Ankeny Fanatic

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Jaguars

‘We came up just short’: AHS swimmers drop 87-83 decision at No. 5 Linn-Mar

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The Ankeny boys' swimming team traveled to eastern Iowa on Saturday for a top-10 matchup against Linn-Mar (Marion). In the end, the fifth-ranked Lions squeaked out an 87-83 victory in the non-conference dual meet. No. 9 Ankeny's record dropped to 3-5 on the season. Linn-Mar won all three of the relay events, including the 400 freestyle relay that … [Read more...] about ‘We came up just short’: AHS swimmers drop 87-83 decision at No. 5 Linn-Mar

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Hayden Bratland, Ankeny girls’ wrestling

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Sophomore Hayden Bratland helped the Ankeny girls' wrestling team to the championship of the Bob Sharp Invitational on Friday at Ankeny High School. She won an individual title at 140 pounds, joining teammates Mady Postma at 135 and Haylee McGrew at 155 atop the awards podium. Bratland scored bonus points in all four of her matches, capped off by a fall … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Hayden Bratland, Ankeny girls’ wrestling

Ankeny girls dominate Sharp Invitational, crown 3 champs among their 9 finalists

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The Ankeny girls' wrestlers wrapped up the team title at their own Bob Sharp Invitational on Friday well before the final match was contested. Ankeny advanced nine girls to the finals, crowned three individual champions and racked up 252 points in the 14-team tournament at Ankeny High School. Linn-Mar was a distant second with 183.5 points. "We had a … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls dominate Sharp Invitational, crown 3 champs among their 9 finalists

‘We just have to stay the course’: Struggling Jaguars fall to No. 9 Dowling

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The Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team was looking to pull off an upset Friday against a top-10 opponent. Unfortunately, the Jaguars picked the wrong night to face visiting Dowling Catholic. The ninth-ranked Maroons shot 63.5 percent from the field (33-of-52), including 11-of-19 from 3-point range (57.9 percent), and rolled to an 80-41 … [Read more...] about ‘We just have to stay the course’: Struggling Jaguars fall to No. 9 Dowling

After 6 ties and 5 lead changes, Dowling girls pull away late to beat Jaguars again

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team is still searching for a signature victory to put on its postseason resume. The fourth-ranked Jaguars once again battled No. 2 Dowling Catholic down to the wire on Friday before dropping a 52-45 decision at Centennial. There were six ties and five lead changes before the Maroons closed out the CIML Conference … [Read more...] about After 6 ties and 5 lead changes, Dowling girls pull away late to beat Jaguars again

‘We weren’t sure we could pull it off’: Jaguars’ depth pays off in win at Waukee

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The Ankeny Centennial wrestling team was without a trio of varsity regulars on Thursday, including a pair of state placewinners in Isaac Bruhl and Max Dhabolt. No worries. The Jaguars relied on their depth to post a 47-22 victory over Waukee in a CIML Conference dual meet at Timberline Middle School. They improved their records to 5-1 in the league and … [Read more...] about ‘We weren’t sure we could pull it off’: Jaguars’ depth pays off in win at Waukee

Dietz bowls career-best series, leads Ankeny girls’ team past Greene County

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The Ankeny bowling teams ventured out of the CIML Conference on Thursday for a non-conference dual meet against Greene County at Spare Time Lanes & Lounge. The Ankeny girls' squad remained unbeaten despite posting its lowest score of the season. The Hawkettes won by a margin of 2,024 to 1,797. "The lanes were tough," said Ankeny coach Nick Payton. … [Read more...] about Dietz bowls career-best series, leads Ankeny girls’ team past Greene County

‘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