Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Winter

Centennial boys maintain league lead; Dowling girls take over top spot

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The race for the CIML Central Conference boys' basketball title could be turning into a two-team battle. Ankeny Centennial maintained sole possession of the league lead with a 50-29 victory over visiting Ames on Friday. Ankeny remained one game behind the Jaguars as Braxton Bayless scored the winning basket in the final seconds to give the Hawks a 65-63 … [Read more...] about Centennial boys maintain league lead; Dowling girls take over top spot

Ankeny bowling teams assigned to Marshalltown district

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The Ankeny bowling teams have been assigned to District No. 3 in Class 3A by the Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union and the Iowa High School Athletic Association. The Hawks and Hawkettes will compete at Wayward Social in Marshalltown on Feb. 17. Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Marshalltown, Mason City, Southeast Polk and Waukee will be the other teams in the … [Read more...] about Ankeny bowling teams assigned to Marshalltown district

Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Trent Frandson, Ankeny boys’ swimming

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Junior Trent Frandson has helped the Ankeny boys' swimming team to a 6-1 dual record. He won all four of his events as the third-ranked Hawks posted an 86-84 victory at No. 6 Ames on Thursday. Frandson was named the state's swimmer of the year as a sophomore, when he won both the 200 and 500 freestyle events at the state meet to lead Ankeny to its first … [Read more...] about Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Trent Frandson, Ankeny boys’ swimming

Hawkettes pass ‘test of character’, but Valley girls escape with victory

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After losing to its crosstown rival on Monday, the Ankeny girls' basketball team was anxious to get back on the court. The Hawkettes didn't have to wait too long. Ankeny hosted 15th-ranked Valley on Tuesday and battled the Class 5A defending state champion down to the wire before dropping a 62-59 decision. "It was good to try to get back in the … [Read more...] about Hawkettes pass ‘test of character’, but Valley girls escape with victory

Ankeny boys rebound from loss to Jaguars, rely on defense to beat Valley

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There wasn't much time for the Ankeny boys' basketball team to prepare for Tuesday's game against visiting Valley. Still stinging from Monday's loss at sixth-ranked Ankeny Centennial, the No. 9 Hawks bounced back with a hard-fought 55-45 victory that improved their record to 10-2. Valley dropped to 7-5. "It was just a grind-it-out win for us," said … [Read more...] about Ankeny boys rebound from loss to Jaguars, rely on defense to beat Valley

Blimpie Sub of the Week: Nike Coulthard, Ankeny wrestling

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Nike Coulthard is a member of the Ankeny wrestling team. He has helped the Hawks to a 7-5 dual record. Coulthard filled in at 126 pounds during Ankeny's 40-23 loss to visiting Johnston on Thursday. He dropped a 5-3 decision to Aidan Honkomp. "Nike is a good kid," said Ankeny coach Jack Wignall. "He is always there for us and works hard." Ankeny … [Read more...] about Blimpie Sub of the Week: Nike Coulthard, Ankeny wrestling

Hawks crown 3 champs, earn 3rd-place finish overall at Bob Sharp Invitational

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While Martin Luther King Jr. Day provided a day off for many people, that wasn't the case for the Ankeny wrestlers. The seventh-ranked Hawks hosted the Bob Sharp Invitational after Saturday's tournament was postponed until Monday due to inclement weather. Ten of the 13 teams that were originally slated to compete traveled to Ankeny for the rescheduled … [Read more...] about Hawks crown 3 champs, earn 3rd-place finish overall at Bob Sharp Invitational

DOUBLE TROUBLE: McCullough, Johnson lead Jaguars past Ankeny boys

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A dynamic duo emerged for the Ankeny boys' basketball team on Monday. Ankeny Centennial's twin towers were just a little bit better. Post players Cody McCullough and Micah Johnson combined for 46 points and 33 rebounds against Ankeny's undersized squad to lead the sixth-ranked Jaguars to a 69-61 victory at Centennial. The No. 9 Hawks had won the last … [Read more...] about DOUBLE TROUBLE: McCullough, Johnson lead Jaguars past Ankeny boys

