Ankeny Fanatic

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Jaguars

‘I loved the facilities and the culture’: Centennial’s Heither commits to Wartburg

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Ankeny Centennial wingback Sam Heither has committed to play football at Wartburg College next year. Heither announced his decision on social media Wednesday. "I was pretty keyed in on Wartburg during the recruiting process," Heither said. "I loved the facilities and the culture that they have over in Waverly." Heither helped Centennial to an 8-3 … [Read more...] about ‘I loved the facilities and the culture’: Centennial’s Heither commits to Wartburg

Centennial boys rally from 22-point deficit to forge tie, but Urbandale holds on to win

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) With about 4 minutes 30 seconds left in the third quarter, the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team faced one of its largest deficits in Tuesday's game against visiting Urbandale. Davis Hardersen knocked down a 3-pointer to extend the J-Hawks' lead to 41-19 as they appeared to be ready to cruise to victory on Centennial’s … [Read more...] about Centennial boys rally from 22-point deficit to forge tie, but Urbandale holds on to win

Crawford enjoys historic night as Jaguars roll past Urbandale for 2nd time this year

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Ever since transferring from Cedar Falls to Ankeny Centennial after her freshman girls' basketball season, Mya Crawford has carved out a pretty important role for the Jaguars. She’s started nearly 60 games over two and a half seasons, she’s scored a lot of baskets and she’s helped win a ton of games for Centennial. But … [Read more...] about Crawford enjoys historic night as Jaguars roll past Urbandale for 2nd time this year

Ankeny girls rack up 6 pins, win 5 matches by forfeit in 69-12 victory at Urbandale

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team rolled to a 69-12 victory at Urbandale in a CIML Conference dual meet on Tuesday. Ankeny recorded six falls, all but one of them in the first period. Coach Dustin Roland's team won five other matches by forfeit and also got a narrow victory in the final match at 110 pounds, where Zoe Sullivan posted an 8-6 decision over … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls rack up 6 pins, win 5 matches by forfeit in 69-12 victory at Urbandale

Ankeny swimmers tumble to No. 1 Cedar Falls, will face Linn-Mar, Waukee NW next

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The ninth-ranked Ankeny boys' swimming team dropped a 111-59 decision to No. 1 Cedar Falls in a non-conference dual meet on Saturday at Trail Point Aquatics Center. The Tigers entered the meet with 3,520 power points, which led the state and put them 109 points ahead of No. 2 Waukee Northwest. They showed in Saturday's meet why they're the early favorite … [Read more...] about Ankeny swimmers tumble to No. 1 Cedar Falls, will face Linn-Mar, Waukee NW next

Ankeny’s Rathjen claims Mendenhall title, while Jags’ Vandermark earns 100th win

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Saturday's Jack Mendenhall Invitational proved to be a memorable tournament for Ankeny wrestler Calvin Rathjen. Ankeny Centennial's Cale Vandermark also enjoyed an historic moment. Rathjen won the 132-pound title to lead the Hawks to a fourth-place finish in the 15-team field, while the Jaguars took sixth behind a runner-up performance at 120 from … [Read more...] about Ankeny’s Rathjen claims Mendenhall title, while Jags’ Vandermark earns 100th win

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Bryer Pearson, Ankeny boys’ swimming

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Junior Bryer Pearson has helped the ninth-ranked Ankeny boys' swimming team to a 3-4 record, including a 2-3 mark in the CIML Conference. Pearson is currently ranked eighth in the state in the 100 butterfly with a time of 52.51 seconds. He is tied for 40th in the 50 freestyle (22.71) and tied for 42nd in the 100 backstroke (58.02). Pearson is also a … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Bryer Pearson, Ankeny boys’ swimming

Ankeny girls crown 4 individual champs, place 2nd behind Osage at Ogden Invite

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team crowned four individual champions and placed second overall in the Ogden Invitational on Saturday. Osage won the 27-team event with 231.5 points. The Green Devils were led by sisters Ainsley and Gable Hemann, who won titles at 100 and 110 pounds, respectively. Ankeny racked up 209.5 points to easily finish ahead of … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls crown 4 individual champs, place 2nd behind Osage at Ogden Invite

‘We have all grown a lot’: Ankeny girls beat Valley, Johnston to stay unbeaten

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The Ankeny girls' bowling team continues to have a lot of fun. Ankeny posted a season-high score of 2,252 to defeat host Johnston by 122 pins in a CIML Conference dual meet on Friday at Game Day Lanes. The squad improved to 4-0 in the league and overall, while Johnston's records fell to 0-3 and 0-5. Ankeny has already doubled its win total from last … [Read more...] about ‘We have all grown a lot’: Ankeny girls beat Valley, Johnston to stay unbeaten

