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

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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

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(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

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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

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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

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(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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

Hawkettes slow pace, but No. 1 Johnston prevails to earn 73rd consecutive victory

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The Ankeny girls' basketball team held top-ranked Johnston to just 50 points in the regular-season finale on Friday at Ankeny, one of the Dragons' worst offensive performances of the year. But the two-time defending Class 5A state champions still managed to extend their winning streak to 73 games. The Dragons limited No. 5 Ankeny to its lowest scoring … [Read more...] about Hawkettes slow pace, but No. 1 Johnston prevails to earn 73rd consecutive victory

Ankeny’s Pearson, Smith, Kearney, Walsh advance to finals at boys’ state swim meet

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Four Ankeny boys' swimmers qualified for Saturday's finals in a total of five individual events during Friday's preliminaries of the state meet at the University of Iowa's Campus Recreation & Wellness Center in Iowa City. Senior Bryer Pearson was Ankeny's top qualifier. He advanced to the "A" final in the 100 butterfly by posting a time of 49.84 … [Read more...] about Ankeny’s Pearson, Smith, Kearney, Walsh advance to finals at boys’ state swim meet

Campbell returns to lineup, but Hawks get off to slow start in loss at Urbandale

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When the week began, the Ankeny boys' basketball team was No. 7 in the latest Class 4A rankings and appeared to be in good position to earn a top seed for an upcoming substate tournament. Tuesday's 58-49 loss at No. 3 Waukee Northwest probably didn't hurt the Hawks' resume too much, but Thursday's 63-54 setback at Urbandale could prove to be more … [Read more...] about Campbell returns to lineup, but Hawks get off to slow start in loss at Urbandale

‘Gavin had a great second game’: Ankeny senior places 15th at conference meet

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The Ankeny boys' bowling team placed seventh in the CIML Conference meet on Thursday at Great Escape. Ankeny posted a score of 2,604. The team competition consisted of 15 bakers games. Waukee racked up a total of 3,380 to defend its title, including a 268 in its final game. Urbandale bowled a 279 in its second game and went on to earn runner-up honors, … [Read more...] about ‘Gavin had a great second game’: Ankeny senior places 15th at conference meet

HOME COOKIN’: Hawkettes earn top seed in Region 5, Jags will also host semifinal

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The Class 5A girls' regional basketball pairings were announced on Thursday afternoon by the Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union. Fifth-ranked Ankeny (13-7) is the top seed in Region 5 and will host a semifinal game on Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. The Hawkettes will play the winner of Wednesday's game between Sioux City North (5-16) and Sioux City West … [Read more...] about HOME COOKIN’: Hawkettes earn top seed in Region 5, Jags will also host semifinal

‘A lot of guys stepped up’: Ankeny boys put scare into Wolves before falling short

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Going into the fourth quarter down just two points, the Ankeny boys' basketball team had a chance at pulling off a major road upset on Tuesday night. Third-ranked Waukee Northwest kept the door cracked open wide enough that the No. 7 Hawks were within striking distance at handing the Wolves their third loss in the last four … [Read more...] about ‘A lot of guys stepped up’: Ankeny boys put scare into Wolves before falling short

‘We just kind of let go of the rope’: Ankeny girls fade in 2nd half of loss to Wolves

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) For almost the entire first half, Tuesday night in Waukee looked like it was going to be a traditional back-and-forth battle between two of the top five girls' basketball teams in Class 5A. But a 10-2 run in the final 2 minutes 44 seconds of the half by second-ranked Waukee Northwest completely changed things. No. 4 … [Read more...] about ‘We just kind of let go of the rope’: Ankeny girls fade in 2nd half of loss to Wolves