Ankeny Fanatic

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Jaguars

‘I loved the way they trained’: Dhabolt picks Iowa State over Iowa, OU, Okla. St.

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The recruiting battle for Ankeny Centennial wrestling star Max Dhabolt has come to an end. Dhabolt, a 175-pound junior, has verbally committed to Iowa State. He will follow in the footsteps of senior teammate Cale Vandermark, who signed a letter of intent with the Cyclones in November. Dhabolt was pursued by some of the nation's top collegiate … [Read more...] about ‘I loved the way they trained’: Dhabolt picks Iowa State over Iowa, OU, Okla. St.

‘We played right with them’: Centennial boys drop 54-46 decision to No. 6 Waukee

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) There was nothing the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team would’ve loved more than opening 2026 with a big upset victory. But despite a blazing hot start to the game, the Jaguars eventually fell behind in the second half and suffered a 54-46 loss to sixth-ranked Waukee on Friday night at Centennial. “We came out of … [Read more...] about ‘We played right with them’: Centennial boys drop 54-46 decision to No. 6 Waukee

‘Everything was just clicking’: Jaguars lead from start to finish in victory over Waukee

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team couldn’t have possibly asked for a better start to the new year. The Jaguars harnessed a total team effort coming out of the holiday break and kicked off the 2026 portion of their schedule by defeating 13th-ranked Waukee, 61-48, on Friday night at Centennial. “That’s the … [Read more...] about ‘Everything was just clicking’: Jaguars lead from start to finish in victory over Waukee

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Kolby Bechen, Centennial boys’ basketball

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Senior guard Kolby Bechen has helped the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team to a 1-4 record. He is averaging 3.8 points per game and leads the squad with 10 assists. Bechen scored six points on 2-of-5 shooting from 3-point range as the Jaguars posted a 63-45 win over visiting Valley on Dec. 19 for their first victory of the season. He also grabbed … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Kolby Bechen, Centennial boys’ basketball

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Noah Kearney, Ankeny boys’ swimming

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Senior Noah Kearney has helped the ninth-ranked Ankeny boys' swimming team to a 1-2 record in the CIML Conference. The squad is now 10-7 overall after placing second in the seven-team field in the Little Hawk Invitational on Saturday at Mercer Park Aquatic Center in Iowa City. Kearney won two events and also swam on two winning relays as Ankeny defeated … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Noah Kearney, Ankeny boys’ swimming

Vandermark captures 4th straight title at Miller Invite; Sodergren also wins crown

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Ankeny Centennial wrestling standout Cale Vandermark captured a fourth consecutive title in the Don Miller Invitational on Saturday at Fort Dodge, where he helped the Jaguars to a sixth-place finish in the 11-team field. Vandermark, who is ranked No. 1 at 126 pounds in Class 3A, posted a 2-1 decision over No. 9 Matthew Tran of Iowa City West in the finals … [Read more...] about Vandermark captures 4th straight title at Miller Invite; Sodergren also wins crown

‘I am so proud of our staff’: Asst. coaches guide Ankeny to DC-G Holiday Duals title

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team defended its title on Saturday by going 5-0 at the Dallas Center-Grimes Holiday Duals. Fourth-ranked Ankeny competed most of the day without coach Dustin Roland, who left after the first dual to watch his son wrestle in another tournament. "I am so proud of our staff and their continued willingness to do whatever I ask … [Read more...] about ‘I am so proud of our staff’: Asst. coaches guide Ankeny to DC-G Holiday Duals title

Beam scores career-high 21 points, but Jaguars fall to 1-4 with loss to No. 4 Valley

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team was hoping to build off of its win over Urbandale a week ago and head into the holiday break with some positive momentum. But a matchup against fourth-ranked Valley ended the Jaguars' December slate with a 29-point loss. Centennial struggled to get its offense going in the … [Read more...] about Beam scores career-high 21 points, but Jaguars fall to 1-4 with loss to No. 4 Valley

‘It feels so good!’: Jaguars pull away in 2nd half, defeat Valley for first win of season

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) With about 50 seconds left in Friday’s game against visiting Valley, Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball coach Matt Delger walked in front of his bench with a wide grin on his face and asked the reserves that don’t get much playing time if they wanted to close out the final minute. Delger’s smile quickly spread up and down … [Read more...] about ‘It feels so good!’: Jaguars pull away in 2nd half, defeat Valley for first win of season

