Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Jaguars

No. 1 Johnston pulls away after slow start, ends Jags’ season for 3rd time in 4 years

by

When the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team got a 3-point goal from Faith Perpich to cut Johnston's lead to 17-12 with 3 minutes left in the second quarter of a Class 5A quarterfinal on Monday, the 12th-ranked Jaguars had reason to believe that they might be able to pull off the biggest upset in the history of the state tournament. "It felt really … [Read more...] about No. 1 Johnston pulls away after slow start, ends Jags’ season for 3rd time in 4 years

‘They fought all the way until the end’: Jags fall at Urbandale, finish year at 9-14

by

(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The first season of the Matt Delger coaching era officially came to an end on Friday for the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team. Having the season end with a loss will always leave a bitter taste, but the Jaguars feel that there’s been a foundation set in the 2025-26 campaign that Centennial teams of the future will be … [Read more...] about ‘They fought all the way until the end’: Jags fall at Urbandale, finish year at 9-14

‘It seemed like a good time to hang it up’: Groth retires after 34 years as head coach

by

The only head coach in the history of the Ankeny Centennial wrestling program has departed from his position in style. After guiding junior Max Dhabolt to a second consecutive Class 3A individual state title last weekend, Jay Groth announced his retirement on Thursday after 34 seasons as a head coach. Groth spent two years at Des Moines Hoover and 19 … [Read more...] about ‘It seemed like a good time to hang it up’: Groth retires after 34 years as head coach

‘They deserved this win’: Jaguars knock off No. 4 Cedar Falls, qualify for state tourney

by

The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball program made a habit of advancing to the state tournament under Scott DeJong. It appears the Jaguars' tradition will continue without the legendary coach. Twelfth-ranked Centennial used a 7-0 run in the first 2 minutes of the fourth quarter to post a 40-35 victory at No. 4 Cedar Falls in a Class 5A regional final … [Read more...] about ‘They deserved this win’: Jaguars knock off No. 4 Cedar Falls, qualify for state tourney

‘We really wanted to start off hot’: Mitchell, Gorsh lead Jaguars past Fort Dodge boys

by

With only four wins on the year, the Fort Dodge boys' basketball team entered Monday's game at Ankeny Centennial looking to pull off a postseason surprise. The Jaguars, meanwhile, wanted to quickly squash any hopes for an upset. Centennial used a 15-0 run in the first half to pull away and went on to beat the Dodgers, 56-27, in a Class 4A substate … [Read more...] about ‘We really wanted to start off hot’: Mitchell, Gorsh lead Jaguars past Fort Dodge boys

‘We’ve just shown so much growth’: Jags roll past Roosevelt, earn trip to Cedar Falls

by

(Story by Stephen McDaniel) It’s one thing to beat a good team during the regular season, but it’s a completely different thing to repeat that success against the same squad in the postseason with your season on the line. The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team was able to do it, and now the 12th-ranked Jaguars are one win away from returning to … [Read more...] about ‘We’ve just shown so much growth’: Jags roll past Roosevelt, earn trip to Cedar Falls

‘It feels a lot better getting my revenge’: Dhabolt tops Miller, claims 2nd state title

by

A year ago, Max Dhabolt made some history by becoming the first Ankeny Centennial boys' wrestler to capture an individual state title. It turns out that winning a second championship was even sweeter. The second-seeded Dhabolt avenged his only loss of the season by defeating No. 1 Jaxon Miller of Carlisle, 7-4, in the Class 3A 175-pound title match on … [Read more...] about ‘It feels a lot better getting my revenge’: Dhabolt tops Miller, claims 2nd state title

Vandermark, Walsh close out high school wrestling careers with 4th-place finishes

by

Seniors Cale Vandermark of Ankeny Centennial at 126 pounds and Ben Walsh of Ankeny at 120 closed out their high school wrestling careers with fourth-place finishes in the Class 3A state tournament on Saturday at the Casey's Center. Centennial also got a sixth-place finish from senior Brandon Bogseth at 215. Junior Ethan Sodergren took seventh for the … [Read more...] about Vandermark, Walsh close out high school wrestling careers with 4th-place finishes

Ankeny’s Rathjen, Centennial’s Dhabolt to wrestle for state titles on Saturday night

by

Ankeny Centennial junior Max Dhabolt is one win away from capturing a second consecutive state wrestling title. Sophomore Calvin Rathjen of Ankeny has a chance to claim his first crown. Both standouts advanced to Saturday's championship matches with dominant performances on Friday night in the Class 3A semifinals at the Casey's Center. The … [Read more...] about Ankeny’s Rathjen, Centennial’s Dhabolt to wrestle for state titles on Saturday night

