Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Winter

Jaguars hold off Roosevelt, can reach .500 mark with victory at Waukee on Friday

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team has had two previous chances to reach the .500 mark for the season. Now, the 12th-ranked Jaguars will get another opportunity to even their record. Centennial used a fast start to post a 52-46 victory over visiting Des Moines Roosevelt in a non-conference game on Monday. The Jaguars are now 8-9 heading into … [Read more...] about Jaguars hold off Roosevelt, can reach .500 mark with victory at Waukee on Friday

Raccoon River-NW, Cedar Falls boast 11 qualifiers; Ankeny among 5 teams with 8

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Top-ranked Raccoon River-Northwest is the clear favorite to defend its title in the girls' Class 2A state wrestling tournament on Thursday and Friday at Xtream Arena in Coralville. Raccoon River-Northwest qualified 11 wrestlers for the tournament, including eight top-five seeds. The team is led by senior Katie Biscoglia, a three-time state champion who is … [Read more...] about Raccoon River-NW, Cedar Falls boast 11 qualifiers; Ankeny among 5 teams with 8

‘My guys just didn’t quit’: Centennial boys rally past Tigers to sweep season series

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team rode an intense roller coaster of momentum ranging from a double-digit lead to a double-digit deficit. But it was the squad’s overall response late in the third quarter and early in the final period that powered the Jaguars to a 57-50 road victory Friday that secured their regular … [Read more...] about ‘My guys just didn’t quit’: Centennial boys rally past Tigers to sweep season series

‘We’ve seen tremendous growth’: Jaguars avenge earlier 29-point loss to Valley

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) There has been a night and day difference between the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team that started the season and the one that’s now pushing for a top-10 ranking. Valley found out first hand just how much the 12th-ranked Jaguars have grown since their first meeting in mid-December. Centennial led nearly the … [Read more...] about ‘We’ve seen tremendous growth’: Jaguars avenge earlier 29-point loss to Valley

‘We are just so proud of our girls’: Ankeny claims regional title, qualifies 8 for state

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Coach Dustin Roland beamed with pride following Friday's Class 2A regional tournament at Glenwood. His third-ranked Ankeny girls' wrestling team captured a third consecutive regional crown in dominating fashion, racking up 249 points. Dallas Center-Grimes was a distant second in the 10-team field with 166. "We may sound like a broken record, but we are … [Read more...] about ‘We are just so proud of our girls’: Ankeny claims regional title, qualifies 8 for state

‘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