Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Winter

Hawk wrestlers place 10th, Jaguars finish 12th in Class 3A state tournament

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It was a rollercoaster Saturday for the Ankeny wrestling team during the consolation finals of the Class 3A state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. The Hawks went 3-7 on the day and finished in 10th place overall with 89.5 points. Still, they had six placewinners for the first time under coach Jack Wignall. "It was a really fun tournament," said … [Read more...] about Hawk wrestlers place 10th, Jaguars finish 12th in Class 3A state tournament

‘We found a way to win’: Ankeny girls advance with late rally against Wolves

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Saturday's game against visiting Waukee Northwest put a lot of stress on Ankeny girls' basketball coach Dru McAnelly. "I think I lost a year of my life because of that game," McAnelly said. In the end, though, the 12th-ranked Hawkettes held off Northwest for a 56-54 victory in a Class 5A regional semifinal. They defeated the Wolves for the third time … [Read more...] about ‘We found a way to win’: Ankeny girls advance with late rally against Wolves

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Savannah Gage, Ankeny girls’ basketball

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Sophomore guard Savannah Gage scored 22 points to lead the 12th-ranked Ankeny girls' basketball team to a 56-54 victory over visiting Waukee Northwest in a Class 5A regional semifinal on Saturday. She had 17 of her points in the first half. Gage has helped the Hawkettes to a 12-10 record. She is averaging 16.3 points per game and leads the team with 29 … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Savannah Gage, Ankeny girls’ basketball

Ankeny wrestlers fall to 10th, Jaguars drop to 12th after semifinal losses

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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

‘That was awesome’: Cale Vandermark, Lucas Bruhl punch tickets to semifinals

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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

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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

Hinrichs avenges district loss, moves on to quarterfinals along with 3 other Hawks

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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

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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

‘They really have grown’: Ankeny bowling teams place 7th at state qualifying meet

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The Ankeny bowling teams closed out their season this week with seventh-place finishes in a Class 3A state qualifying meet at Wayward Social in Marshalltown. The Hawks competed in a district meet on Tuesday and posted a total of 2,579. That's an average of 172 for the 15 bakers games. Ankeny bowled a 203 in its sixth bakers game. The Hawks had their … [Read more...] about ‘They really have grown’: Ankeny bowling teams place 7th at state qualifying meet

Hawks keep Henderson in check, close out regular season with win over Hoover

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Ankeny point guard Carson Johnson was looking forward to Tuesday's matchup against visiting Des Moines Hoover and Montana recruit Chase Henderson. Henderson entered the non-conference game with 42 3-point goals and was averaging nearly 21 points a contest. "He's a good player," Johnson said. "We knew we had to help a lot on him and just try to take … [Read more...] about Hawks keep Henderson in check, close out regular season with win over Hoover

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