Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Winter

Jaguars avenge loss to No. 4 Valley, move into 3rd-place tie with Tigers

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When the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team suffered a loss at Valley last month, the Jaguars were held to a season-low 40 points. On Tuesday night, that same offensive output was enough to produce a 40-34 victory in a rematch between the two teams at Centennial. "Valley's been a top-five team all year long," said Centennial coach Scott DeJong. … [Read more...] about Jaguars avenge loss to No. 4 Valley, move into 3rd-place tie with Tigers

Ankeny girls rack up 26 pins, crown 5 champs en route to CIML team title

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During the regular season, the Ankeny girls' wrestling team went undefeated against the other schools in the CIML Conference. On Tuesday, Ankeny defeated those teams again to win the CIML individual tournament at Valley. It crowned five champions and racked up 230 points, 13 more than runner-up Raccoon River Northwest. Southeast Polk placed third in … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls rack up 26 pins, crown 5 champs en route to CIML team title

‘They’re playing at a very high level’: Tigers race past Centennial in 2nd half

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Tuesday's showdown at Ankeny Centennial was a battle for third place in the CIML Conference boys' basketball standings. Fourth-ranked Valley turned the game into a rout. The Tigers closed out the third quarter with a 21-4 run to build a 65-44 advantage and went on to defeat No. 5 Centennial, 83-55. They shot 64.8 percent from the field (35-of-54) while … [Read more...] about ‘They’re playing at a very high level’: Tigers race past Centennial in 2nd half

Engebretson, Bishop win titles, lead Ankeny to team crown at Sharp Invite

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Ankeny girls' wrestling coach Dustin Roland was happy with his team's first-place finish in the Bob Sharp Invitational on Saturday at Southview Middle School. But he still wants more from his squad. "It wasn't our best outing, but we were able to edge Mason City for the team title," Roland said. "We won most of the matches we should have, but dropped … [Read more...] about Engebretson, Bishop win titles, lead Ankeny to team crown at Sharp Invite

‘It was a good road win’: Centennial boys bounce back from loss to beat J-Hawks

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The Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team missed an opportunity to make up some ground in the CIML Conference when Waukee Northwest lost to Valley on Tuesday--because the Jaguars also lost at Dowling Catholic. Centennial took advantage of another opportunity Friday when league leader Waukee lost at Ankeny. This time, the fourth-ranked Jaguars posted … [Read more...] about ‘It was a good road win’: Centennial boys bounce back from loss to beat J-Hawks

With a chip on their shoulder, Jaguars romp to 77-28 victory at Urbandale

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Each time the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team has suffered a loss this season, the Jaguars have bounced back with a resounding victory. Seventh-ranked Centennial did it again on Friday with a 77-28 win at Urbandale. The Jaguars are now 4-0 in games after a loss--with an average winning margin of 35.8 points. "You hope when you're coming off a … [Read more...] about With a chip on their shoulder, Jaguars romp to 77-28 victory at Urbandale

FOUL PLAY: Jaguars adjust slowly to ‘tighter whistle’ in loss at No. 8 Dowling

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Some early foul trouble proved to be disastrous for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team on Tuesday. The fifth-ranked Jaguars fell behind in the first quarter at No. 8 Dowling Catholic, 22-10, and could never recover. The Maroons went on to post a 57-40 victory. "We just didn't play well enough," said Centennial coach Scott DeJong. "The foul … [Read more...] about FOUL PLAY: Jaguars adjust slowly to ‘tighter whistle’ in loss at No. 8 Dowling

‘They were the more aggressive team’: Dowling avenges 37-point loss to Jags

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There are no nights off in the Central Iowa Metropolitan League. The Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team learned that lesson on Tuesday night. The fourth-ranked Jaguars suffered a 52-47 loss at Dowling Catholic, which avenged last month's 78-41 shellacking at Centennial. "Hats off to them," Centennial coach Bob Fontana said of the Maroons. "They … [Read more...] about ‘They were the more aggressive team’: Dowling avenges 37-point loss to Jags

Ankeny girls rout Urbandale, then edge Rams to claim league dual-meet crown

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Chalk up another accomplishment for the Ankeny girls' wrestling program in its inaugural season. Ankeny wrapped up the CIML Conference dual-meet championship with a pair of wins over Urbandale and host Southeast Polk on Tuesday. Coach Dustin Roland's team rolled to a 72-6 victory over the J-Hawks, then followed with a 42-34 win over the Rams. Ankeny … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls rout Urbandale, then edge Rams to claim league dual-meet crown

