Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Winter

Without Abbott and Fontana, Centennial boys drop 65-49 decision to No. 2 Valley

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This wasn't the break that the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team needed. After struggling to a 1-10 start this season, the Jaguars got some more bad news prior to Tuesday's game against visiting Valley. Sophomore forward Evan Abbott, the squad's leading scorer with an average of 12.3 points per game, was shut down due to a stress fracture in his … [Read more...] about Without Abbott and Fontana, Centennial boys drop 65-49 decision to No. 2 Valley

Raccoon River-NW edges Ankeny girls, again, to claim title at CIML Invitational

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team is still trying to figure out how to beat Raccoon River-Northwest. The top two squads in Class 2A collided for the fourth time this season on Tuesday in the CIML Conference Invitational at Northview Middle School. And, once again, No. 1 Raccoon River-Northwest came out on top, claiming the team title with 238.5 … [Read more...] about Raccoon River-NW edges Ankeny girls, again, to claim title at CIML Invitational

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Hayden Bratland, Ankeny girls’ wrestling

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Sophomore Hayden Bratland helped the Ankeny girls' wrestling team to the championship of the Bob Sharp Invitational on Friday at Ankeny High School. She won an individual title at 140 pounds, joining teammates Mady Postma at 135 and Haylee McGrew at 155 atop the awards podium. Bratland scored bonus points in all four of her matches, capped off by a fall … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Hayden Bratland, Ankeny girls’ wrestling

Ankeny girls dominate Sharp Invitational, crown 3 champs among their 9 finalists

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The Ankeny girls' wrestlers wrapped up the team title at their own Bob Sharp Invitational on Friday well before the final match was contested. Ankeny advanced nine girls to the finals, crowned three individual champions and racked up 252 points in the 14-team tournament at Ankeny High School. Linn-Mar was a distant second with 183.5 points. "We had a … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls dominate Sharp Invitational, crown 3 champs among their 9 finalists

‘We just have to stay the course’: Struggling Jaguars fall to No. 9 Dowling

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The Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team was looking to pull off an upset Friday against a top-10 opponent. Unfortunately, the Jaguars picked the wrong night to face visiting Dowling Catholic. The ninth-ranked Maroons shot 63.5 percent from the field (33-of-52), including 11-of-19 from 3-point range (57.9 percent), and rolled to an 80-41 … [Read more...] about ‘We just have to stay the course’: Struggling Jaguars fall to No. 9 Dowling

After 6 ties and 5 lead changes, Dowling girls pull away late to beat Jaguars again

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team is still searching for a signature victory to put on its postseason resume. The fourth-ranked Jaguars once again battled No. 2 Dowling Catholic down to the wire on Friday before dropping a 52-45 decision at Centennial. There were six ties and five lead changes before the Maroons closed out the CIML Conference … [Read more...] about After 6 ties and 5 lead changes, Dowling girls pull away late to beat Jaguars again

Centennial boys rally from 22-point deficit to forge tie, but Urbandale holds on to win

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) With about 4 minutes 30 seconds left in the third quarter, the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team faced one of its largest deficits in Tuesday's game against visiting Urbandale. Davis Hardersen knocked down a 3-pointer to extend the J-Hawks' lead to 41-19 as they appeared to be ready to cruise to victory on Centennial’s … [Read more...] about Centennial boys rally from 22-point deficit to forge tie, but Urbandale holds on to win

Crawford enjoys historic night as Jaguars roll past Urbandale for 2nd time this year

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Ever since transferring from Cedar Falls to Ankeny Centennial after her freshman girls' basketball season, Mya Crawford has carved out a pretty important role for the Jaguars. She’s started nearly 60 games over two and a half seasons, she’s scored a lot of baskets and she’s helped win a ton of games for Centennial. But … [Read more...] about Crawford enjoys historic night as Jaguars roll past Urbandale for 2nd time this year

Ankeny girls rack up 6 pins, win 5 matches by forfeit in 69-12 victory at Urbandale

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team rolled to a 69-12 victory at Urbandale in a CIML Conference dual meet on Tuesday. Ankeny recorded six falls, all but one of them in the first period. Coach Dustin Roland's team won five other matches by forfeit and also got a narrow victory in the final match at 110 pounds, where Zoe Sullivan posted an 8-6 decision over … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls rack up 6 pins, win 5 matches by forfeit in 69-12 victory at Urbandale