‘They beat us in every phase of the game’: No. 3 Wolves roll past Centennial boys

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The struggles continued on Friday for the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team. The Jaguars fell behind by 20 points at halftime and eventually dropped a 77-36 decision at third-ranked Waukee Northwest. It was their worst loss of the season. "We were down by nine with 4 minutes left in the second quarter, but then they outscored us by 11 the rest of … [Read more...] about ‘They beat us in every phase of the game’: No. 3 Wolves roll past Centennial boys

‘We’ve got to make better adjustments’: Jags’ lead slips away in loss at Northwest

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For the third time in the last four games, the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team let a halftime lead slip away. The fourth-ranked Jaguars were able to recover in those previous games to defeat Cedar Rapids Prairie and Ankeny, but they weren't as fortunate on Friday at No. 3 Waukee Northwest. The Wolves used a 15-1 run in the third quarter to … [Read more...] about ‘We’ve got to make better adjustments’: Jags’ lead slips away in loss at Northwest

‘That should do a lot for his confidence’: Keller’s pin seals Jaguars’ win at Dowling

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After losing four of the first five matches, the Ankeny Centennial wrestlers won seven of the next eight bouts and posted a 45-33 victory at Dowling Catholic on Thursday. The sixth-ranked Jaguars raised their records to 4-1 in the CIML Conference and 9-3 overall, but coach Jay Groth still had some concerns after the meet. "We need to continue to not … [Read more...] about ‘That should do a lot for his confidence’: Keller’s pin seals Jaguars’ win at Dowling

Centennial lineman Juravich commits to play football at William Jewell College

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Ankeny Centennial offensive lineman Lucas Juravich has committed to play football at William Jewell College. Juravich announced his decision on social media earlier this week. "I want to thank my mom, dad and all my siblings for pushing me farther than I thought I could go," Juravich tweeted on X. Juravich was part of one of the state's best … [Read more...] about Centennial lineman Juravich commits to play football at William Jewell College

No. 8 Ankeny swimmers rebound from loss to Dowling with victory over S.E. Polk

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The eighth-ranked Ankeny boys' swimming team bounced back from Tuesday's loss to Dowling Catholic with a 121-49 victory over No. 14 Southeast Polk on Thursday at Trail Point Aquatics Center. The Hawks won nine of the 11 events while raising their records to 2-3 in the CIML Conference and 3-3 overall. They swept the top two places in two of the three … [Read more...] about No. 8 Ankeny swimmers rebound from loss to Dowling with victory over S.E. Polk

‘I couldn’t be happier’: Roland ecstatic despite Ankeny’s losses to top 2 teams

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) It’s not every day that the third-ranked team in Class 2A girls' wrestling can view itself as an underdog going into a triangular. But Tuesday night was the exception for the Ankeny girls' wrestling squad at Northview Middle School. Under one roof, Ankeny hosted and was defeated in two close duals by the only two teams … [Read more...] about ‘I couldn’t be happier’: Roland ecstatic despite Ankeny’s losses to top 2 teams

Hawks use big run to rally past Centennial boys, take 13-12 lead in all-time series

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The Ankeny boys' basketball players didn't panic when their crosstown rival surged to a five-point lead in the first half of Tuesday's game at Ankeny Centennial. The Hawks had been in this position before. Ankeny rallied from a five-point halftime deficit to beat the Jaguars a month ago, and the Hawks used a similar rally on Tuesday to pull away for a … [Read more...] about Hawks use big run to rally past Centennial boys, take 13-12 lead in all-time series

‘It felt so relieving’: Smith’s late 3-pointers seal Jaguars’ victory over Ankeny girls

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The shots weren't falling on Tuesday night for Tillie Smith. But her teammates on the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball squad told her to keep shooting, and the advice paid off. The senior guard made just 2-of-9 shots from the field and went 2-of-8 from behind the arc, but she connected on a pair of 3-point goals in the final 3 minutes as the … [Read more...] about ‘It felt so relieving’: Smith’s late 3-pointers seal Jaguars’ victory over Ankeny girls

‘This was not our night’: Ankeny swimmers drop 92-78 decision to Dowling Catholic

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The Ankeny boys' swimming team won't have any time to dwell on Tuesday's loss to visiting Dowling Catholic. The 11th-ranked Maroons won eight of the 11 events, including all three relays, and posted a 92-78 victory over No. 6 Ankeny at Trail Point Aquatics Center. The loss dropped the Hawks' records to 1-3 in the CIML Conference and 2-3 overall. "This … [Read more...] about ‘This was not our night’: Ankeny swimmers drop 92-78 decision to Dowling Catholic