Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Winter

‘It was a great win’: Surging Centennial girls win top-5 showdown vs. C.R. Prairie

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Last December, the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team suffered through a five-game losing streak and limped into the holiday break with a pedestrian 5-5 record. With everyone back from that squad, the Jaguars are in a much better position 12 months later. Fourth-ranked Centennial raised its overall mark to 6-2 by defeating No. 5 Cedar Rapids … [Read more...] about ‘It was a great win’: Surging Centennial girls win top-5 showdown vs. C.R. Prairie

Ankeny girls win Holiday Duals crown at DC-G to remain unbeaten on season

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Saturday was another amazing day for the Ankeny girls' wrestling program. Third-ranked Ankeny remained unbeaten by defeating four opponents to win the Holiday Duals at Dallas Center-Grimes. Coach Dustin Roland's team improved to 11-0 on the season. Ankeny posted wins over Woodward-Granger (42-36), Valley (54-24), Vinton-Shellsburg (51-24) and Dallas … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls win Holiday Duals crown at DC-G to remain unbeaten on season

Centennial boys hang with two-time defending champs until 4th quarter

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) If there’s one point of emphasis the Centennial boys' basketball team wants to focus on heading into the holiday break, it’s working on closing out games. The Jaguars went out on the road Friday and stuck with two-time reigning Class 4A champion Valley through three quarters, but the wheels fell off for Centennial in the … [Read more...] about Centennial boys hang with two-time defending champs until 4th quarter

‘I was kind of shocked by it’: Pratt scores career-high 30 in Jaguars’ rout at Valley

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Jaeden Pratt is playing with a lot of confidence, and it helps when she’s got the perfect team around her. It was just a pair of free throws to begin Friday night’s contest that broke open the floodgates to a career-high 30-point outing for the Illinois State commit and a dominant 73-42 road win for the Ankeny Centennial … [Read more...] about ‘I was kind of shocked by it’: Pratt scores career-high 30 in Jaguars’ rout at Valley

‘It was a good shot in the arm’: Jaguars rally past Iowa City Liberty for first victory

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For the second time in four days, the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team faced an opponent that was equally desperate to earn its first victory of the season. After letting Friday's game at Urbandale slip away in a 58-57 loss, the Jaguars rebounded on Monday with a non-conference win, rallying in the second half for a 64-59 triumph at Iowa City … [Read more...] about ‘It was a good shot in the arm’: Jaguars rally past Iowa City Liberty for first victory

Ankeny girls defeat 3 foes at Centennial Duals, raise their record to 7-0 on season

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Just getting on the mat Saturday was an accomplishment for the Ankeny girls' wrestling team. Ankeny hosted the Ankeny Centennial Duals at Northview Middle School, which was in danger of being cancelled due to the icy weather before a decision was made to hold the meet after a delayed start. "We were very excited about the opportunity to compete," said … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls defeat 3 foes at Centennial Duals, raise their record to 7-0 on season

Jaguars roll to back-to-back wins over Urbandale, Roosevelt in span of 24 hours

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A couple of fast starts helped the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team to back-to-back victories over Urbandale and Des Moines Roosevelt in a span of 24 hours. The fourth-ranked Jaguars jumped out to a 25-3 lead at the end of the first quarter and rolled to a 66-32 win at Urbandale on Friday. They then raced out to an early 22-6 advantage in … [Read more...] about Jaguars roll to back-to-back wins over Urbandale, Roosevelt in span of 24 hours

Urbandale boys erase 12-point deficit, score with 4 seconds left to beat Jaguars

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After opening the season with three straight double-digit losses, the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team was in position to earn its first victory on Friday. The visiting Jaguars built a 34-22 lead at halftime before Urbandale closed the gap to 49-41 after three quarters. The J-Hawks then outscored Centennial in the final period, 17-8, and scored the … [Read more...] about Urbandale boys erase 12-point deficit, score with 4 seconds left to beat Jaguars

‘They set the tempo right away’: Maroons start fast, roll to win over Centennial boys

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The Dowling Catholic boys' basketball team led from start to finish in a 69-54 victory over visiting Ankeny Centennial on Tuesday. The Maroons jumped out to an early 8-2 advantage and eventually led by as many as 23 points. They improved to 2-0 in the CIML Conference and overall, while Centennial's records dropped to 0-3 and 0-3. Dowling had opened the … [Read more...] about ‘They set the tempo right away’: Maroons start fast, roll to win over Centennial boys

Ankeny girls record 5 falls, get big win from Bockes in 57-18 triumph over Valley

