It was a rough Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena for the Ankeny Centennial wrestling team. Crosstown rival Ankeny fared considerably better in the Class 3A state tournament, especially in the consolation rounds. The Hawks went 6-3 on the back sides of the brackets and are now in 10th place with 81.5 points. Six of Ankeny's nine state qualifiers earned … [Read more...] about Ankeny wrestlers fall to 10th, Jaguars drop to 12th after semifinal losses
Boys' Wrestling
‘That was awesome’: Cale Vandermark, Lucas Bruhl punch tickets to semifinals
Ankeny Centennial freshman Cale Vandermark was getting tired during his quarterfinal match at the Class 3A state wrestling tournament on Thursday. His opponent, though, was beginning to fade as well under the bright lights at Wells Fargo Arena. The sixth-seeded Vandermark got a takedown in the final seconds of regulation to force overtime, then got … [Read more...] about ‘That was awesome’: Cale Vandermark, Lucas Bruhl punch tickets to semifinals
MOVING ON: Ankeny’s Hansen, Anderson advance to semifinals for first time
In each of the last two seasons, Ankeny wrestlers Ben Hansen and Jace Anderson couldn't advance past the quarterfinals of the Class 3A state tournament. On Thursday night at Wells Fargo Arena, the duo smashed through that hurdle in impressive fashion. The third-seeded Hansen posted a 6-2 decision over No. 6 Trevor Oberbroeckling of Southeast Polk in a … [Read more...] about MOVING ON: Ankeny’s Hansen, Anderson advance to semifinals for first time
Revive Clinic and Spa Coach of the Month: Jay Groth, Ankeny Centennial wrestling
The Jaguars are currently tied with Ankeny for 6th place midway through the Class 3A state tournament. … [Read more...] about Revive Clinic and Spa Coach of the Month: Jay Groth, Ankeny Centennial wrestling
Hinrichs avenges district loss, moves on to quarterfinals along with 3 other Hawks
A huge win by senior Will Hinrichs helped put the Ankeny wrestling team into early contention for a top-five finish in the Class 3A state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. The ninth-seeded Hinrichs posted a 7-4 decision over No. 8 Joshua Hemsted of Carlisle in a second-round match at 220 pounds on Wednesday night. He avenged a 5-4 loss in the … [Read more...] about Hinrichs avenges district loss, moves on to quarterfinals along with 3 other Hawks
Jaguars advance 4 wrestlers into Thursday’s quarterfinals, sit in 7th place
The Ankeny Centennial wrestling team sits in seventh place with 36 points after Wednesday's opening session of the Class 3A state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. The Jaguars qualified a school-record 12 wrestlers for the tournament and advanced four of them into Thursday night's quarterfinals. They are sixth-seeded Cale Vandermark at 106 … [Read more...] about Jaguars advance 4 wrestlers into Thursday’s quarterfinals, sit in 7th place
Ankeny Fanatic Podcast: Episode 213
In the latest edition of the Ankeny Fanatic weekly podcast sponsored by Coldwell Banker Mid-America, publisher Dan Holm previews the state wrestling tournament with coach Jack Wignall and senior Jace Anderson of Ankeny and coach Jay Groth and senior Cael Wiener of Ankeny Centennial. Ankeny senior Lance Swanepoel, who was named the Athlete of the Year at the … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Podcast: Episode 213
Here are 3A state wrestling matchups for Ankeny, Centennial qualifiers
The Class 3A state wrestling tournament gets under way on Wednesday with the preliminary and first-round matches at 6 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena. With 24 qualifiers in each weight class, the top eight seeds will receive a bye into the first round. Ankeny Centennial has four top-eight seeds among its 12 qualifiers, while Ankeny has three top-eight … [Read more...] about Here are 3A state wrestling matchups for Ankeny, Centennial qualifiers
Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Ari Ehlts, Ankeny Centennial wrestling
Junior Ari Ehlts is one of 12 state qualifiers for the Ankeny Centennial wrestling team. He helped the Jaguars to a second-place finish in a Class 3A district tournament on Saturday at Marshalltown. The ninth-ranked Ehlts pinned his way to the 160-pound title, capped off by a fall over Gerald Norton of Cedar Falls in 3 minutes 38 seconds. He will take a … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Ari Ehlts, Ankeny Centennial wrestling
Hawks advance 9 matmen to state, have ‘nothing to lose and everything to gain’
The Ankeny wrestling team advanced nine qualifiers to this week's Class 3A state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena, led by district champion Jace Anderson. The fourth-ranked Hawks placed second in a district tournament on Saturday at Carlisle. The host Wildcats won the team title with 189 points, while Ankeny finished with 168.5. The Hawks had five … [Read more...] about Hawks advance 9 matmen to state, have ‘nothing to lose and everything to gain’
