Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Winter

‘They’re hard to beat’: Centennial wrestlers fall to No. 1 Rams in regular-season finale

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The 21st-ranked Ankeny Centennial wrestling team closed out the regular season on Thursday with a 72-5 loss at No. 1 Southeast Polk. With little at stake and the postseason beginning next week, Centennial coach Jay Groth rested some of his varsity regulars. "There was nothing to gain by having them out there," said Groth. "So we played it pretty close … [Read more...] about ‘They’re hard to beat’: Centennial wrestlers fall to No. 1 Rams in regular-season finale

‘We just saw a lot of growth’: Jaguars keep it close for a half against No. 3 Dowling

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team took a lot of positives away from Tuesday's game at Dowling Catholic. After dropping a 79-38 decision to the third-ranked Maroons on Dec. 9, No. 11 Centennial traveled to West Des Moines for the rematch and trailed by just two points at halftime before Dowling pulled away for a 51-26 victory. "We set some … [Read more...] about ‘We just saw a lot of growth’: Jaguars keep it close for a half against No. 3 Dowling

‘Those two bigs just really hurt us’: Crane, Kolee lead Maroons past Centennial boys

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It's hard to defend a slam dunk. The Dowling Catholic duo of Charlie Crane and Alfred Kolee combined for 32 points and five dunks as the third-ranked Maroons defeated visiting Ankeny Centennial, 64-46, in a CIML Conference boys' basketball game on Tuesday. "Those two guys are 6-10 and 6-8, and they're hard to guard," said Centennial forward Luke … [Read more...] about ‘Those two bigs just really hurt us’: Crane, Kolee lead Maroons past Centennial boys

Watson earns 100th win as Ankeny girls again dominate Pleasantville Duals

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team closed out the regular season on Monday in record-setting fashion. Coach Dustin Roland's third-ranked squad easily defeated all four of its opponents at the Pleasantville Duals to win the tournament for the third straight year. Ankeny improved to 27-3, breaking the school record for most victories in a season. The … [Read more...] about Watson earns 100th win as Ankeny girls again dominate Pleasantville Duals

Dhabolt drops 4-2 decision to Carlisle’s Miller in matchup of defending champs

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The road to another state title for Ankeny Centennial wrestling star Max Dhabolt won't be an easy one. The top-ranked Dhabolt suffered his first loss of the season on Saturday, dropping a 4-2 decision to No. 2 Jaxon Miller of Carlisle in the 175-pound final at the Ed Winger Invitational in Urbandale. Miller, who won a Class 3A state championship at 165 … [Read more...] about Dhabolt drops 4-2 decision to Carlisle’s Miller in matchup of defending champs

‘Izzy is on a roll!’: Shafer wins title, leads Ankeny girls to 4th-place finish at tourney

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Isabelle Shafer won an individual title at 110 pounds to lead the Ankeny girls' wrestling team to a fourth-place finish among 20 squads in the Colfax-Mingo Invitational on Saturday. Ankeny, the No. 3 team in Class 2A, finished with 120 points. Coach Dustin Roland rested many of his varsity regulars for Friday's regional tournament at Glenwood. "This … [Read more...] about ‘Izzy is on a roll!’: Shafer wins title, leads Ankeny girls to 4th-place finish at tourney

‘Their defense caused us some fits’: No. 8 North Polk girls pull away from Centennial

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Visiting North Polk pulled away in the third quarter and went on to post a 56-42 victory over Ankeny Centennial in a matchup of rated girls' basketball teams on Saturday. The Comets, who are ranked eighth in Class 4A, extended their winning streak to nine games while raising their record to 14-2. Centennial, the No. 11 team in Class 5A, dropped to 6-8 on … [Read more...] about ‘Their defense caused us some fits’: No. 8 North Polk girls pull away from Centennial

Centennial wrestlers drop 44-28 decision at No. 18 Johnston that could be costly

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A win on the road Thursday likely would have helped the Ankeny Centennial wrestlers move into the final Class 3A dual rankings from the Iowa High School Athletic Association, which is what the Jaguars need in order to qualify for the regional duals. It didn't happen, though, and now Centennial will have to wait for the release of the final rankings on … [Read more...] about Centennial wrestlers drop 44-28 decision at No. 18 Johnston that could be costly

‘My shot felt good’: Beam scores 27 points in Jaguars’ rout over Urbandale girls

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Just a few days ago, the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team struggled to get shots to fall in a 16-point loss to second-ranked Waukee Northwest. The No. 14 Jaguars had no such issues Tuesday night against visiting Urbandale. Centennial connected on its first six shots of the game and proceeded to blow out the … [Read more...] about ‘My shot felt good’: Beam scores 27 points in Jaguars’ rout over Urbandale girls

