Ankeny Fanatic

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Jaguars

‘Our whole team showed toughness’: Jags overcome cold weather to win 2 events

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Earlier in the week, the forecast called for temperatures in the 70s on Thursday afternoon. But those weren't the conditions that greeted the Ankeny Centennial girls' track team when the Jaguars arrived at Johnston for the Dragon Invitational. "The weather wasn’t ideal with high winds and dropping temperatures," said Centennial coach Tyler Asbe. "Our … [Read more...] about ‘Our whole team showed toughness’: Jags overcome cold weather to win 2 events

‘We will need to be resilient’: Jaguars gear up for another tough road of CIML foes

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It won't be easy for the Ankeny Centennial girls' soccer team to replace the leadership from players like Maddison Balashaitis, Olivia Kroska and Ava Martin on last year's squad. Those three standouts all graduated after leading the Jaguars to a 15-4-2 record and a trip to the Class 3A semifinals in 2025. They are now playing at the collegiate … [Read more...] about ‘We will need to be resilient’: Jaguars gear up for another tough road of CIML foes

Centennial girls boast 12 returning state qualifiers, seek top-10 finish in Class 4A

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' track team qualified for last year's Class 4A state meet in just about every event and scored points in many of them. The Jaguars, though, placed no higher than sixth in any event while tying for 15th place overall with 18 points. "We were able to medal in nine events, and a goal of ours is to be able to repeat that success … [Read more...] about Centennial girls boast 12 returning state qualifiers, seek top-10 finish in Class 4A

Centennial boys’ track team looks to build on success of last year’s 4th-place squad

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Coming off one of the best seasons in school history, the Ankeny Centennial boys' track team will be looking to have another banner year in 2026. But it won't be easy. Many of the standouts from last year's squad graduated, leaving some big holes in the team's lineup. "We want to find events for individuals to make the biggest impact," said … [Read more...] about Centennial boys’ track team looks to build on success of last year’s 4th-place squad

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Noah Ross, Ankeny Centennial boys’ track

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Sprinter Noah Ross of the Ankeny Centennial boys' track team is one of several returning state qualifiers from a squad that placed fourth in last year's Class 4A state meet with 61 points. Ross is the lone returnee from the Jaguars' state champion 4x100 and 4x200 relays. He also ran on the third-place sprint medley relay. Here is some inside info on … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Noah Ross, Ankeny Centennial boys’ track

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Luke Mitchell, Centennial boys’ basketball

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Junior forward Luke Mitchell helped the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team to a 9-14 record this season. He was named to the CIML Conference third team and was also selected to the all-substate team. Mitchell averaged 10.7 points and a team-high 5.6 rebounds per game. He was the Jaguars' best shooter from the field (105-of-192) and from 3-point range … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Luke Mitchell, Centennial boys’ basketball

Aguirre among unanimous selections to all-CIML first team for 2nd straight year

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Ankeny boys' basketball star Rio Aguirre has been unanimously selected to the CIML Conference first team for the second consecutive year. Aguirre, a senior guard, led the Hawks to a 12-11 record. He averaged a team-high 19.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Aguirre led Ankeny with 58 3-point goals, shooting 43.0 percent from behind the arc. He also … [Read more...] about Aguirre among unanimous selections to all-CIML first team for 2nd straight year

‘I can’t wait to play with her again!’: Jags’ Litchfield to join Balashaitis at CSP in ’27

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Junior goalkeeper Rylee Litchfield of Ankeny Centennial has verbally committed to play for the Concordia St. Paul women's soccer team in 2027. Litchfield will be reunited with former Centennial teammate Maddison Balashaitis, who is a freshman defender on the squad. Balashaitis helped the Golden Bears to a 12-3-5 record last fall. "Maddison has always … [Read more...] about ‘I can’t wait to play with her again!’: Jags’ Litchfield to join Balashaitis at CSP in ’27

Williams, Beam earn multiple all-state honors; Kiene, ACA’s Davis also honored

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Ankeny standout Jayla Williams has earned all-state girls' basketball honors for the third consecutive year, while teammate Ainsley Kiene and Lizzie Beam of Ankeny Centennial were both honored for the first time. Williams, a senior guard, was named to the Class 5A first team by the Iowa Girls' Coaches Association and the Iowa Print Sports Writers … [Read more...] about Williams, Beam earn multiple all-state honors; Kiene, ACA’s Davis also honored

Fontana to be inducted into IHSAA Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday night

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In late February, Bob Fontana got a text message from one of his longtime coaching friends, Andy Howard, that stopped him in his tracks. "Andy was telling me, 'Congratulations. I'm proud of you,'" Fontana recalled. "I go, 'What are you talking about?', and he says, 'You're going into the Hall of Fame.' And I told him, 'Funny joke. Nobody has contacted … [Read more...] about Fontana to be inducted into IHSAA Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday night

Ankeny’s Williams, Centennial’s Beam named to CIML Conference first team

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Ankeny girls' basketball star Jayla Williams has been named to the CIML Conference first team along with Ankeny Centennial standout Lizzie Beam. Williams was a first-team pick for the third consecutive year after earning third-team honors as a freshman. She was also a unanimous selection. Williams, a senior guard, led the Hawkettes to a semifinal … [Read more...] about Ankeny’s Williams, Centennial’s Beam named to CIML Conference first team

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

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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

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(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

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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

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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

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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

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(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