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‘Tip of the cap to Pleasant Valley’: No. 5 Spartans sweep doubleheader at Ankeny

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The 2025 baseball season hasn’t gotten off to the most ideal start for the Ankeny Hawks. After having two different delays earlier in the week, the Hawks officially opened the year with an 0-2 record after falling 13-0 and 5-0 in a doubleheader against visiting Pleasant Valley on Thursday. The Spartans are No. 5 in the Class … [Read more...] about ‘Tip of the cap to Pleasant Valley’: No. 5 Spartans sweep doubleheader at Ankeny

Hawks defend their crown in 4×800 relay, score points in 3 other events to take lead

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The Ankeny boys' quest for a second consecutive Class 4A track championship got off to a good start Thursday at Drake Stadium. The Hawks defended their title in the 4x800 relay, scored points in three other events and set a meet record in the preliminaries of the shuttle hurdle relay on the opening day of the coed state meet. Those efforts allowed … [Read more...] about Hawks defend their crown in 4×800 relay, score points in 3 other events to take lead

Hanfelt captures state title in high jump; Hawkettes take early lead in 4A team race

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Ankeny's Reagan Hanfelt finally made it to the top of the awards podium. The senior won a Class 4A title in the high jump during the opening day of the coed state track meet on Thursday at Drake Stadium. She had tied for third twice and placed second in the event in the previous three years. "It feels amazing," said Hanfelt. "I just trusted my mom … [Read more...] about Hanfelt captures state title in high jump; Hawkettes take early lead in 4A team race

Smith earns No. 1 seed for 2A singles, could meet Peterson in quarterfinals

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The pairings for next week's boys' and girls' state tennis tournaments have been announced. Ankeny's Kira Smith is the No. 1 seed for the girls' Class 2A singles tournament, which will be held on Friday and Saturday at Iowa City. She will face Addison King of Cedar Falls in the opening round. Smith could potentially meet Ankeny Centennial's Samara … [Read more...] about Smith earns No. 1 seed for 2A singles, could meet Peterson in quarterfinals

Jaguars romp to 12-2 victory over No. 3 Dallas Center-Grimes to open season

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The wait was worth it for the Ankeny Centennial baseball team. The Jaguars, who had a doubleheader at Des Moines Roosevelt rained out on Monday, opened their season on Thursday with a 12-2 victory over visiting Dallas Center-Grimes. The non-conference game was halted after six innings due to the 10-run mercy rule. The Mustangs (1-2) are third in the … [Read more...] about Jaguars romp to 12-2 victory over No. 3 Dallas Center-Grimes to open season

Geiselhart nearly qualifies for state while Jaguars place 4th, Hawkettes finish 5th

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Both the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial girls' golf teams were hoping to pull off a surprise during a Class 4A regional meet on Wednesday at Marshalltown. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. The 19th-ranked Jaguars shot a 388 on the Elmwood Country Club course and placed fourth in the 10-team field. Ankeny finished fifth with a 403 total and also saw its … [Read more...] about Geiselhart nearly qualifies for state while Jaguars place 4th, Hawkettes finish 5th

Hawkettes, Jaguars fall to Pleasant Valley in Class 2A regional team tournament

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A long day in Pleasant Valley ended in similar fashion for the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial girls' tennis teams. Both the Hawkettes and Jaguars saw their seasons come to an end with a loss to Pleasant Valley in a Class 2A regional team tournament on Tuesday. The Spartans posted a 5-1 victory over Centennial in the semifinal round, then battled Ankeny late … [Read more...] about Hawkettes, Jaguars fall to Pleasant Valley in Class 2A regional team tournament

‘I am really proud of us’: Postma, Jaguars close out season with win at Cedar Falls

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Once the Ankeny Centennial girls' soccer team found the net, the third-ranked Jaguars cruised to an impressive road win on Tuesday. Centennial scored two goals in the final 4 minutes of the first half and went on to post a 4-0 victory over No. 12 Cedar Falls in a non-conference game to close out the regular season. The loss snapped a five-game winning … [Read more...] about ‘I am really proud of us’: Postma, Jaguars close out season with win at Cedar Falls

‘SDSU is the place to be’: Centennial’s Dieken-Keahey commits to Jackrabbits

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Ankeny Centennial football standout Braylin Dieken-Keahey has made his college decision. The junior offensive lineman announced on Monday that he has verbally committed to South Dakota State. "SDSU is the place to be," said Dieken-Keahey. "Great town, great team, and great people. Coach (Dan) Jackson and (offensive line) coach (Mike) Bangtson are the … [Read more...] about ‘SDSU is the place to be’: Centennial’s Dieken-Keahey commits to Jackrabbits

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Kylin Smith, Ankeny Centennial girls’ track

