Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Winter

‘Our kids wrestled really hard’: Hawks build lead, but Dragons rally for 37-29 win

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The Ankeny wrestling team built a double-digit lead against visiting Johnston in a top-10 matchup on Thursday night. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough of a cushion. The eighth-ranked Dragons recorded three pins and a technical fall in the final four matches to defeat No. 4 Ankeny, 37-29, in a CIML Conference dual. The Hawks dropped to 3-1 in the league … [Read more...] about ‘Our kids wrestled really hard’: Hawks build lead, but Dragons rally for 37-29 win

‘We had a great meet’: Ankeny swimmers capture 3rd straight Little Hawk Invite title

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If the Ankeny boys' swimming team needed a shot of momentum heading into the holiday break, the Hawks certainly got one on Saturday. Seventh-ranked Ankeny won four events and easily captured its third consecutive title in the Little Hawk Invitational at Iowa City. The Hawks racked up 442 points to finish 63 points ahead of No. 6 Iowa City West, which took … [Read more...] about ‘We had a great meet’: Ankeny swimmers capture 3rd straight Little Hawk Invite title

Vandermark wins 3rd consecutive Miller crown, earns outstanding wrestler award

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Ankeny Centennial's Cale Vandermark exercised a few demons on Saturday. The fourth-ranked junior won the 120-pound title in the Don Miller Invitational at Fort Dodge and earned the Tim Ascherl/Brent Helmkamp outstanding wrestler award after leading the Jaguars to a fifth-place finish in the 14-team field. "I was honored to have earned such an esteemed … [Read more...] about Vandermark wins 3rd consecutive Miller crown, earns outstanding wrestler award

Ankeny wrestlers earn 6th-place finish among 32 teams at Battle of Waterloo

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The Ankeny wrestling team went 4-2 and placed sixth overall among 32 squads in the Battle of Waterloo on Friday and Saturday at Young Arena. The sixth-ranked Hawks are now 7-2 on the season heading into the holiday break. "We wrestled really well," said Ankeny coach Jack Wignall. "The kids fought for every point that they could get all … [Read more...] about Ankeny wrestlers earn 6th-place finish among 32 teams at Battle of Waterloo

Johnson shines in collegiate debut for MSUM, will face Winkel later this season

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Carson Johnson's collegiate debut on the hardwood proved to be a memorable one. The former Ankeny basketball standout poured in 22 points on Saturday to lead sixth-ranked Minnesota State Moorhead to a 90-64 victory over Minnesota-Crookston. The freshman guard was inserted into the starting lineup and played a team-high 31 minutes, going 8-of-16 from the … [Read more...] about Johnson shines in collegiate debut for MSUM, will face Winkel later this season

‘They’re really good’: Unbeaten Tigers pull away for 67-53 victory over Ankeny boys

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Ankeny boys' basketball coach Brandt Carlson was impressed by what he saw of Cedar Falls while preparing for Thursday's non-conference game. The visiting Tigers were just as impressive in person. "They're really good," Carlson said after his team dropped a 67-53 decision. "They look great on film, and live they were just as good." Anthony Galvin … [Read more...] about ‘They’re really good’: Unbeaten Tigers pull away for 67-53 victory over Ankeny boys

Cold-shooting Ankeny girls tumble to Cedar Falls for 5th consecutive loss

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The holiday break is coming at a good time for the Ankeny girls' basketball team. The 15th-ranked Hawkettes suffered their fifth straight loss on Thursday, dropping a 41-37 decision to visiting Cedar Falls. Junior guard Karis Finley, a Drake recruit, scored 16 points as the No. 10 Tigers (6-2) won their third consecutive game. "We just played five … [Read more...] about Cold-shooting Ankeny girls tumble to Cedar Falls for 5th consecutive loss

Jaguars top Urbandale again, allow Groth to reach 450-victory career milestone

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Behind every successful wrestling coach is a group of talented assistant coaches. At least that's what Ankeny Centennial coach Jay Groth believes. Groth paid credit to his assistants on Thursday after earning his 450th career victory when the Jaguars defeated visiting Urbandale, 42-30, in a CIML Conference dual meet. "Like I've said before, my best … [Read more...] about Jaguars top Urbandale again, allow Groth to reach 450-victory career milestone

Ankeny swimmers drop 99-71 decision at Valley, will head to Iowa City Saturday

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Ankeny boys' swimming coach Dustin Rhoads wasn't too concerned about his team's 99-71 loss at Valley on Thursday. "We had a fun meet with them," Rhoads said. "They are always tough especially at their home pool, but I thought my guys swam pretty well at our final dual meet of 2024. We were missing one of our best swimmers tonight, but I thought a lot … [Read more...] about Ankeny swimmers drop 99-71 decision at Valley, will head to Iowa City Saturday

