Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Winter

Substate pairings announced: Jaguars earn No. 1 seed; Hawks to host Ottumwa

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The Class 4A substate boys' basketball pairings have been announced by the Iowa High School Athletic Association. Eighth-ranked Ankeny Centennial (14-6) received a No. 1 seed in Substate 2, while Ankeny (7-14) earned a No. 3 seed in Substate 6. The Jaguars will host a substate semifinal on Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. They will play the winner of a quarterfinal … [Read more...] about Substate pairings announced: Jaguars earn No. 1 seed; Hawks to host Ottumwa

Here are 3A state wrestling matchups for Ankeny, Centennial qualifiers

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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

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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’

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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

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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

Hawks end losing skid with victory over Linn-Mar behind Johnson, Aguirre

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The Ankeny boys' basketball team got a much-needed victory on Saturday. The Hawks snapped a five-game losing skid with a 69-65 win over Linn-Mar (Marion) in a non-conference game at Valley. "It was a good win for the guys after a tough loss Friday night (to Valley)," said Ankeny coach Brandt Carlson, whose team improved to 7-14 on the season. Ankeny … [Read more...] about Hawks end losing skid with victory over Linn-Mar behind Johnson, Aguirre

Swanepoel captures 2 state titles, leads Hawk swimmers to 4th-place finish

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Saturday was an unforgettable day for Lance Swanepoel, coach Justin Crouch and the Ankeny boys' swimming team. Swanepoel capped off his illustrious high school career by winning a pair of individual titles in the state meet at the University of Iowa's Campus Recreation and Wellness Center in Iowa City. He also swam on Ankeny's runner-up 200 and 400 … [Read more...] about Swanepoel captures 2 state titles, leads Hawk swimmers to 4th-place finish

‘She was lights out tonight’: Jaeger pours in 30 as Valley girls roll past Hawkettes

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There wasn't much that Ankeny girls' basketball coach Dru McAnelly could say to his team following the Hawkettes' 67-36 loss to visiting Valley in their regular-season finale on Friday. "Not that we ever want to have this feeling again, but we'd much rather have it tonight than eight days from now," said McAnelly. "If this happens eight days from now, our … [Read more...] about ‘She was lights out tonight’: Jaeger pours in 30 as Valley girls roll past Hawkettes

Ankeny boys fall to No. 4 Valley, will try to rebound Saturday against Linn-Mar

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The Ankeny boys' basketball team won't have much time to dwell on Friday's loss to visiting Valley. The Hawks will be right back on the court Saturday at Valley to face Linn-Mar (Marion) (7-10) in a non-conference game. Tip-off is at 2:30 p.m. "They've got a good young team," Ankeny coach Brandt Carlson said of the Lions. "It'll be a good challenge for … [Read more...] about Ankeny boys fall to No. 4 Valley, will try to rebound Saturday against Linn-Mar

Swanepoel smashes state record in 100 butterfly, closes in on 50 freestyle mark

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Ankeny swimmer Lance Swanepoel called his shot a week ago. After winning the 100 butterfly at a district meet in 48.75 seconds, Swanepoel said that a time of 46.8 was calling his name for the state meet. On Friday night during the preliminaries of the state meet at the University of Iowa's Campus Recreation and Wellness Center in Iowa City, the senior … [Read more...] about Swanepoel smashes state record in 100 butterfly, closes in on 50 freestyle mark

Hawk swimmers projected to finish 8th at state; Swanepoel could win 2 titles

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Top-ranked Waukee is a strong favorite to win a third consecutive boys' swimming state title. The Warriors are projected to score 273 points in the state meet, which begins on Friday with the preliminaries at 5 p.m. at the University of Iowa's Campus Recreation and Wellness Center in Iowa City. The meet concludes on Saturday with the finals at … [Read more...] about Hawk swimmers projected to finish 8th at state; Swanepoel could win 2 titles

Ankeny girls place 4th at conference meet; Hawk bowlers finish 5th

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The Ankeny girls' bowling team placed fourth in the CIML Conference meet on Wednesday at Merle Hay Lanes, while the boys' squad earned a fifth-place finish. The meet consisted of 15 bakers games for the team competition. The individual rounds were comprised of three games. "I'm very proud of how we all bowled," said Ankeny coach Lane Richtsmeier. "We … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls place 4th at conference meet; Hawk bowlers finish 5th

Regional pairings announced: Jaguars, Hawkettes to host semifinals on Feb. 18

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team won't have to leave its own gym in order to qualify for the Class 5A state tournament. For crosstown rival Ankeny, though, the road to Wells Fargo Arena will likely go through Davenport. The regional pairings were announced on Wednesday by the Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union. Sixth-ranked Centennial … [Read more...] about Regional pairings announced: Jaguars, Hawkettes to host semifinals on Feb. 18

J-Hawks spoil Ankeny boys’ Senior Night as Hawks’ offense fizzles in 2nd half

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It's been an up-and-down season for the Ankeny boys' basketball team. After winning three straight games in mid-January, the Hawks have now lost four in a row following Tuesday's 59-46 setback to visiting Urbandale. The J-Hawks improved to 2-13 in the CIML Conference and 7-13 overall, while Ankeny's records dropped to 4-11 and 6-13. Both of Urbandale's … [Read more...] about J-Hawks spoil Ankeny boys’ Senior Night as Hawks’ offense fizzles in 2nd half

‘It was a great night for the seniors’: Lewis, Hawkettes roll past Urbandale

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Kendra Lewis and the other seniors on the Ankeny girls' basketball team wanted to make sure that their Senior Night was a joyous occasion. The 13th-ranked Hawkettes did just that with a 62-24 victory over visiting Urbandale on Tuesday. Lewis, a reserve guard, led the way with 14 points, making 3-of-9 3-pointers. Fellow senior Jenna Pitz scored 12 … [Read more...] about ‘It was a great night for the seniors’: Lewis, Hawkettes roll past Urbandale

‘We’ve just got to learn from it’: Jaguars finish 8th in 3A duals tournament

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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

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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

Ankeny swimmers respond to adversity, earn runner-up finish at district meet

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Saturday's district meet at Ames went pretty smoothly for the Ankeny boys' swimming team--with one notable exception. Owen Schwebach was disqualified for a false start in the 50 freestyle, but he then rebounded with a personal best in the 100 butterfly and helped seventh-ranked Ankeny to a runner-up finish in the eight-team field. The Hawks scored 438 … [Read more...] about Ankeny swimmers respond to adversity, earn runner-up finish at district meet

A COMEBACK FOR THE AGES: Jaguars rally from 25 down to edge Ankeny boys

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A noticeable number of fans left the Ankeny Centennial gym on Friday after the Ankeny boys' basketball team built a commanding 37-14 halftime lead over the eighth-ranked Jaguars. Those fans missed quite the finish. After Ankeny's Maddox Ward scored the first basket of the third quarter to extend the margin to 25 points, Centennial responded with an … [Read more...] about A COMEBACK FOR THE AGES: Jaguars rally from 25 down to edge Ankeny boys