Ankeny Fanatic

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Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Reilly Johnson, Ankeny girls’ tennis

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Senior Reilly Johnson helped the Ankeny girls' tennis team to a 6-9 record in 2019. She was the team's No. 4 or 5 player most of the season. Johnson was also a member of the Ankeny volleyball team, helping the Hawkettes to a 37-6 mark last fall. She racked up 127 kills, 34 blocks and 41 digs. Here is some inside info on Johnson: Even though your … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Reilly Johnson, Ankeny girls’ tennis

Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny girls’ soccer team

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When the Ankeny girls' soccer program began in 1996, the Hawkettes didn't immediately find success. Ankeny struggled in its first three seasons, going a combined 12-33-1 under coach Rhonda Fors. However, Fors turned the program around in 1999, guiding the Hawkettes to a 12-7 record for their first winning season. Since then, the Ankeny program … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny girls’ soccer team

Ankeny Fanatic Preps of the Week: Claire Beath and Rachel Moore, girls’ golf

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Claire Beath is a member of the Ankeny Centennial girls' golf team, while fellow senior Rachel Moore plays for crosstown rival Ankeny. Their 2020 season was wiped out due to the coronavirus. Beath posted an average score of 56.9 strokes as a junior. Moore finished the 2019 season with a 59.4 average. Here is some inside info on the duo: Even though … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Preps of the Week: Claire Beath and Rachel Moore, girls’ golf

Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny girls’ golf team

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Nobody is more associated with the Ankeny girls' golf program than Toni Dickey. Dickey played for the Hawkettes in high school and later became the head coach of the program for 31 years. She led Ankeny to three state titles and also coached four individual state champions before retiring after the 2017 season. Those individual champs--Sarah Gilbert, … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny girls’ golf team

Summer sports athletes preparing for return to field with precautions

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Jasmine Rumley wasn't sure if she'd get another chance to wear her Ankeny softball uniform. Now, it appears that she will. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced last week that summer athletic seasons may be conducted for high school baseball and softball following a two-month suspension of activities due to the coronavirus. Practices will begin on June … [Read more...] about Summer sports athletes preparing for return to field with precautions

Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny bowling teams

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In the last month, Ankeny Fanatic has unveiled its all-time Ankeny teams in boys' and girls' basketball, wrestling and boys' swimming. Now, in order to complete the winter sports, it's time to focus on bowling--the newest of the sports that are sanctioned by the high school governing bodies. The girls' program began in the 2007-08 season after the Iowa … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny bowling teams

‘PLAY BALL!’: Gov. Reynolds approves high school summer sports

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The suspension of high school athletics due to COVID-19 will come to an end next month. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced on Wednesday at her daily press briefing that summer athletic seasons may be conducted for high school baseball and softball following a two-month activities suspension due to the coronavirus. The announcement approved the … [Read more...] about ‘PLAY BALL!’: Gov. Reynolds approves high school summer sports

Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny boys’ swimming team

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The history of Ankeny boys' swimming dates back to the 1980s--before the Ankeny YMCA was even built. Mike Johnson graduated before Ankeny had an indoor swimming pool, so he traveled to Dowling High School twice a day for a pair of three-hour practices. He participated in high school meets in order to qualify for the state meet by swimming in Valley's … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny boys’ swimming team

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Jacob Baier, Ankeny boys’ track

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Senior Jacob Baier was expected to have a big season for the Ankeny boys' track team. He placed sixth in the discus at last year's Class 4A state meet with a throw of 153 feet 9 inches, helping the Hawks to a sixth-place finish. Baier was also a standout on the football field last fall, when he helped Ankeny to an 8-3 record and a Class 4A quarterfinal … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Jacob Baier, Ankeny boys’ track

Ankeny QB Bauer plans to make decision after his senior season

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The buzz around Ankeny quarterback Jase Bauer is beginning to grow, even during these uncertain times. Bauer helped lead the Hawks to a 7-4 record and a Class 4A quarterfinal appearance last season. He passed for 2,207 yards and 20 touchdowns while completing 61.5 percent of his passes (126-of-205). Bauer was named to the Class 4A all-state first team … [Read more...] about Ankeny QB Bauer plans to make decision after his senior season

Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny wrestling team

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(EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is dedicated to longtime Des Moines Register wrestling reporter Dan McCool, who died on Monday at the age of 60. Dan was a legend in the wrestling community and will be sorely missed. I was working for the Register as a correspondent in the 80s and one of the first big events that I was asked to cover was to help out Dan with state … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny wrestling team

Ankeny’s Reynolds, Centennial’s Hron to play soccer at Simpson College

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Two more Ankeny-area soccer players have decided to spend the next four years in Indianola. Ankeny senior Ben Reynolds has committed to play for Simpson College. He joins his teammate Colby Cheney, who previously committed to the Storm. "The fact that I already knew Colby was going to Simpson helped me in knowing that I would be going along with a … [Read more...] about Ankeny’s Reynolds, Centennial’s Hron to play soccer at Simpson College

First-year coaches Varnum, Espinosa deal with devastation of lost season

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Perhaps nobody was more excited to coach his team this spring than Ankeny boys' soccer coach Marcus Varnum. Unless it was Ankeny Centennial girls' tennis coach Armando Espinosa. Both Espinosa and Varnum were first-year head coaches who had their debut seasons wiped out by the coronavirus. Espinosa, the head tennis professional at Ames Fitness Center, … [Read more...] about First-year coaches Varnum, Espinosa deal with devastation of lost season

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Malea Daugherty, Ankeny senior

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Ankeny senior Malea Daugherty has been a standout in three sports--track, volleyball and softball--during her high school career. She helped the Hawkettes reach the semifinals of the Class 5A state volleyball tournament last fall. On the track, Daugherty ran on Ankeny's eighth-place shuttle hurdle relay at last year's Class 4A state meet. She also ran on … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Malea Daugherty, Ankeny senior

Prized Ankeny football recruit Brecht plans to make decision by end of June

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Ankeny football star Brody Brecht has narrowed his list of schools down to Iowa and Iowa State. Ankeny Fanatic publisher Dan Holm caught up with the junior receiver, who is one of the state's top prospects in the Class of 2021, to get an update on his recruitment. Well Brody, you previously said you were hoping to commit after taking your official visits … [Read more...] about Prized Ankeny football recruit Brecht plans to make decision by end of June

‘Some things we can’t control’: Athletes, coaches react to cancellation of sports

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Katie Petersen got together with some of her Ankeny Centennial teammates on Thursday night to continue preparing for what she thought would be her final high school track season. "I was just at the track with a few friends, and we were talking about our new meet schedules and who was going to be on our shuttle (hurdle relay)," said Petersen, one of the … [Read more...] about ‘Some things we can’t control’: Athletes, coaches react to cancellation of sports

Ex-Ankeny battery of Voigt, Anderberg to return for 2021 baseball season

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Greg Anderberg wears No. 7 on his George Washington University baseball uniform. His former Ankeny teammate, Jack Voigt, wears the same number for his squad at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. That isn't the only thing that the duo has in common. Both Anderberg and Voigt played two seasons of junior college baseball before moving on to … [Read more...] about Ex-Ankeny battery of Voigt, Anderberg to return for 2021 baseball season

CANCELLED: COVID-19 wipes out spring high school activities

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The Ankeny girls' soccer team won't have a chance to defend its Class 3A state title. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced on Friday that all schools will remain closed through the end of the school year due to the ongoing threat of the coronavirus. All spring high school activities have now been cancelled. "I'm just setting up meetings now with the kids … [Read more...] about CANCELLED: COVID-19 wipes out spring high school activities