Hot-shooting Jaguars make 13 3-point goals, romp to win over S.E. Polk

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One of the things that stands out about the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team is the Jaguars' unselfish play. Fourth-ranked Centennial racked up 20 assists while committing just six turnovers and rolled to a 77-47 victory over visiting Southeast Polk on Friday. "We had great ball movement and really shared the ball," said Centennial coach Bob … [Read more...] about Hot-shooting Jaguars make 13 3-point goals, romp to win over S.E. Polk

‘It was a great win’: Centennial girls use late rally to knock off No. 6 S.E. Polk

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In the latest Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union basketball rankings, Ankeny Centennial moved up one spot to No. 5 in Class 5A, trading places with CIML rival Southeast Polk. Perhaps the IGHSAU officials can predict the future. On Friday, the two teams battled down to the wire before Centennial escaped with a 54-52 victory on its home court. The … [Read more...] about ‘It was a great win’: Centennial girls use late rally to knock off No. 6 S.E. Polk

‘This was a great test for our girls’: Five Ankeny wrestlers claim titles at Nevada

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Five Ankeny girls captured individual titles on Thursday at the Nevada wrestling scramble. Third-ranked Dana Cleveland at 135 pounds was among Ankeny's champions. She raised her record to 22-3 on the season. Other individual winners were Elyse Engebretson at 115 (19-5), Trudy Haag at 120 (19-4), Josie Bishop at 190 (19-12) and Melanie Martinez at 235 … [Read more...] about ‘This was a great test for our girls’: Five Ankeny wrestlers claim titles at Nevada

No. 1 Wolves win showdown against Centennial boys behind Sandfort’s 28

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Iowa's Payton Sandfort is going through a dreadful shooting slump, having missed all 19 of his attempts from the field in the Hawkeyes' three Big Ten Conference games. His brother, Pryce, is not having any problems finding the basket. The younger Sandfort, who will also play for Iowa next year, poured in 28 points to lead the top-ranked Waukee … [Read more...] about No. 1 Wolves win showdown against Centennial boys behind Sandfort’s 28

‘We sure didn’t show any rust’: Clark, Crawford lead Jaguars past Waukee NW

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There was no holiday rust for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team. The sixth-ranked Jaguars jumped out to a 23-7 lead and rolled to a 44-30 victory over No. 7 Waukee Northwest in a CIML Conference game on Tuesday at Centennial. "We've been having great practices throughout the break so we were ready to finally get back out on the court and … [Read more...] about ‘We sure didn’t show any rust’: Clark, Crawford lead Jaguars past Waukee NW

‘Our girls continue to impress’: Ankeny extends winning streak to 10 matches

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team doesn't look like a first-year varsity program to most outside observers. Ankeny extended its dual-meet winning streak to 10 matches by defeating a pair of opponents on Tuesday at West Marshall. Coach Dustin Roland's team rolled to a 70-6 victory over Marshalltown and a 57-24 win over the host Trojans. Ankeny raised its … [Read more...] about ‘Our girls continue to impress’: Ankeny extends winning streak to 10 matches

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Gia Blaser, Ankeny girls’ wrestling

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Senior Gia Blaser of the Ankeny girls' wrestling team currently boasts a 20-6 record. She ranks second on the squad in wins behind Nora Bockes, who is 21-4. Blaser started the season at 145 pounds, but has since dropped down to 140. She placed second in the Raccoon River tournament on Dec. 17 at Adel. Here is some inside info on Blaser: How is the … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Gia Blaser, Ankeny girls’ wrestling

IN THE ZONE: Winkel scores career-high 30, leads No. 4 Jaguars past Ankeny boys

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It's been a dream season thus far for Luke Winkel and the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team. On Tuesday night, it only got better. Winkel poured in a career-high 30 points and the fourth-ranked Jaguars pulled away in the second half for a 65-46 victory at Ankeny. The win allowed Centennial to take a 10-9 lead in the all-time series and avenged … [Read more...] about IN THE ZONE: Winkel scores career-high 30, leads No. 4 Jaguars past Ankeny boys

Ankeny girls roll to 72-6 victory over Johnston, improve overall record to 8-2

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team will take an 8-2 record into the holiday break, including a 3-0 mark in the CIML Conference. Ankeny rolled to a 72-6 victory over Johnston on Tuesday at Urbandale. Only three of the matches were contested. "They were very limited in numbers," Ankeny coach Dustin Roland said of the Dragons. Ankeny got a fall from Nora … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls roll to 72-6 victory over Johnston, improve overall record to 8-2

Ankeny girls crown 6 champs at Adel, claim first tourney title in program history

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Saturday was another historic day for the fledgling Ankeny girls' wrestling team. Ankeny crowned six individual champions and captured the first tournament title in program history by winning the Raccoon River Invitational at Adel. The team racked up 222 points. Raccoon River was second in the eight-team event with 178 points. It had lost to Ankeny in … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls crown 6 champs at Adel, claim first tourney title in program history