semifinal on Saturday. They are now one win away from advancing to the state tournament for the first time since 2013--before the community of Ankeny … [Read more...] about Hawkettes rout S.C. North, advance to regional final for 6th consecutive year

Rathjen earns runner-up medal after falling, 4-2, to longtime training partner

by

It was the kind of match that you'd expect between two wrestlers who have been training partners for several years. When Ankeny sophomore Calvin Rathjen and Indianola junior Mac Crosson battled for the Class 3A 165-pound championship on Saturday night at the Casey's Center, both competitors knew that one takedown--or one mistake--could decide the … [Read more...] about Rathjen earns runner-up medal after falling, 4-2, to longtime training partner

Vandermark, Walsh close out high school wrestling careers with 4th-place finishes

by

Seniors Cale Vandermark of Ankeny Centennial at 126 pounds and Ben Walsh of Ankeny at 120 closed out their high school wrestling careers with fourth-place finishes in the Class 3A state tournament on Saturday at the Casey's Center. Centennial also got a sixth-place finish from senior Brandon Bogseth at 215. Junior Ethan Sodergren took seventh for the … [Read more...] about Vandermark, Walsh close out high school wrestling careers with 4th-place finishes

Ankeny’s Rathjen, Centennial’s Dhabolt to wrestle for state titles on Saturday night

by

Ankeny Centennial junior Max Dhabolt is one win away from capturing a second consecutive state wrestling title. Sophomore Calvin Rathjen of Ankeny has a chance to claim his first crown. Both standouts advanced to Saturday's championship matches with dominant performances on Friday night in the Class 3A semifinals at the Casey's Center. The … [Read more...] about Ankeny’s Rathjen, Centennial’s Dhabolt to wrestle for state titles on Saturday night

Hawks top No. 3 Dowling in season finale, spoil Maroons’ bid for share of CIML crown

by

(Story by Stephen McDaniel) In less than two weeks, there’s a chance that the Ankeny boys' basketball team’s path to a state tournament appearance will run through Waukee Northwest. But the Hawks tossed fourth-ranked Northwest and No. 2 Waukee an assist to close out the regular season. Ankeny used a pair of big runs in the second and third quarters … [Read more...] about Hawks top No. 3 Dowling in season finale, spoil Maroons’ bid for share of CIML crown

Walsh, Rathjen advance to semifinals, but Hawks fall into tie for 12th in Class 3A

by

The Ankeny wrestling team advanced the third-seeded duo of Ben Walsh and Calvin Rathjen into Friday night's semifinals of the Class 3A state tournament at the Casey's Center. The Hawks have scored 52.5 points, but their hopes for a top-10 finish took a major hit on Thursday when all five of their wrestlers in the consolation bracket were eliminated from … [Read more...] about Walsh, Rathjen advance to semifinals, but Hawks fall into tie for 12th in Class 3A

Hawks sit in 10th place in Class 3A; Jags advance 4 wrestlers into quarterfinals

by

The Ankeny wrestling team sits in 10th place with 34.5 points heading into the second day of the Class 3A state tournament at the Casey's Center. Crosstown rival Ankeny Centennial, meanwhile, bounced back from a winless opening round on Wednesday to advance four wrestlers into Thursday's quarterfinals. The Jaguars are tied for 22nd place with 23 … [Read more...] about Hawks sit in 10th place in Class 3A; Jags advance 4 wrestlers into quarterfinals

‘I’m back feeling really confident’: Hawks end slide behind Campbell’s career night

by

(Story by Jordan Wood) Not to be overshadowed by the earlier news of a substate No. 2 seed, the Ankeny boys' basketball team bounced back from a humbling 0-3 week to dominate visiting Dallas Center-Grimes, 78-51, in a non-conference game on Monday. The result won’t do much for their standing as they approach the postseason, but it is likely to give the … [Read more...] about ‘I’m back feeling really confident’: Hawks end slide behind Campbell’s career night

‘I thought we battled through adversity’: Ankeny bowlers take 5th at district meet

by

A tough field awaited the Ankeny boys' bowling team in a Class 3A district meet on Monday. It was going to take a huge performance at Wayward Social in Marshalltown for Ankeny to qualify for the state tournament. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. Coach Adam Booth's team placed fifth among the eight squads with a score of 2,713. "After a three-hour … [Read more...] about ‘I thought we battled through adversity’: Ankeny bowlers take 5th at district meet

Boys’ substate pairings announced: Hawks, Jaguars receive tough draws

by

Both the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball teams received tough postseason draws from the Iowa High School Athletic Association. The Class 4A substate pairings were announced on Monday. The Hawks (9-10) are the No. 2 seed in Substate 3, while the Jaguars (7-12) are the No. 3 seed in Substate 2. Centennial will host a substate quarterfinal … [Read more...] about Boys’ substate pairings announced: Hawks, Jaguars receive tough draws

THE MADNESS BEGINS: State wrestling tourney brackets announced by IHSAA

by

The Class 3A state wrestling tournament brackets have been announced by the Iowa High School Athletic Association. Four of Ankeny Centennial's 10 qualifiers earned a top-eight seed and will receive a first-round bye. Two of Ankeny's nine qualifiers earned a No. 3 seed and will also receive a first-round bye. The Class 3A tournament begins on Wednesday … [Read more...] about THE MADNESS BEGINS: State wrestling tourney brackets announced by IHSAA

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Jake Smith, Ankeny boys’ swimming

by

Sophomore Jake Smith helped the Ankeny boys' swimming team to a 17th-place finish in the state meet on Friday and Saturday at the University of Iowa's Campus Recreation & Wellness Center in Iowa City. He scored points in both of his individual events. Smith placed 15th in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:46.54. He later took ninth in the 500 … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Jake Smith, Ankeny boys’ swimming

‘That was a super tough district’: Hawks advance 9 wrestlers to state tournament

by

Whatever advantage the Ankeny wrestling team enjoyed by hosting a Class 3A district tournament on Saturday was offset by a loaded field that provided a huge challenge for the Hawks. Ankeny placed third in the eight-team field with 185.5 points and qualified nine wrestlers for the state tournament. Linn-Mar (Marion) captured the district crown with 218 … [Read more...] about ‘That was a super tough district’: Hawks advance 9 wrestlers to state tournament

‘We had a great meet’: Ankeny swimmers place 17th at state despite DQ in last race

by

Ankeny senior Bryer Pearson earned a spot on the awards podium in his final boys' high school state swimming meet. Pearson placed third in the 100 butterfly on Saturday at the University of Iowa's Campus Recreation & Wellness Center. He set a personal record of 49.60 after breaking the 50-second mark for the first time during Friday's preliminaries, … [Read more...] about ‘We had a great meet’: Ankeny swimmers place 17th at state despite DQ in last race

‘It’s maybe the story of our season’: Hawks’ late lead slips away against Johnston

by

A late scoring drought resulted in a third consecutive loss for the Ankeny boys' basketball team. The seventh-ranked Hawks were held to just one basket in the final 4 minutes and dropped a 54-52 decision to visiting Johnston on Friday. It was the fourth straight win for the Dragons, who avenged an earlier five-point loss while wrapping up a fifth-place … [Read more...] about ‘It’s maybe the story of our season’: Hawks’ late lead slips away against Johnston