Burns leads the way at both ends as Centennial girls roll past Hawkettes

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team sometimes struggles to score. But the Jaguars' defense never seems to take a day off. On Monday, 10th-ranked Centennial excelled at both ends of the floor as the Jaguars cruised to a 57-29 victory over visiting Ankeny. "We had some possessions where we really locked into them well," said Centennial coach … [Read more...] about Burns leads the way at both ends as Centennial girls roll past Hawkettes

Centennial boys top Ankeny, take sole possession of Central Conference lead

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The sixth-ranked Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team moved into sole possession of first place in the CIML Central Conference with a 69-61 victory over No. 9 Ankeny on Monday at Centennial. Centennial entered the game tied atop the league standings with Ankeny and No. 10 Dowling Catholic. But the Jaguars received some help from Ames, which posted a … [Read more...] about Centennial boys top Ankeny, take sole possession of Central Conference lead

Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Sam Kallem, Ankeny wrestling

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Senior Sam Kallem has helped the seventh-ranked Ankeny wrestling team to a 7-5 dual record this season. He earned his 100th career victory during the Cliff Keen Invitational last month at Independence. Kallem posted a 34-13 record as a junior, when he placed seventh in the Class 3A state tournament at 132 pounds. He has committed to wrestle for Grand View … [Read more...] about Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Sam Kallem, Ankeny wrestling

Rathjen tops Edwards in 1 vs. 2 showdown, but Hawks fall to Johnston

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Thursday's wrestling dual meet between Ankeny and visiting Johnston featured a matchup between the state's top two wrestlers in Class 3A at 138 pounds according to The Predicament. And fans didn't have to wait long to see the showdown. In the opening match of the CIML Central Conference dual, Ankeny's top-ranked Caleb Rathjen gave up an early takedown … [Read more...] about Rathjen tops Edwards in 1 vs. 2 showdown, but Hawks fall to Johnston

‘We’re just really proud of these guys’: Hawks stun Johnston with huge rally

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It's been a memorable season thus far for the Ankeny boys' basketball team. Nobody knows what lies ahead, but it's going to be difficult for the Hawks to top the last 72 hours. Just two days after knocking off seventh-ranked Dowling Catholic, Ankeny hit the road again on Thursday and rallied from a 19-point deficit in the second half to post an 80-74 … [Read more...] about ‘We’re just really proud of these guys’: Hawks stun Johnston with huge rally

Hawkettes respond to coach’s challenge, but rally falls short at No. 2 Johnston

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Ankeny girls' basketball coach Dru McAnelly issued a challenge to his players on Thursday. The Hawkettes responded in a big way. After trailing by 36-18 at halftime, Ankeny pulled within five points of second-ranked Johnston with about 5 minutes left to play before the host Dragons held on for a 70-60 victory. The outcome was a big improvement for … [Read more...] about Hawkettes respond to coach’s challenge, but rally falls short at No. 2 Johnston

Hawks move into tie for first place in CIML Central Conference

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The Ankeny boys' basketball team moved into a tie for first place in the CIML Central Conference on Thursday. And the Hawks did it in thrilling fashion. Ankeny rallied from a 19-point deficit in the second half to post an 80-74 victory at Johnston. Braxton Bayless poured in a career-high 30 points and had two huge steals in the final 30 seconds that … [Read more...] about Hawks move into tie for first place in CIML Central Conference

‘It was a great battle’: Hawks build big lead, then hold on to beat Dowling

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Despite its 7-1 start, the Ankeny boys' basketball team had yet to defeat a top-10 opponent. Now, the Hawks have done just that. Ankeny made 13-of-22 attempts from 3-point range (59.1 percent) and posted a 77-73 victory at seventh-ranked Dowling Catholic on Tuesday. The Hawks avenged last month's 64-54 loss to Dowling while snapping the Maroons' … [Read more...] about ‘It was a great battle’: Hawks build big lead, then hold on to beat Dowling

‘We’ve just got to flush it’: Hawkettes suffer their worst loss under McAnelly

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It was just one of those nights for the Ankeny girls' basketball team. The Hawkettes fell into a 26-4 hole at the end of the first quarter during Tuesday's game at fourth-ranked Dowling Catholic. They never recovered after that and eventually dropped a 77-27 decision. It was Ankeny's worst loss under coach Dru McAnelly and was the Hawkettes' worst … [Read more...] about ‘We’ve just got to flush it’: Hawkettes suffer their worst loss under McAnelly