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No. 2 Maroons outlast No. 3 Ankeny girls in showdown for 2nd place in CIML race

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Friday's showdown between two of the top three girls' basketball teams in Class 5A turned out to be a game of runs. In the end, second-ranked Dowling Catholic held off No. 3 Ankeny's final rally to post a 64-57 victory on the road. The Hawkettes lost despite shooting 61.1 percent from 3-point range (11-of-18). "We just got down by a little too much to … [Read more...] about No. 2 Maroons outlast No. 3 Ankeny girls in showdown for 2nd place in CIML race

‘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

Patton to enter transfer portal; Miller, Welsch, Simonsen to stay with Cyclones

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Former Ankeny star Jamison Patton is among the more than 40 Iowa State football players who have entered the transfer portal following the departure of longtime head coach Matt Campbell earlier this month. Patton announced his decision via Twitter on Sunday. "Thank you to coach Campbell and the entire staff for believing in me and investing so much … [Read more...] about Patton to enter transfer portal; Miller, Welsch, Simonsen to stay with Cyclones

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

Goode, Kumm help Vikings to second consecutive NAIA national championship

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Wide receivers Peyton Goode and Jordan Kumm helped the Grand View football team to a second consecutive NAIA national championship on Saturday at Crowley ISD Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas. The top-seeded Vikings posted a 22-16 victory over No. 2 seed Keiser to finish the season with a perfect 14-0 record. It was a rematch of the 2024 title game, which was … [Read more...] about Goode, Kumm help Vikings to second consecutive NAIA national championship

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Noah Kearney, Ankeny boys’ swimming

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Senior Noah Kearney has helped the ninth-ranked Ankeny boys' swimming team to a 1-2 record in the CIML Conference. The squad is now 10-7 overall after placing second in the seven-team field in the Little Hawk Invitational on Saturday at Mercer Park Aquatic Center in Iowa City. Kearney won two events and also swam on two winning relays as Ankeny defeated … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Noah Kearney, Ankeny boys’ swimming

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

‘It’s a privilege to wrestle in this event’: Hawks place 9th at Battle of Waterloo

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The holiday break is coming at a good time for the Ankeny wrestlers. The Hawks turned in a strong performance at the Battle of Waterloo, where they defeated all three of their opponents on Saturday to win Pool 3 and place ninth overall in the 32-team field. "It's a privilege to wrestle in this event," said Ankeny coach Jack Wignall, whose team improved … [Read more...] about ‘It’s a privilege to wrestle in this event’: Hawks place 9th at Battle of Waterloo

‘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

‘I didn’t mean to bank it!’: Kiene’s 3-pointer at buzzer lifts Hawkettes past Cedar Falls

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Ainsley Kiene wasn't supposed to take the final shot for the Ankeny girls' basketball team. But with time running out and the ball in her hands from well beyond the arc, Kiene knew that she had no other choice. The senior guard banked in a 3-point goal from the top of the key as time expired to give the third-ranked Hawkettes a 50-47 victory at No. 8 … [Read more...] about ‘I didn’t mean to bank it!’: Kiene’s 3-pointer at buzzer lifts Hawkettes past Cedar Falls

‘We just didn’t shoot very well’: Hawks drop to 3-3 with 53-38 loss at Cedar Falls

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The offensive struggles continued on Friday for the Ankeny boys' basketball team. After being held to 46 points in a loss to Southeast Polk on Tuesday, the Hawks traveled to Cedar Falls for their final game before the holiday break and dropped a 53-38 decision in a non-conference matchup. "We're 3-3 now, and that's the reality of it," said Ankeny coach … [Read more...] about ‘We just didn’t shoot very well’: Hawks drop to 3-3 with 53-38 loss at Cedar Falls

Hawks take 3rd in pool, will wrestle for 9th through 12th place at Battle of Waterloo

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The Ankeny wrestling team went 2-1 in Bracket B and placed third in its pool on Friday at the Battle of Waterloo. The Hawks opened the tournament with a 37-32 victory over Waverly-Shell Rock. They then dropped a 41-31 decision to Clarion-Goldfield-Dows, one of the top teams in Class 2A, in the semifinals. Clarion-Goldfield-Dows avenged a 54-25 loss to … [Read more...] about Hawks take 3rd in pool, will wrestle for 9th through 12th place at Battle of Waterloo

‘The whole team was motivated to swim fast’: Ankeny routs Johnston on Sr. Night

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The seniors on the Ankeny boys' swimming team celebrated their special night with a dominating victory. Eighth-ranked Ankeny won all 11 events and rolled to a 132-38 victory over No. 16 Johnston on Thursday at Trail Point Aquatics Center. It was Senior Night for coach Dustin Rhoads' team, which improved to 1-2 in the CIML Conference and 5-6 overall. … [Read more...] about ‘The whole team was motivated to swim fast’: Ankeny routs Johnston on Sr. Night

‘They were pretty jacked’: Ankeny boys’ bowling squad snaps long losing streak

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The drought has ended for the Ankeny boys' bowling team. The squad defeated visiting Johnston in a CIML Conference dual meet on Thursday at B-Roll Bowling. They won by a score of 2,225 to 2,071 to end a streak of 26 consecutive losses. "I believe that was their first win in three years," said Ankeny coach Adam Booth. "They were pretty jacked." The … [Read more...] about ‘They were pretty jacked’: Ankeny boys’ bowling squad snaps long losing streak

‘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