Ankeny girls crown 4 individual champs, place 2nd behind Osage at Ogden Invite

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team crowned four individual champions and placed second overall in the Ogden Invitational on Saturday. Osage won the 27-team event with 231.5 points. The Green Devils were led by sisters Ainsley and Gable Hemann, who won titles at 100 and 110 pounds, respectively. Ankeny racked up 209.5 points to easily finish ahead of … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls crown 4 individual champs, place 2nd behind Osage at Ogden Invite

‘They beat us in every phase of the game’: No. 3 Wolves roll past Centennial boys

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The struggles continued on Friday for the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team. The Jaguars fell behind by 20 points at halftime and eventually dropped a 77-36 decision at third-ranked Waukee Northwest. It was their worst loss of the season. "We were down by nine with 4 minutes left in the second quarter, but then they outscored us by 11 the rest of … [Read more...] about ‘They beat us in every phase of the game’: No. 3 Wolves roll past Centennial boys

‘We’ve got to make better adjustments’: Jags’ lead slips away in loss at Northwest

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For the third time in the last four games, the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team let a halftime lead slip away. The fourth-ranked Jaguars were able to recover in those previous games to defeat Cedar Rapids Prairie and Ankeny, but they weren't as fortunate on Friday at No. 3 Waukee Northwest. The Wolves used a 15-1 run in the third quarter to … [Read more...] about ‘We’ve got to make better adjustments’: Jags’ lead slips away in loss at Northwest

‘I couldn’t be happier’: Roland ecstatic despite Ankeny’s losses to top 2 teams

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) It’s not every day that the third-ranked team in Class 2A girls' wrestling can view itself as an underdog going into a triangular. But Tuesday night was the exception for the Ankeny girls' wrestling squad at Northview Middle School. Under one roof, Ankeny hosted and was defeated in two close duals by the only two teams … [Read more...] about ‘I couldn’t be happier’: Roland ecstatic despite Ankeny’s losses to top 2 teams

‘Things just snowballed on us’: Slow start dooms Jaguars in 52-37 loss to Johnston

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The Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team is still seeking its first conference victory. A slow start on Friday doomed the Jaguars' hopes of pulling off an upset against visiting Johnston. The Dragons jumped out to a 20-3 lead in the first quarter, extended the margin to 33-11 at halftime and then held on for a 52-37 road victory. "We were not … [Read more...] about ‘Things just snowballed on us’: Slow start dooms Jaguars in 52-37 loss to Johnston

‘Johnston is a great team’: Dragons build huge lead, then hold off Centennial girls

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This year's version of the Johnston girls' basketball team might be even better than last year's state championship squad. That was the assessment by Ankeny Centennial coach Scott DeJong prior to the holiday break, and the top-ranked Dragons showed on Friday that the gap between them and the rest of the teams in Class 5A is still significant. Johnston … [Read more...] about ‘Johnston is a great team’: Dragons build huge lead, then hold off Centennial girls

Ankeny girls’ team extends winning streak to 13 matches before falling to S.E. Polk

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The new year didn’t quite start with the bang that the Ankeny girls' wrestling team was hoping for. Ankeny bolstered an 11-0 record to close out the 2024 portion of its schedule, but a 2-1 mark during a quadrangular meet on Thursday at Southeast Polk snapped its undefeated streak to open up the new year. Coach Dustin … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls’ team extends winning streak to 13 matches before falling to S.E. Polk

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Tillie Smith, Ankeny Centennial girls’ basketball

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Senior guard Tillie Smith has helped the fourth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team to a 6-2 record and a four-game winning streak heading into 2025. Smith is averaging 4.0 points per game. She leads the Jaguars with 10 3-point goals and is shooting 28.6 percent from behind the arc. Here is some inside info on Smith: Congratulations on a … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Tillie Smith, Ankeny Centennial girls’ basketball

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Cabryn Klingner, Centennial boys’ basketball

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Senior guard Cabryn Klingner scored a career-high 19 points as the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team posted a 64-59 victory at Iowa City Liberty in a non-conference game last Monday. He also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists as the Jaguars (1-5) earned their first win of the season. Klingner is averaging 9.3 points, 3.3 rebounds … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Cabryn Klingner, Centennial boys’ basketball

‘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