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Regional volleyball pairings announced: Jags, Hawkettes, Eagles to start at home

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The regional volleyball pairings were announced on Thursday by the Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union. As expected, both Ankeny Centennial and Ankeny earned No. 1 seeds in Class 5A, meaning that the Jaguars and Hawkettes will only have to win two matches--both of them at home--to advance to the state tournament in Coralville. Second-ranked … [Read more...] about Regional volleyball pairings announced: Jags, Hawkettes, Eagles to start at home

No. 1 Wolves sweep Ankeny for their 15th straight win, clinch share of CIML crown

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The Ankeny volleyball team put together a few brief runs against top-ranked Waukee Northwest on Tuesday. It's difficult, though, to sustain any kind of momentum against the powerful Wolves--who boast four Division I recruits. Northwest eventually pulled away in each set to post a 25-19, 25-18, 25-16 victory at No. 4 Ankeny, allowing the Wolves to … [Read more...] about No. 1 Wolves sweep Ankeny for their 15th straight win, clinch share of CIML crown

‘We had fun with it’: Swimmers begin busy week with 132-54 loss to No. 1 Dowling

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There wasn't much pressure Tuesday on the Ankeny girls' swimming team. So coach Dustin Rhoads and his swimmers decided to have some fun in their home dual meet against top-ranked Dowling Catholic. "It was good to be back home competing. We enjoyed hosting Dowling," Rhoads said after his No. 7 squad dropped a 132-54 decision at Trail Point Aquatics … [Read more...] about ‘We had fun with it’: Swimmers begin busy week with 132-54 loss to No. 1 Dowling

‘We just didn’t play up to our potential’: Ankeny golfers place 8th at district meet

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On Tuesday, the Ankeny boys' golf team finished just seven stokes behind sixth-ranked Valley, the Class 4A state champion in 2023 and last year's third-place finisher. On some days, that might have been good enough to allow the Hawks to earn a third consecutive trip to the state meet. But on this particular sunny day, it wasn't nearly … [Read more...] about ‘We just didn’t play up to our potential’: Ankeny golfers place 8th at district meet

Hawks are No. 7, Jaguars No. 14 in initial Class 5A RPI football rankings from IHSAA

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Both Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial are in position to make the Class 5A football playoffs with three weeks left to go in the regular season. The Iowa High School Athletic Association unveiled its initial RPI rankings for Class 5A on Monday. The Hawks are No. 7 with an RPI of 0.6085, while the Jaguars are No. 14 with an RPI of 0.5285. The RPI … [Read more...] about Hawks are No. 7, Jaguars No. 14 in initial Class 5A RPI football rankings from IHSAA

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Ivy Wiegand, Ankeny girls’ cross country

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Senior Ivy Wiegand led the 20th-ranked Ankeny girls' cross country team to a ninth-place finish in the Southeast Polk Invitational on Thursday. She placed 35th in the 5K race with a time of 21 minutes 34 seconds. Wiegand placed 89th for the Hawkettes in last year's Class 4A state meet. She was clocked in 20:14. Here is some inside info on … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Ivy Wiegand, Ankeny girls’ cross country

Smith returns to lineup, helps Hawks to 6th-place finish at Steve Johnson Invite

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The return of Isaiah Smith to the lineup provided a huge boost for the Ankeny boys' cross country team on Saturday. Smith placed 24th in the Steve Johnson Invitational at Waverly to lead the Hawks to a sixth-place finish in the 35-team field. He posted a time of 16 minutes 36 seconds in the 5K race. Smith had been sidelined due to an injury since he … [Read more...] about Smith returns to lineup, helps Hawks to 6th-place finish at Steve Johnson Invite

‘It was a total team loss’: Hawks’ late lead slips away against No. 5 Johnston

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The Ankeny football team just couldn’t find a way to get its offense and defense to sync up in a top-five showdown. As fourth-ranked Ankeny’s offense started to get going in the second half, so did No. 5 Johnston and the Dragons were able to pull out a 30-21 victory on Friday at Ankeny Stadium. “Obviously, we’re … [Read more...] about ‘It was a total team loss’: Hawks’ late lead slips away against No. 5 Johnston

Shorthanded Hawkettes race to 9th-place finish on difficult course at S.E. Polk Invite

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A shorthanded Ankeny girls' cross country team competed in the Southeast Polk Invitational on Thursday. And if that wasn't enough of a challenge, the course itself proved to be very difficult. "The course was modified this year because of some construction on the football stadium, which resulted in the runners running two more hills than last year," … [Read more...] about Shorthanded Hawkettes race to 9th-place finish on difficult course at S.E. Polk Invite

