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Eagles pull off stunning upset, will play for school’s 1st state title in any sport

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A stunning upset has put Ankeny Christian Academy on the brink of its first state championship in any team sport. The seventh-ranked Eagles advanced to the Class 1A final at the state volleyball tournament with a 25-10, 25-19, 25-22 victory over No. 1 Springville in Wednesday's semifinals at Xtream Arena in Coralville. It was the 17th consecutive win … [Read more...] about Eagles pull off stunning upset, will play for school’s 1st state title in any sport

‘I’m super proud of the girls’: Jaguars fall short against Hartman, No. 1 I.C. Liberty

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A balanced offensive attack wasn't enough for the Ankeny Centennial volleyball team against Iowa City Liberty star Cassidy Hartman. Hartman pounded 22 kills and also had 15 digs to lead the top-ranked Lightning to a 25-21, 25-19, 18-25, 25-22 victory over No. 6 Centennial in a Class 5A semifinal on Wednesday at Xtream Arena in Coralville. "She has a … [Read more...] about ‘I’m super proud of the girls’: Jaguars fall short against Hartman, No. 1 I.C. Liberty

WreckEm: Ankeny’s Johnson verbally commits to play softball at Texas Tech

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Junior Cassie Johnson of Ankeny has verbally committed to play softball at Texas Tech. Johnson announced her decision via Twitter earlier this week. "RAIDER NATION, I'M COMING FOR YOU!! #WreckEm" she tweeted. Johnson plays for the Iowa Premier Fastpitch travel club. She is a power-hitting catcher. "I talked to a lot of great schools, but Texas … [Read more...] about WreckEm: Ankeny’s Johnson verbally commits to play softball at Texas Tech

Eagles rout Don Bosco in tourney debut, will play No. 1 Springville in 1A semifinals

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Ankeny Christian Academy's state volleyball tournament debut was a smashing success. The seventh-ranked Eagles got off to a fast start and never looked back in a Class 1A quarterfinal against No. 8 Don Bosco on Tuesday night. They rolled to a 25-16, 25-23, 25-14 victory at Xtream Arena in Coralville. "It was crazy," said ACA setter Katie Quick. "It's … [Read more...] about Eagles rout Don Bosco in tourney debut, will play No. 1 Springville in 1A semifinals

Ankeny senior Wehde suffers broken leg, will miss entire boys’ basketball season

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The Ankeny boys' basketball team will be missing one of its top players this winter. Senior wing Karson Wehde has suffered a season-ending injury before the Hawks even started practicing. "On Thursday night at open gym I broke the tibia and fibula in my leg," said Wehde. "I had surgery Friday morning, and I'll be out for the whole season." Wehde … [Read more...] about Ankeny senior Wehde suffers broken leg, will miss entire boys’ basketball season

‘We just had to keep fighting’: Jaguars outlast Dowling Catholic in 5-set thriller

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There was nothing scary about the volleyball match between Ankeny Centennial and Dowling Catholic that was played on Halloween. The two CIML Conference rivals simply played an all-time classic on the state's biggest stage. Sixth-ranked Centennial outlasted the No. 4 Maroons, 25-22, 23-25, 19-25, 29-27, 15-11, in a Class 5A quarterfinal at the state … [Read more...] about ‘We just had to keep fighting’: Jaguars outlast Dowling Catholic in 5-set thriller

‘Valley just played lights out’: Tigers sweep Ankeny out of Class 5A tourney

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The Ankeny volleyball team's 17-match winning streak came to an end in stunning fashion. The second-ranked Hawkettes were swept out of the Class 5A state tournament with a 25-13, 26-24, 25-21 loss to No. 10 Valley in the quarterfinal round on Monday at Xtream Arena in Coralville. The Tigers (22-20) avenged three losses to Ankeny during the regular … [Read more...] about ‘Valley just played lights out’: Tigers sweep Ankeny out of Class 5A tourney

Hawkettes, Jaguars (and Eagles) ready to make deep runs in Coralville

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When the state volleyball tournament tips off on Monday in Coralville, second-ranked Ankeny and No. 6 Ankeny Centennial will both take the courts at Xtream Arena with a ton of confidence. The Hawkettes (35-4), who are riding a 17-match winning streak, will face No. 10 Valley (21-20) in a Class 5A quarterfinal at noon on Court Two. They already own three … [Read more...] about Hawkettes, Jaguars (and Eagles) ready to make deep runs in Coralville

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: PJ Westover, Ankeny football