‘It was a tough night’: Centennial boys get off to slow start in loss to No. 8 J-Hawks

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team had a chance to claw its way back into Tuesday's game and cut its deficit down to single digits out of halftime. But despite a huge scoring night from junior forward Luke Mitchell, the Jaguars just weren’t able to keep pace with eighth-ranked Urbandale and dropped a 60-39 decision … [Read more...] about ‘It was a tough night’: Centennial boys get off to slow start in loss to No. 8 J-Hawks

Ankeny girls crown 4 champions, place 2nd overall at CIML Conference Invite

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Despite winning some of the head-to-head battles against top-ranked Raccoon River-Northwest, the No. 3 Ankeny girls' wrestling squad couldn't knock off the defending champions in the CIML Conference Invitational on Tuesday at Waukee Northwest. The host team crowned six individual champs and defended its overall crown by racking up 280 points. Ankeny was … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls crown 4 champions, place 2nd overall at CIML Conference Invite

Jaguars build big lead, then hold on for non-conference victory at DC-Grimes

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A huge second quarter propelled the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team to a non-conference road victory on Monday. The Jaguars outscored Dallas Center-Grimes in the second period, 27-8, to build a 38-19 advantage at halftime. They then held on for a 55-51 win despite scoring just 17 points in the last two quarters. "It was a good one for us," said … [Read more...] about Jaguars build big lead, then hold on for non-conference victory at DC-Grimes

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Lauren Watson, Ankeny girls’ wrestling

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Junior Lauren Watson won an individual title at 110 pounds to help the Ankeny girls' wrestling team defend its crown in the Bob Sharp Invitational on Friday at Ankeny. The fifth-ranked Watson advanced to the final with a 12-9 decision over No. 3 Aubrey Hoveland of Mason City before pinning Alyssa Wheeler of Carroll in 3 minutes 8 seconds to raise her record … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Lauren Watson, Ankeny girls’ wrestling

Dhabolt returns to Centennial lineup, helps Jags post 3-3 mark at Osage Duals

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After dropping its first three duals on Saturday, the Ankeny Centennial wrestling team rebounded with a trio of victories at the Osage Duals to finish the day with a .500 mark. The Jaguars are now 6-11 on the season. "I was pleased that after losing the first three we didn't get down on ourselves and let that negative momentum drag us down," said … [Read more...] about Dhabolt returns to Centennial lineup, helps Jags post 3-3 mark at Osage Duals

‘Their balance makes it tough’: Wolves top Centennial boys, stay unbeaten in CIML

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There was no letdown for the second-ranked Waukee Northwest boys' basketball team. After handing No. 3 Dowling Catholic its first loss of the season on Tuesday, the Wolves traveled to Ankeny Centennial on Friday and posted a 66-39 victory to complete a sweep of the season series. The Jaguars, though, put up more of a fight than they did on Dec. 2, when … [Read more...] about ‘Their balance makes it tough’: Wolves top Centennial boys, stay unbeaten in CIML

Ankeny girls defend Sharp crown behind individual champs Watson, Kruse, Krah

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With three weeks left to go in the season, the Ankeny girls' wrestling team appears to be peaking at the right time. Tenth-ranked Ankeny advanced nine wrestlers to the finals and crowned three individual champs while defending its team title in the Bob Sharp Invitational on Friday at Ankeny. Coach Dustin Roland's squad racked up 224 points to finish 22.5 … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls defend Sharp crown behind individual champs Watson, Kruse, Krah

‘We just couldn’t get our shots to fall’: Centennial girls tumble to No. 2 Wolves

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After knocking off its crosstown rival earlier in the week, the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team was hoping to pull off a second consecutive upset on Friday. Unfortunately, a slow start doomed the 14th-ranked Jaguars on their home court. No. 2 Waukee Northwest jumped out to a 15-0 lead in the first quarter and went on to post a 44-28 victory in … [Read more...] about ‘We just couldn’t get our shots to fall’: Centennial girls tumble to No. 2 Wolves

‘It was a fun time’: Vandermark’s technical fall seals Jaguars’ victory on Senior Night

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Ankeny Centennial's Cale Vandermark stepped onto his home wrestling mat Thursday for the final time. The three-time state placewinner will never forget his Senior Night. Vandermark sealed the Jaguars' 41-36 victory over 21st-ranked Waukee with a technical fall over Koye Gericke at 126 pounds. He racked up several takedowns before closing out the 23-7 … [Read more...] about ‘It was a fun time’: Vandermark’s technical fall seals Jaguars’ victory on Senior Night