Centennial golfers place 7th, Hawks finish 8th at loaded CIML Conference meet

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Throughout the regular season, the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys' golf teams have had to compete against many of the state's best squads on a regular basis. On Wednesday, the Hawks and Jaguars got to play against all of the CIML Conference's best teams at the same meet. The conference meet was held at Beaver Creek Golf Course in Grimes, where the … [Read more...] about Centennial golfers place 7th, Hawks finish 8th at loaded CIML Conference meet

Ankeny swimmers win 6 of first 8 events, but Johnston rallies for 102-84 victory

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The Ankeny and Johnston girls' swimming teams took turns earning first-place finishes during a CIML Conference dual meet on Tuesday at Summit Middle School. Each squad won six of the 12 events, but in the end the seventh-ranked Dragons relied on their depth to post a 102-84 victory. They improved to 3-1 in the conference and 15-2 overall, while No. 5 … [Read more...] about Ankeny swimmers win 6 of first 8 events, but Johnston rallies for 102-84 victory

‘We just had no answers’: Hawkettes’ momentum stalls in loss at No. 6 Dowling

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The Ankeny volleyball team was poised to possibly move up in this week's Class 5A rankings following Thursday's impressive victory in the Jag-Hawk showdown. Now, the No. 4 Hawkettes might be fortunate to hold onto their current ranking. Ankeny traveled to Dowling Catholic on Tuesday for its fourth consecutive CIML Conference match on the road and … [Read more...] about ‘We just had no answers’: Hawkettes’ momentum stalls in loss at No. 6 Dowling

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Gavin Ross, Ankeny boys’ golf

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Senior Gavin Ross shot a 78 to help the Ankeny boys' golf team to a seventh-place finish in the Southeast Polk Invitational on Wednesday at Copper Creek. The Hawks posted a 314 total. Ross has been the Hawks' No. 1 player all season, averaging 38.8 strokes for nine holes. He carded a career-best 68 to earn runner-up honors in a triangular meet on Sept. 10 … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Gavin Ross, Ankeny boys’ golf

Hawks build 26-0 lead, then hold off S.C. East’s furious rally for homecoming win

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Two of the state's top defensive units were on display Friday night at Ankeny Stadium. In the end, the fourth-ranked Ankeny football team made just enough plays to hold on for a 26-20 victory over previously unbeaten Sioux City East. It was the Class 5A District 3 opener for the Hawks (4-1), who survived an onside kick with 20 seconds left to extend their … [Read more...] about Hawks build 26-0 lead, then hold off S.C. East’s furious rally for homecoming win

‘It feels amazing!’: Hawkettes earn first victory over Centennial since 2022 season

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) It’s been 1,087 days since the Ankeny volleyball team managed to defeat crosstown rival Ankeny Centennial, and the Hawkettes knew they were due for a win. Now that streak has finally come to an end. The fourth-ranked Hawkettes dropped the first set on Thursday before rallying to knock off No. 3 Centennial in four sets … [Read more...] about ‘It feels amazing!’: Hawkettes earn first victory over Centennial since 2022 season

‘We felt very out of sync’: Jags fall short in rivalry match despite Heither’s return

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The return of junior middle hitter Sophia Heither provided a spark for the Ankeny Centennial volleyball team on Thursday. It wasn't enough to lift the third-ranked Jaguars to a sixth consecutive victory over No. 4 Ankeny. The visiting Hawkettes rallied from a one-set deficit to post a 19-25, 25-23, 28-26, 25-20 win over their crosstown rival. They … [Read more...] about ‘We felt very out of sync’: Jags fall short in rivalry match despite Heither’s return

‘We competed hard’: Ankeny swimmers drop 124-62 decision at No. 3 Cedar Falls

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The Ankeny girls' swimming team has already faced some of the state's top squads with its daunting schedule in the CIML Conference. On Thursday, the Hawkettes stepped out of the CIML for a non-conference dual meet at Cedar Falls. And it proved to be just as difficult. The third-ranked Tigers raised their overall record to 30-1 with a 124-62 victory … [Read more...] about ‘We competed hard’: Ankeny swimmers drop 124-62 decision at No. 3 Cedar Falls

Jaguars, Hawks see some positive signs after placing 6th and 7th at S.E. Polk Invite

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There's only one more week for the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys' golf teams to find the right formula that produces a berth to the Class 4A state meet. Both squads finished in the middle of the pack--again--in the Southeast Polk Invitational on Wednesday at Copper Creek. Centennial shot a 306 and placed sixth in the 11-team field. Ironically, the … [Read more...] about Jaguars, Hawks see some positive signs after placing 6th and 7th at S.E. Polk Invite