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Senior defensive back PJ Westover has helped the Ankeny football team to a 9-1 record and a No. 3 RPI ranking in Class 5A. He ranks second among the Hawks with 39.5 tackles and is tied for the team lead in interceptions with two. Westover had 6.5 tackles in Ankeny's 17-0 win over visiting Sioux City East in the opening round of the playoffs on Friday. He … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: PJ Westover, Ankeny football

‘We never had a doubt’: Hawks place 3rd, match highest finish in modern era

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The Ankeny boys' cross country team entered Saturday's Class 4A state meet ranked No. 7 in Class 4A. The Hawks were seeking their highest finish ever under coach Jon Lindaman, who guided the team to a fifth-place finish in 2018. They accomplished their goal with a tremendous performance--and even earned a spot on the awards podium for the first time in … [Read more...] about ‘We never had a doubt’: Hawks place 3rd, match highest finish in modern era

Quass places 5th to become 3-time medalist, leads Jags to 4th-place finish

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The final race of Rondi Quass' high school cross country career could not have gone much better. The Ankeny Centennial senior raced to a fifth-place finish in the girls' Class 4A state meet on Saturday at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge. She broke her own school record with a time of 18 minutes 16 seconds on the 5k course. "That was probably about … [Read more...] about Quass places 5th to become 3-time medalist, leads Jags to 4th-place finish

‘Showing grit, passion and fire’, Hawkettes move up from 15th to place 7th in 4A

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Saturday was a day of mixed emotions for the Ankeny girls' cross country team. The 10th-ranked Hawkettes accomplished their goal of a top-10 finish in the Class 4A state meet by placing seventh with 200 points at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge. But it was the final meet for a trio of seniors and for coach Eric Klingensmith, who had already announced … [Read more...] about ‘Showing grit, passion and fire’, Hawkettes move up from 15th to place 7th in 4A

Schermerhorn races to 12th-place finish, becoming 2nd Jaguar to medal at state

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When Ankeny Centennial's AJ Schermerhorn crossed the finish line in 97th place at last year's boys' Class 4A state cross country meet, he wasn't satisfied with his performance. On Saturday, the junior made up for it. Schermerhorn earned a spot on the awards podium with a 12th-place finish in the 5k race at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge. He posted … [Read more...] about Schermerhorn races to 12th-place finish, becoming 2nd Jaguar to medal at state

Hawks record shutout over S.C. East, will host Johnston in Class 5A quarterfinals

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Survive and advance. That's all that matters this time of the year. The third-ranked Ankeny football team struggled offensively, but the Hawks' defense rose to the occasion in a 17-0 victory over No. 13 Sioux City East in the opening round of the Class 5A playoffs on Friday at Ankeny Stadium. "Our defense played really well," said Ankeny coach Rick … [Read more...] about Hawks record shutout over S.C. East, will host Johnston in Class 5A quarterfinals

‘It’s a tough one to swallow’: Turnovers prove costly in Jags’ loss at Cedar Falls

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The Ankeny Centennial football players were hoping to finish their season in the UNI-Dome. The Jaguars ended up doing just that, but not in the Class 5A championship game like they would have preferred. No. 12 Centennial traveled to Cedar Falls on Friday and fell to the No. 5 Tigers, 14-10, in the opening round of the playoffs. The Jaguars, who had … [Read more...] about ‘It’s a tough one to swallow’: Turnovers prove costly in Jags’ loss at Cedar Falls

‘We have work to do and aren’t done!’: Eagles look to make deep run at state

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A year ago, the Ankeny Christian Academy volleyball team couldn't get over the hump in a Class 1A regional final. On Wednesday at Atlantic, the seventh-ranked Eagles didn't let another opportunity to make some history slip away. Ankeny Christian Academy advanced to the state tournament for the first time ever with a sweep over No. 11 Sidney. The Eagles … [Read more...] about ‘We have work to do and aren’t done!’: Eagles look to make deep run at state

‘It was a great night’: Jaguars rout Riders, earn their 9th trip to state in 10 years

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One statistic stood out from Tuesday's Class 5A regional volleyball final between sixth-ranked Ankeny Centennial and visiting Des Moines Roosevelt. The Roughriders finished with more hitting errors (16) than kills (15), resulting in a -.013 hitting percentage. "It was a great night for us," Centennial coach Jessica Rinehart said after her team swept … [Read more...] about ‘It was a great night’: Jaguars rout Riders, earn their 9th trip to state in 10 years