Centennial crowns 3 district champs, advances 9 other wrestlers to state
Every year, the goal for Ankeny Centennial coach Jay Groth is to qualify all 14 of his wrestlers for the Class 3A state tournament. On Saturday, the Jaguars came closer than ever to meeting that goal--with help from a new format that allows the top three finishers at each weight to advance to state. Centennial qualified 12 wrestlers while placing … [Read more...] about Centennial crowns 3 district champs, advances 9 other wrestlers to state
‘We’ve just got to learn from it’: Jaguars finish 8th in 3A duals tournament
Ankeny Centennial's trip to the state duals wrestling tournament turned into a bumpy ride. The Jaguars placed eighth in the Class 3A field on Saturday at Xtream Arena in Coralville. They finished the dual season with a 21-9 record after losing to all three of their opponents. "It was just one of those days where we came out flat and wrestled flat all … [Read more...] about ‘We’ve just got to learn from it’: Jaguars finish 8th in 3A duals tournament
‘We wrestled as hard as we could’: Hawks place 4th in 3A duals tourney
The Ankeny wrestling team returned home from the Class 3A state duals tournament with some new hardware for the school's trophy case. The Hawks earned a fourth-place finish on Saturday at Xtream Arena in Coralville. It was the highest finish in school history. "We wanted to finish higher, but I can honestly say we had no regrets when we left there," … [Read more...] about ‘We wrestled as hard as we could’: Hawks place 4th in 3A duals tourney
No. 4 Hawks to face Valley, No. 6 Jaguars to meet W-SR at state duals tourney
The pairings have been announced for the Class 3A state duals wrestling tournament. Fourth-seeded Ankeny (20-2) will meet fifth-seeded Valley in the quarterfinals on Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Xtream Arena in Coralville. The CIML Conference rivals met on Jan. 12 at Valley, where the Hawks posted a 42-23 victory. Ankeny is making its second straight … [Read more...] about No. 4 Hawks to face Valley, No. 6 Jaguars to meet W-SR at state duals tourney
Revive Clinic and Spa Coach of the Month: Jack Wignall, Ankeny wrestling
The Hawks advanced to the state duals tournament for the second straight year with a 48-15 win over Bondurant-Farrar. … [Read more...] about Revive Clinic and Spa Coach of the Month: Jack Wignall, Ankeny wrestling
Hawk wrestlers roll past Bluejays, earn another trip to state duals tournament
Ankeny junior Ben Hansen was excited when the regional dual wrestling assignments came out. The fourth-ranked Hawks learned last week that they would likely host No. 13 Bondurant-Farrar in Tuesday's regional final at Ankeny. The two teams met at the Dave Ewing Duals on Jan. 21, when Ankeny posted a 39-21 victory in the championship match. However, the … [Read more...] about Hawk wrestlers roll past Bluejays, earn another trip to state duals tournament
‘It was a nailbiter’: Jaguars edge Carlisle on 9th criteria, advance to state duals
When Ankeny Centennial's Cael Wiener stepped onto the wrestling mat Tuesday night, he had a chance to send his team to the Class 3A state duals tournament. The 132-pound senior just didn't know for sure by what margin he needed to win in order to give the sixth-ranked Jaguars a victory over No. 10 Carlisle in a regional final at Centennial. "At first … [Read more...] about ‘It was a nailbiter’: Jaguars edge Carlisle on 9th criteria, advance to state duals
RAM TOUGH: S.E. Polk wrestlers top Ankeny to capture conference crown
There's still a gap between the Southeast Polk wrestling team and the rest of the CIML Conference. The top-ranked Rams won 11 of the 14 matches and rolled to a 45-12 victory at No. 4 Ankeny on Thursday, allowing them to wrap up the league's dual-meet crown. The Hawks finished 7-1 in the conference and dropped to 19-2 overall. "We got outwrestled in … [Read more...] about RAM TOUGH: S.E. Polk wrestlers top Ankeny to capture conference crown
Centennial wrestlers close out regular season with 36-34 loss at Waukee NW
The Ankeny Centennial wrestling team closed out the regular season on Thursday with a 36-34 loss at Waukee Northwest. The Wolves won eight of the 14 matches to offset four pins and two technical falls by Centennial. The 10th-ranked Jaguars finished 4-4 in the CIML Conference and dropped to 20-6 overall. Northwest sealed the win when defending state … [Read more...] about Centennial wrestlers close out regular season with 36-34 loss at Waukee NW
No. 4 Ankeny, No. 6 Centennial to host regional wrestling duals on Jan. 31
Both Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial will host Class 3A regional wrestling duals on Jan. 31. The fourth-ranked Hawks (19-1) will host either No. 13 Bondurant-Farrar or No. 19 Iowa City High in the regional final. Those two teams will meet in the preliminary round at 6 p.m., with the winner advancing to face Ankeny. The Hawks defeated Bondurant-Farrar, … [Read more...] about No. 4 Ankeny, No. 6 Centennial to host regional wrestling duals on Jan. 31





















