Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Winter

‘I was looking to be aggressive’: Perpich’s fast start ignites Jaguars past S.E. Polk

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A fast start by freshman guard Faith Perpich ignited the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team to a 53-41 victory on Tuesday at Southeast Polk. Perpich scored nine of her career-high 17 points during a 13-0 run in the first half that erased Southeast Polk's early 6-5 lead. The Rams could get no closer than nine points the rest of the way. "I was … [Read more...] about ‘I was looking to be aggressive’: Perpich’s fast start ignites Jaguars past S.E. Polk

Bogseth’s win seals Jaguars’ victory over Clear Creek Amana at Dion Cobb Duals

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The Ankeny Centennial wrestlers finished with a 1-3 record in the Dion Cobb Duals on Saturday at Valley. The Jaguars' lone win came against Clear Creek Amana, 39-37, in their third dual of the day. Brandon Bogseth posted an 11-1 major decision over Dylan Schrock at 215 pounds to seal the victory, giving Centennial a 39-31 lead with just one match … [Read more...] about Bogseth’s win seals Jaguars’ victory over Clear Creek Amana at Dion Cobb Duals

‘This was a great event’: Ankeny girls fall to RR-NW in title match at Border Brawl

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team advanced to the championship match of the Border Brawl on Saturday before running into a familiar foe in the gym at Council Bluffs Lewis Central. Ankeny defeated its first four opponents in the dual tournament to earn another shot at Raccoon River-Northwest, setting up a rematch of the top two finishers at last year's … [Read more...] about ‘This was a great event’: Ankeny girls fall to RR-NW in title match at Border Brawl

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Ethan Sodergren, Ankeny Centennial wrestling

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Junior Ethan Sodergren went 3-1 for the Ankeny Centennial wrestlers in the Dion Cobb Duals on Saturday at Valley. He is now 8-2 on the season. Sodergren had two pins and a technical fall on the day. He pinned Clear Creek-Amana's Robert Hatcher in just 17 seconds at 150 pounds, helping his team to a 39-37 win over the Clippers. Here is some inside info … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Ethan Sodergren, Ankeny Centennial wrestling

Norwalk’s Birmingham pours in 39 points, leads No. 3 Warriors past Centennial girls

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team simply didn't have an answer for Norwalk star Braylyn Birmingham. Birmingham erupted for 39 points and 10 rebounds to lead Norwalk to a 61-46 victory over the visiting Jaguars in a non-conference game on Saturday. The Warriors, who are ranked third in Class 4A, raised their record to 8-1. Birmingham, a … [Read more...] about Norwalk’s Birmingham pours in 39 points, leads No. 3 Warriors past Centennial girls

‘I loved the way they trained’: Dhabolt picks Iowa State over Iowa, OU, Okla. St.

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The recruiting battle for Ankeny Centennial wrestling star Max Dhabolt has come to an end. Dhabolt, a 175-pound junior, has verbally committed to Iowa State. He will follow in the footsteps of senior teammate Cale Vandermark, who signed a letter of intent with the Cyclones in November. Dhabolt was pursued by some of the nation's top collegiate … [Read more...] about ‘I loved the way they trained’: Dhabolt picks Iowa State over Iowa, OU, Okla. St.

‘We played right with them’: Centennial boys drop 54-46 decision to No. 6 Waukee

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) There was nothing the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team would’ve loved more than opening 2026 with a big upset victory. But despite a blazing hot start to the game, the Jaguars eventually fell behind in the second half and suffered a 54-46 loss to sixth-ranked Waukee on Friday night at Centennial. “We came out of … [Read more...] about ‘We played right with them’: Centennial boys drop 54-46 decision to No. 6 Waukee

‘Everything was just clicking’: Jaguars lead from start to finish in victory over Waukee

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team couldn’t have possibly asked for a better start to the new year. The Jaguars harnessed a total team effort coming out of the holiday break and kicked off the 2026 portion of their schedule by defeating 13th-ranked Waukee, 61-48, on Friday night at Centennial. “That’s the … [Read more...] about ‘Everything was just clicking’: Jaguars lead from start to finish in victory over Waukee

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Kolby Bechen, Centennial boys’ basketball

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Senior guard Kolby Bechen has helped the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team to a 1-4 record. He is averaging 3.8 points per game and leads the squad with 10 assists. Bechen scored six points on 2-of-5 shooting from 3-point range as the Jaguars posted a 63-45 win over visiting Valley on Dec. 19 for their first victory of the season. He also grabbed … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Kolby Bechen, Centennial boys’ basketball

Vandermark captures 4th straight title at Miller Invite; Sodergren also wins crown

