Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Winter

Centennial boys earn road win over S.E. Polk for their first CIML Conference victory

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It took awhile, but the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team finally earned its first CIML Conference victory. The Jaguars made some big plays down the stretch and posted a 52-49 win at Southeast Polk on Friday. Both squads are now 1-13 in the league and will meet again in the regular-season finale on Feb. 20 at … [Read more...] about Centennial boys earn road win over S.E. Polk for their first CIML Conference victory

‘I’m super proud of our girls’: Ankeny earns runner-up trophy behind 7 placewinners

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The ascension of the Ankeny girls' wrestling program has been a quick one. In the span of just three seasons, Ankeny went from placing 40th as a team in its first year, leaping up to seventh place last year and finishing the 2024-25 season as the Class 2A team runner-up on Friday night at Xtream Arena in Coralville. The … [Read more...] about ‘I’m super proud of our girls’: Ankeny earns runner-up trophy behind 7 placewinners

‘It’s history, man’: Engebretson, Bratland become Ankeny’s first 2 state champions

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) What was Friday night like for the Ankeny girls' wrestling team? Head coach Dustin Roland summed it up the best. “It’s history, man,” Roland said after Ankeny recorded its first two individual state champions. “Anytime you’re a part of history, it’s special. I'm super proud of (Elyse Engebretson and Hayden … [Read more...] about ‘It’s history, man’: Engebretson, Bratland become Ankeny’s first 2 state champions

‘It was a great win’: Centennial girls shoot 46 percent in road victory over S.E. Polk

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team had one of its best shooting performances of the season on Friday. The-fourth ranked Jaguars shot 46.0 percent from the field (23-of-50) and cruised to a 62-47 victory at No. 14 Southeast Polk in the first meeting between the two CIML Conference rivals, who will face each … [Read more...] about ‘It was a great win’: Centennial girls shoot 46 percent in road victory over S.E. Polk

Bockes, Engebretson, Bratland, McGrew to wrestle for state titles on Friday night

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling squad has moved ahead of Cedar Falls and into second place in the Class 2A team race heading into Friday night's final session in the state tournament at Xtream Arena in Coralville. Raccoon River-Northwest finished the daytime session with 144.5 points and put two wrestlers in the finals, including … [Read more...] about Bockes, Engebretson, Bratland, McGrew to wrestle for state titles on Friday night

Ankeny girls advance 5 wrestlers to Class 2A semis, remain in chase for team crown

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The opening day of the girls' state wrestling tournament was a productive one for coach Dustin Roland and his Ankeny squad. After losing its first two matches on Thursday, Ankeny rebounded to go 14-4 the rest of the way and sits in third place overall with 63 points heading into Friday. Raccoon River-Northwest … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls advance 5 wrestlers to Class 2A semis, remain in chase for team crown

‘We just didn’t knock down our shots’: Scoring drought proves costly for Jaguars

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Cabryn Klingner laid the ball up past a defender, off the glass and into the hoop for the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team during the early stages of the third quarter in Tuesday's game at Johnston. Unfortunately for the Jaguars, Klingner’s layup ended up being their only … [Read more...] about ‘We just didn’t knock down our shots’: Scoring drought proves costly for Jaguars

Hot-shooting Johnston extends winning streak with 68-49 victory over Jaguars

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Many have tried in the last 43 games, but none have succeeded and Ankeny Centennial was the latest girls' basketball team to add to Johnston’s long winning streak. The fourth-ranked Jaguars attempted to pull off a big road upset of No. 1 Johnston on Tuesday, but the nation's No. 13 squad … [Read more...] about Hot-shooting Johnston extends winning streak with 68-49 victory over Jaguars

‘We got off to a good start’: Centennial boys build big lead, roll past Railsplitters

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After getting off to a 1-11 start, the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team has now won two of its last three games--by an average of 30 points. The Jaguars built a 32-12 halftime lead and cruised to a 65-36 victory at Des Moines Lincoln in a non-conference game on Saturday. They are now 3-12 on the season, while Lincoln's … [Read more...] about ‘We got off to a good start’: Centennial boys build big lead, roll past Railsplitters

‘The balance was good to see’: 4 players score in double digits in Jaguars’ road win

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There was no time for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team to dwell on Friday's loss at Waukee. The fourth-ranked Jaguars had to play a rare Saturday afternoon game less than 24 hours later. Centennial traveled to Ames for a non-conference contest and rolled to a 60-21 victory over the … [Read more...] about ‘The balance was good to see’: 4 players score in double digits in Jaguars’ road win