‘The whole team was motivated to swim fast’: Ankeny routs Johnston on Sr. Night

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The seniors on the Ankeny boys' swimming team celebrated their special night with a dominating victory. Eighth-ranked Ankeny won all 11 events and rolled to a 132-38 victory over No. 16 Johnston on Thursday at Trail Point Aquatics Center. It was Senior Night for coach Dustin Rhoads' team, which improved to 1-2 in the CIML Conference and 5-6 overall. … [Read more...] about ‘The whole team was motivated to swim fast’: Ankeny routs Johnston on Sr. Night

‘They were pretty jacked’: Ankeny boys’ bowling squad snaps long losing streak

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The drought has ended for the Ankeny boys' bowling team. The squad defeated visiting Johnston in a CIML Conference dual meet on Thursday at B-Roll Bowling. They won by a score of 2,225 to 2,071 to end a streak of 26 consecutive losses. "I believe that was their first win in three years," said Ankeny coach Adam Booth. "They were pretty jacked." The … [Read more...] about ‘They were pretty jacked’: Ankeny boys’ bowling squad snaps long losing streak

‘We need to get tougher’: Jaguars tumble to 0-4 with 57-15 loss to No. 2 Dowling

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) It’s safe to say that the Ankeny Centennial wrestlers haven’t seen the start to the season that they were hoping for. The Jaguars have been struggling in a battle with injuries and have now dropped their first four CIML Conference duals of the season  after Dowling Catholic handed them a 57-15 defeat on Thursday at … [Read more...] about ‘We need to get tougher’: Jaguars tumble to 0-4 with 57-15 loss to No. 2 Dowling

Ankeny girls’ wrestling team rolls to wins over N. Polk, Des Moines Public Schools

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team dropped only one match while defeating a pair of opponents in a double dual meet on Tuesday at Northview Middle School. Fourth-ranked Ankeny rolled to an 84-0 victory over North Polk before following with a 78-6 win over Des Moines Public Schools to raise its overall record to 11-2. DMPS also lost to Ankeny by the same … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls’ wrestling team rolls to wins over N. Polk, Des Moines Public Schools

Pearson, Smith combine for 3 victories in Ankeny’s loss to No. 5 Valley swimmers

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Despite two wins from Bryer Pearson and another from Jake Smith, the eighth-ranked Ankeny boys' swimming team dropped a 95-75 decision to No. 5 Valley on Tuesday at Trail Point Aquatics Center. The Tigers won eight of the 11 events to improve to 2-0 in the CIML Conference and 7-2-1 overall. Ankeny's records dropped to 0-2 and 4-6. "We battled a very … [Read more...] about Pearson, Smith combine for 3 victories in Ankeny’s loss to No. 5 Valley swimmers

‘We’ve got a lot of work to do’: Jags build 34-3 lead before Urbandale rallies to win

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The Ankeny Centennial wrestlers still have a lot of work to do. The eighth-ranked Jaguars appeared to be on the verge of their first dual-meet victory on Tuesday, when they built a 34-3 advantage through the first eight matches at Urbandale. But the J-Hawks then mounted a huge rally, sweeping the last six weights to post a 39-34 win. "We got pinned … [Read more...] about ‘We’ve got a lot of work to do’: Jags build 34-3 lead before Urbandale rallies to win

‘I truly believe it’s the perfect fit for me’: Centennial’s Gray to play for MSU Mankato

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Junior defender Kenna Gray of Ankeny Centennial has verbally committed to play soccer for Minnesota State University in Mankato. The Mavericks reached the second round of this year's NCAA Division II tournament before losing to Washburn in penalty kicks. Last year, MSU was the national runner-up. Former Centennial star Courtney Kovacs completed her … [Read more...] about ‘I truly believe it’s the perfect fit for me’: Centennial’s Gray to play for MSU Mankato

‘I was so devastated hearing the news’: Elbow surgery will end Bratland’s season

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team will have to chase the Class 2A state championship without its best wrestler. Top-ranked Hayden Bratland, the defending state champ at 140 pounds, will undergo elbow surgery on Wednesday. The junior will miss the rest of the season. "I was so devastated hearing the news," said Bratland, who was 8-0 on the year and owns … [Read more...] about ‘I was so devastated hearing the news’: Elbow surgery will end Bratland’s season

Hawks place 6th at Baltzley Invite behind champion Walsh, while Jaguars finish 13th

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It didn't take long for Ankeny wrestler Ben Walsh to get into midseason form. After making his season debut two nights earlier, the fifth-ranked Walsh cruised to the 126-pound title in the Frank Baltzley Invitational on Saturday at Johnston. He posted a 10-3 decision over Lou Elsten of Lawrence (Kan.) in the title match. "Sometimes when you have a kid … [Read more...] about Hawks place 6th at Baltzley Invite behind champion Walsh, while Jaguars finish 13th