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Ankeny Centennial wrestling standout Cale Vandermark captured a fourth consecutive title in the Don Miller Invitational on Saturday at Fort Dodge, where he helped the Jaguars to a sixth-place finish in the 11-team field. Vandermark, who is ranked No. 1 at 126 pounds in Class 3A, posted a 2-1 decision over No. 9 Matthew Tran of Iowa City West in the finals … [Read more...] about Vandermark captures 4th straight title at Miller Invite; Sodergren also wins crown

‘I am so proud of our staff’: Asst. coaches guide Ankeny to DC-G Holiday Duals title

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team defended its title on Saturday by going 5-0 at the Dallas Center-Grimes Holiday Duals. Fourth-ranked Ankeny competed most of the day without coach Dustin Roland, who left after the first dual to watch his son wrestle in another tournament. "I am so proud of our staff and their continued willingness to do whatever I ask … [Read more...] about ‘I am so proud of our staff’: Asst. coaches guide Ankeny to DC-G Holiday Duals title

Beam scores career-high 21 points, but Jaguars fall to 1-4 with loss to No. 4 Valley

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team was hoping to build off of its win over Urbandale a week ago and head into the holiday break with some positive momentum. But a matchup against fourth-ranked Valley ended the Jaguars' December slate with a 29-point loss. Centennial struggled to get its offense going in the … [Read more...] about Beam scores career-high 21 points, but Jaguars fall to 1-4 with loss to No. 4 Valley

‘It feels so good!’: Jaguars pull away in 2nd half, defeat Valley for first win of season

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) With about 50 seconds left in Friday’s game against visiting Valley, Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball coach Matt Delger walked in front of his bench with a wide grin on his face and asked the reserves that don’t get much playing time if they wanted to close out the final minute. Delger’s smile quickly spread up and down … [Read more...] about ‘It feels so good!’: Jaguars pull away in 2nd half, defeat Valley for first win of season

‘We need to get tougher’: Jaguars tumble to 0-4 with 57-15 loss to No. 2 Dowling

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) It’s safe to say that the Ankeny Centennial wrestlers haven’t seen the start to the season that they were hoping for. The Jaguars have been struggling in a battle with injuries and have now dropped their first four CIML Conference duals of the season  after Dowling Catholic handed them a 57-15 defeat on Thursday at … [Read more...] about ‘We need to get tougher’: Jaguars tumble to 0-4 with 57-15 loss to No. 2 Dowling

Ankeny girls’ wrestling team rolls to wins over N. Polk, Des Moines Public Schools

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team dropped only one match while defeating a pair of opponents in a double dual meet on Tuesday at Northview Middle School. Fourth-ranked Ankeny rolled to an 84-0 victory over North Polk before following with a 78-6 win over Des Moines Public Schools to raise its overall record to 11-2. DMPS also lost to Ankeny by the same … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls’ wrestling team rolls to wins over N. Polk, Des Moines Public Schools

‘We’ve got a lot of work to do’: Jags build 34-3 lead before Urbandale rallies to win

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The Ankeny Centennial wrestlers still have a lot of work to do. The eighth-ranked Jaguars appeared to be on the verge of their first dual-meet victory on Tuesday, when they built a 34-3 advantage through the first eight matches at Urbandale. But the J-Hawks then mounted a huge rally, sweeping the last six weights to post a 39-34 win. "We got pinned … [Read more...] about ‘We’ve got a lot of work to do’: Jags build 34-3 lead before Urbandale rallies to win

‘I was so devastated hearing the news’: Elbow surgery will end Bratland’s season

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team will have to chase the Class 2A state championship without its best wrestler. Top-ranked Hayden Bratland, the defending state champ at 140 pounds, will undergo elbow surgery on Wednesday. The junior will miss the rest of the season. "I was so devastated hearing the news," said Bratland, who was 8-0 on the year and owns … [Read more...] about ‘I was so devastated hearing the news’: Elbow surgery will end Bratland’s season

Hawks place 6th at Baltzley Invite behind champion Walsh, while Jaguars finish 13th

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It didn't take long for Ankeny wrestler Ben Walsh to get into midseason form. After making his season debut two nights earlier, the fifth-ranked Walsh cruised to the 126-pound title in the Frank Baltzley Invitational on Saturday at Johnston. He posted a 10-3 decision over Lou Elsten of Lawrence (Kan.) in the title match. "Sometimes when you have a kid … [Read more...] about Hawks place 6th at Baltzley Invite behind champion Walsh, while Jaguars finish 13th

Ankeny girls win 4th straight duals crown, improve record to 18-0 in event’s history

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The fourth-ranked Ankeny girls' wrestling team has never lost to an opponent at the Ankeny Centennial Duals. Coach Dustin Roland's squad remained perfect on Saturday at Northview Middle School, where Ankeny went 5-0 on the day to capture the title for the fourth consecutive year. The team is now 18-0 in the history of the event. Ankeny closed out the … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls win 4th straight duals crown, improve record to 18-0 in event’s history