Centennial boys suffer another injury, then drop 62-41 decision at No. 6 Waukee

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Before the ball even tipped off, the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team was battling some adversity. The Jaguars were already dealing with a recent string of injuries and illnesses, all while having to travel out to Waukee on Friday to face the sixth-ranked Warriors. Centennial fell into a hole early on and went … [Read more...] about Centennial boys suffer another injury, then drop 62-41 decision at No. 6 Waukee

‘We had a great night’: Ankeny girls win regional title, advance 9 wrestlers to state

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team was assigned to the Class 2A regional site at Cedar Rapids Jefferson along with seven squads from eastern Iowa. The long trip on Friday to the "City of Five Seasons" didn't seem to bother coach Dustin Roland's team. Ankeny crowned five individual champions, had four other girls qualify for state … [Read more...] about ‘We had a great night’: Ankeny girls win regional title, advance 9 wrestlers to state

‘We just didn’t finish out the game well’: Jaguars fall at Waukee in last few minutes

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) It was an uphill battle most of the way for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team. In the end, the fourth-ranked Jaguars fell just a little short. Despite battling back from a 10-point deficit and a strong second half from senior Mya Crawford, Centennial dropped a 57-53 decision at No. 12 Waukee in a … [Read more...] about ‘We just didn’t finish out the game well’: Jaguars fall at Waukee in last few minutes

Engebretson, McGrew reach 100-victory mark as Ankeny wins Pleasantville Duals

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Seniors Elyse Engebretson and Haylee McGrew each recorded their 100th career victories as the Ankeny girls' wrestling team closed out the dual-meet season on Monday by winning the Pleasantville Duals. Second-ranked Ankeny defeated Albia on a criteria decision after the two squads finished in a 39-39 tie. Coach Dustin Roland's team was awarded the victory … [Read more...] about Engebretson, McGrew reach 100-victory mark as Ankeny wins Pleasantville Duals

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Sean Tunks, Ankeny Centennial boys’ basketball

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Senior Sean Tunks scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double to lead the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team to an 80-49 victory over visiting Dallas Center-Grimes on Friday, allowing the Jaguars to snap a seven-game losing skid. He also had three steals and two blocks. Tunks is averaging 10.5 points and … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Sean Tunks, Ankeny Centennial boys’ basketball

Centennial girls roll past Class 4A No. 2 North Polk, handing Comets their first loss

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) There are some days where everything just seems to be clicking, and the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team picked a perfect time to do so. The Class 5A fourth-ranked Jaguars were locked in on both ends of the court, and it led to a 20-point victory during their top-five showdown with Class 4A No. 2 North Polk as … [Read more...] about Centennial girls roll past Class 4A No. 2 North Polk, handing Comets their first loss

Jaguars make school-record 16 3-point goals, rout DC-Grimes to snap losing skid

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All it took for the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team to snap a seven-game losing streak was to step out of conference play. Winless in the CIML Conference at 0-11, the Jaguars hosted Dallas Center-Grimes in a non-conference game on Friday and turned in their best performance of the season. Centennial made a school-record 16 3-point … [Read more...] about Jaguars make school-record 16 3-point goals, rout DC-Grimes to snap losing skid

‘Can’t wait to take this next step’: Ankeny’s Engebretson commits to Sioux Falls

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Ankeny girls' wrestling standout Elyse Engebretson has verbally committed to the University of Sioux Falls. Engebretson announced her decision via social media on Thursday. "So excited to announce that i will be continuing my academic and wrestling careers at the University of Sioux Falls!" Engebretson tweeted on X. "I couldn't … [Read more...] about ‘Can’t wait to take this next step’: Ankeny’s Engebretson commits to Sioux Falls

Crawford, Pratt record double-doubles in Jaguars’ 58-41 victory over Valley girls

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Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball coach Scott DeJong didn't expect a repeat of his team's 73-42 victory at Valley last month. The fourth-ranked Jaguars won the rematch, 58-41, on Tuesday at Centennial. "The last time the stars aligned," said DeJong. "We were just hoping we could beat them. Waukee Northwest was a single-digit game (with Valley) in the … [Read more...] about Crawford, Pratt record double-doubles in Jaguars’ 58-41 victory over Valley girls