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Jaguars

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

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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