‘They deserve to be honored’: Jaguars romp to win over Lincoln on Senior Night

by

The four seniors on the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team are not among the squad's leading scorers. But their value to the Jaguars' program runs much deeper than the box score. The quartet of Kolby Bechen, Carter Gustafson, Will Perpich and Brody Prill was honored on Thursday during the Senior Night festivities at Centennial, where the Jaguars … [Read more...] about ‘They deserve to be honored’: Jaguars romp to win over Lincoln on Senior Night

Jaguar wrestlers boast trio of semifinalists in Vandermark, Dhabolt and Bogseth

by

Despite sitting in 17th place overall after the first two days of the Class 3A state tournament, the Ankeny Centennial wrestling team made a statement on Thursday at the Casey's Center. The Jaguars advanced three wrestlers into Friday night's semifinals, putting them in some elite company. Only four teams have more semifinalists than Centennial, which has … [Read more...] about Jaguar wrestlers boast trio of semifinalists in Vandermark, Dhabolt and Bogseth

Hawks sit in 10th place in Class 3A; Jags advance 4 wrestlers into quarterfinals

by

The Ankeny wrestling team sits in 10th place with 34.5 points heading into the second day of the Class 3A state tournament at the Casey's Center. Crosstown rival Ankeny Centennial, meanwhile, bounced back from a winless opening round on Wednesday to advance four wrestlers into Thursday's quarterfinals. The Jaguars are tied for 22nd place with 23 … [Read more...] about Hawks sit in 10th place in Class 3A; Jags advance 4 wrestlers into quarterfinals

‘We just scrapped, and that’s who we are’: Jaguars battle No. 6 Ames down to wire

by

(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Next week, the Ankeny Centennial and Ames boys' basketball teams will be playing to keep their seasons alive in the same Class 4A substate bracket. But the Jaguars were simply focused on the task at hand of hosting the sixth-ranked Little Cyclones while trying to close out the home stretch of the season with some positive … [Read more...] about ‘We just scrapped, and that’s who we are’: Jaguars battle No. 6 Ames down to wire

‘I thought we battled through adversity’: Ankeny bowlers take 5th at district meet

by

A tough field awaited the Ankeny boys' bowling team in a Class 3A district meet on Monday. It was going to take a huge performance at Wayward Social in Marshalltown for Ankeny to qualify for the state tournament. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. Coach Adam Booth's team placed fifth among the eight squads with a score of 2,713. "After a three-hour … [Read more...] about ‘I thought we battled through adversity’: Ankeny bowlers take 5th at district meet

Boys’ substate pairings announced: Hawks, Jaguars receive tough draws

by

Both the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball teams received tough postseason draws from the Iowa High School Athletic Association. The Class 4A substate pairings were announced on Monday. The Hawks (9-10) are the No. 2 seed in Substate 3, while the Jaguars (7-12) are the No. 3 seed in Substate 2. Centennial will host a substate quarterfinal … [Read more...] about Boys’ substate pairings announced: Hawks, Jaguars receive tough draws

THE MADNESS BEGINS: State wrestling tourney brackets announced by IHSAA

by

The Class 3A state wrestling tournament brackets have been announced by the Iowa High School Athletic Association. Four of Ankeny Centennial's 10 qualifiers earned a top-eight seed and will receive a first-round bye. Two of Ankeny's nine qualifiers earned a No. 3 seed and will also receive a first-round bye. The Class 3A tournament begins on Wednesday … [Read more...] about THE MADNESS BEGINS: State wrestling tourney brackets announced by IHSAA

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Jake Smith, Ankeny boys’ swimming

by

Sophomore Jake Smith helped the Ankeny boys' swimming team to a 17th-place finish in the state meet on Friday and Saturday at the University of Iowa's Campus Recreation & Wellness Center in Iowa City. He scored points in both of his individual events. Smith placed 15th in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:46.54. He later took ninth in the 500 … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Jake Smith, Ankeny boys’ swimming

‘We had a great meet’: Ankeny swimmers place 17th at state despite DQ in last race

by

Ankeny senior Bryer Pearson earned a spot on the awards podium in his final boys' high school state swimming meet. Pearson placed third in the 100 butterfly on Saturday at the University of Iowa's Campus Recreation & Wellness Center. He set a personal record of 49.60 after breaking the 50-second mark for the first time during Friday's preliminaries, … [Read more...] about ‘We had a great meet’: Ankeny swimmers place 17th at state despite DQ in last race