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The third-ranked Ankeny girls' wrestling team remained unbeaten in dual-meet competition with a 57-18 victory over Valley in its CIML Conference opener on Tuesday at Urbandale. Ankeny won six of the eight matches that were contested to raise its overall record to 4-0. "We were happy with the way we competed in the limited matches that we had," said … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls record 5 falls, get big win from Bockes in 57-18 triumph over Valley

‘We left it out there’: Jaguars’ rally falls short in 56-52 loss at No. 2 Dowling

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Don't be surprised if the two CIML Conference rivals who met on Tuesday at Dowling Catholic collide again in March at the girls' state basketball tournament. The second-ranked Maroons and No. 5 Ankeny Centennial both look primed to make deep postseason runs. "They're No. 2 for a reason, that's for sure," Centennial coach Scott DeJong said following his … [Read more...] about ‘We left it out there’: Jaguars’ rally falls short in 56-52 loss at No. 2 Dowling

‘We had a great couple of days’: Ankeny girls earn 3rd-place finish at Donnybrook

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The Dan Gable Donnybrook proved to be a valuable experience for the Ankeny girls' wrestling team. Third-ranked Ankeny placed third among 44 teams in the tournament on Thursday and Friday at Xtream Arena in Coralville, finishing with 277 points. Coach Dustin Roland's team had six top-10 finishers. "We had a great couple of days competing with some … [Read more...] about ‘We had a great couple of days’: Ankeny girls earn 3rd-place finish at Donnybrook

‘It was definitely a little bit weird’: Baldwin, Hawkettes defeat Valley for 4-0 start

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) For junior forward Reagan Baldwin, it felt a little weird being the opposition rather than the home team inside the Valley High School gym. Baldwin, who transferred to Ankeny from Valley after her sophomore season, stepped foot back in her old stomping grounds on Tuesday and played a key role in helping the eighth-ranked … [Read more...] about ‘It was definitely a little bit weird’: Baldwin, Hawkettes defeat Valley for 4-0 start

‘They’re a very talented team’: Wolves cruise past Centennial boys in opener

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The Waukee Northwest boys' basketball team is as good as advertised. The Wolves, bolstered by the addition of multiple transfers in the offseason, jumped out to a 15-4 lead in the first quarter and cruised to a 60-38 victory at CIML Conference rival Ankeny Centennial on Tuesday. It was the season opener for both squads. "They're a very talented team … [Read more...] about ‘They’re a very talented team’: Wolves cruise past Centennial boys in opener

‘I think it was very humbling’: Jags open CIML play with OT loss to Waukee NW

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Mya Crawford sat in the bleachers with an icepack on her foot following Tuesday's game against visiting Waukee Northwest. It was that kind of night for the senior guard and the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team. Crawford scored 18 points, but her desperation heave at the buzzer bounced off the backboard and the third-ranked Jaguars dropped a … [Read more...] about ‘I think it was very humbling’: Jags open CIML play with OT loss to Waukee NW

Jaguars shut down Pleasant Valley in opener, give DeJong his 700th career win

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The 700th career victory for Ankeny Centennial's Scott DeJong followed a familiar script. The legendary girls' basketball coach reached the milestone on Saturday when the third-ranked Jaguars opened their season by winning a defensive battle against No. 5 Pleasant Valley, 39-26, at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids. "It was two good teams … [Read more...] about Jaguars shut down Pleasant Valley in opener, give DeJong his 700th career win

Centennial boys’ team looks to overcome inexperienced roster, rash of injuries

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This was already going to be one of coach Bob Fontana's most inexperienced boys' basketball teams at Ankeny Centennial. Now, the Jaguars are dealing with a rash of injuries too. "We had four players injured during the fall either in an open gym or our fall league," said Fontana, who is beginning his 34th season as a head coach. "Usually, you have a … [Read more...] about Centennial boys’ team looks to overcome inexperienced roster, rash of injuries

Haag, Bratland capture titles, lead Ankeny girls’ squad to 3rd-place finish at Nevada

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Trudy Haag and Hayden Bratland each won an individual title to lead the Ankeny girls' wrestling team to a third-place finish among 33 squads in the Central Iowa Kickoff on Saturday at Nevada. Raccoon River Northwest captured the team crown with 295 points. Southeast Polk was second with 260.5 points, followed by Ankeny with 209.5. "Overall, we had a … [Read more...] about Haag, Bratland capture titles, lead Ankeny girls’ squad to 3rd-place finish at Nevada