Ankeny wrestlers rack up 5 pins, pair of technical falls in 40-28 victory at Waukee

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For the second week in a row, bonus points proved to be the difference for the Ankeny wrestlers. The Hawks, who are sixth the Class 3A dual rankings, recorded five falls and a pair of technical falls in a 40-28 victory at No. 24 Waukee on Thursday. They improved to 3-0 in the CIML Conference and overall. The Warriors also won seven matches, but had … [Read more...] about Ankeny wrestlers rack up 5 pins, pair of technical falls in 40-28 victory at Waukee

‘We just had some guys make plays’: Hawks outlast S.E. Polk boys in double OT

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There are no easy wins in the Central Iowa Metropolitan League. The Ankeny boys' basketball team had to play an extra 8 minutes on Tuesday to earn its second conference victory of the season. The visiting Hawks scored the final six points of the game over the last 20 seconds to outlast Southeast Polk, 74-68, in double overtime. They improved to 2-3 in … [Read more...] about ‘We just had some guys make plays’: Hawks outlast S.E. Polk boys in double OT

After trailing by 18 points, Hawkettes’ furious rally falls just short at S.E. Polk

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A dramatic rally by the Ankeny girls' basketball team came up just short on Tuesday at Southeast Polk. The sixth-ranked Hawkettes nearly overcame an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter before No. 14 Southeast Polk held on for a 61-55 victory in a CIML Conference matchup. The Rams improved to 2-2 in the league and 3-3 overall, while Ankeny's records … [Read more...] about After trailing by 18 points, Hawkettes’ furious rally falls just short at S.E. Polk

‘That’s a good run’: Jaguars win Centennial Duals crown for 8th consecutive year

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The only question on Saturday was whether the Ankeny Centennial wrestling team would be able to host its home duals tournament. Once the competition began, there was little doubt which squad would prevail. The Jaguars rolled past four other teams to win the Centennial Duals for the eighth consecutive year. "That's a good run," said Centennial coach … [Read more...] about ‘That’s a good run’: Jaguars win Centennial Duals crown for 8th consecutive year

Jacobson records double-double, leads Waukee boys to 56-42 victory over Hawks

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) While the Ankeny boys' basketball team struggled to get its shots to consistently fall, an Evan Jacobson-led Waukee squad was able to build up its lead. Ankeny looked to even its record going into Friday night, but shot just 31.5 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from 3-point range (5-of-30) as the Hawks suffered a … [Read more...] about Jacobson records double-double, leads Waukee boys to 56-42 victory over Hawks

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Ben Walsh, Ankeny wrestling

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Junior Ben Walsh helped the Ankeny wrestling team to a 40-33 victory over visiting Ankeny Centennial on Thursday. Ranked seventh in Class 3A at 113 pounds, he pinned Carson Auge in 55 seconds for one of the Hawks' five falls. Walsh is a two-time state qualifier at 106. He entered the season with a career record of 54-31. Here is some inside info on … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Ben Walsh, Ankeny wrestling

Waukee girls use big 3rd quarter to hand No. 6 Hawkettes their 3rd straight loss

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) After starting off the season with a 4-0 record, a three-game losing streak wasn’t what the Ankeny girls' basketball team was hoping for heading into its final two contests of 2024. The sixth-ranked Hawkettes had a chance to get back into the win column in a top-10 matchup against No. 10 Waukee, but a cold stretch coming out … [Read more...] about Waukee girls use big 3rd quarter to hand No. 6 Hawkettes their 3rd straight loss

Ankeny girls’ bowling team matches win total from last season after just 2 meets

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The Ankeny girls' bowling team needed only two meets to equal its victory total from last season. Ankeny defeated visiting Dowling Catholic by a score of 2,083 to 1,826 on Thursday at B-Roll Bowling. The squad improved to 2-0 in the CIML Conference and overall, while Dowling's records dropped to 0-2 and 1-2. Ankeny also topped the Maroons last year … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls’ bowling team matches win total from last season after just 2 meets

‘It was a fun night’: Ankeny wrestlers rely on bonus points to defeat Centennial

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Ankeny senior Andrew Haase wanted his last Jag-Hawk wrestling dual to be a memorable one. He did his part to make sure that it was. Haase recorded one of his team's five falls as the Hawks rallied from an early 13-0 deficit to beat visiting Ankeny Centennial, 40-33, in a CIML Conference matchup on Thursday. "It feels really good," said Haase. "It … [Read more...] about ‘It was a fun night’: Ankeny wrestlers rely on bonus points to defeat Centennial