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Senior Kylin Smith helped the Ankeny Centennial girls' track team to a second-place finish in a Class 4A state qualifying meet on Thursday at Council Bluffs Lincoln. Smith won the 400 hurdles in a time of 1:04.53, which broke her own school record. She teamed up with Anna Woods, Taylor Gilbreaith and Ava Barten to win the shuttle hurdle relay in 1:03.60, … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Kylin Smith, Ankeny Centennial girls’ track

Dietz returns to pitch as Hawkettes romp to win over Urbandale on Senior Night

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It was a Senior Night that Camryn Dietz and her teammates on the Ankeny girls' soccer squad will never forget. Dietz played for the first time this season as the fifth-ranked Hawkettes rolled to a 6-0 victory over visiting Urbandale in their regular-season finale on Friday. The Drake recruit has almost fully recovered from an offseason knee injury. "I … [Read more...] about Dietz returns to pitch as Hawkettes romp to win over Urbandale on Senior Night

‘We felt it was a great team win’: Jaguars dominate, snap S.E. Polk’s winning streak

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The Southeast Polk girls' soccer team entered Friday's game against visiting Ankeny Centennial as one of the hottest squads in the CIML Conference. The 11th-ranked Rams had won their previous five games, the second-longest current streak in the league. Only No. 2 Valley, which had won six straight contests, was riding a longer streak. But Southeast … [Read more...] about ‘We felt it was a great team win’: Jaguars dominate, snap S.E. Polk’s winning streak

Jaguars tumble at Johnston in substate semifinal, while Hawks fall at Linn-Mar

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The season ended on Saturday for both the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys' tennis teams. The Jaguars earned their first win under coach Grant Menadue before dropping a 5-0 decision at Johnston in a Class 2A substate semifinal. Centennial advanced to the semifinal round earlier with a 5-0 victory over Des Moines North. The Polar Bears finished with a … [Read more...] about Jaguars tumble at Johnston in substate semifinal, while Hawks fall at Linn-Mar

‘This team has a chance to be really good’: Hawks enter 2025 with high expectations

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There is no shortage of experience on this year's Ankeny baseball team. The Hawks return five players who started at least 10 games a year ago, including junior Will Davies, who made 11 of his 32 starts on the mound. Two other pitchers who combined for 15 starts are also back. "The practices have been tremendously competitive," said Ankeny coach Joe … [Read more...] about ‘This team has a chance to be really good’: Hawks enter 2025 with high expectations

‘I’m excited to see what these guys can do’: Jaguars boast 6 returning starters

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Ankeny Centennial's Reed Anderson and Isaac Bruhl are planning to play football in college, but the duo didn't want to skip their final baseball season in order to focus on the gridiron. Anderson and Bruhl are among six returning starters for the Jaguars, who will open their season on Monday with a non-conference doubleheader at Des Moines … [Read more...] about ‘I’m excited to see what these guys can do’: Jaguars boast 6 returning starters

‘It was a great way to end the season’: Jags shut out S.E. Polk, tie for 2nd in CIML

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The Ankeny Centennial boys' soccer team appears to have all the momentum in the world. Now, the Jaguars just need to stay sharp during their 10-day layoff. Tenth-ranked Centennial closed out the regular season on Friday with a 3-0 victory over visiting Southeast Polk at Ankeny Stadium. The Jaguars finished 5-3 in the CIML Conference and improved to … [Read more...] about ‘It was a great way to end the season’: Jags shut out S.E. Polk, tie for 2nd in CIML

‘We are frustrated with the result’: Hawks fall at Urbandale, 3-2, in conference finale

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The Ankeny boys' soccer team closed out its CIML Conference schedule with a 3-2 loss at Urbandale on Friday. The seventh-ranked Hawks finished 3-4-1 in the league and dropped to 9-5-2 overall heading into Monday's regular-season finale against visiting Marshalltown. Urbandale raised its records to 5-3 and 9-4. The win allowed the J-Hawks to tie No. 10 … [Read more...] about ‘We are frustrated with the result’: Hawks fall at Urbandale, 3-2, in conference finale

Hawkettes, Jaguars advance to regional semifinals on Tuesday at Pleasant Valley

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Both Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial advanced to the semifinal round of the girls' Class 2A regional team tennis competition with victories on Friday at the Prairie Ridge courts. The Hawkettes posted a 5-0 win over Southeast Polk. They blanked the Rams (1-10) for the second time this season. "Our goal on the day was to not have to play doubles," said … [Read more...] about Hawkettes, Jaguars advance to regional semifinals on Tuesday at Pleasant Valley

‘It was an absolute total team effort!’: Ankeny squads sweep crowns at SQM

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It was a sweet repeat for the Ankeny track squads. The Hawks and Hawkettes swept the team titles in a Class 4A state qualifying meet on Thursday at Marshalltown. They duplicated last year's sweep at Council Bluffs. "It was an absolute total team effort!" said Ankeny boys' coach Jordan Mullen. "The boys are firing on all cylinders right now, and they … [Read more...] about ‘It was an absolute total team effort!’: Ankeny squads sweep crowns at SQM