Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

‘This was not our night’: Ankeny swimmers drop 92-78 decision to Dowling Catholic

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The Ankeny boys' swimming team won't have any time to dwell on Tuesday's loss to visiting Dowling Catholic. The 11th-ranked Maroons won eight of the 11 events, including all three relays, and posted a 92-78 victory over No. 6 Ankeny at Trail Point Aquatics Center. The loss dropped the Hawks' records to 1-3 in the CIML Conference and 2-3 overall. "This … [Read more...] about ‘This was not our night’: Ankeny swimmers drop 92-78 decision to Dowling Catholic

‘This win stacks up the same as all others’: UNI’s Anderson defeats top-5 opponent

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Trever Anderson has had a lot of big wins in his wrestling career. His latest victory was among the biggest yet. Ranked 31st in the country, the former Ankeny star and two-time state champion posted a 5-2 decision over Nebraska's fifth-ranked and returning all-American Caleb Smith at 125 pounds to help Northern Iowa to a 24-9 triumph on Sunday … [Read more...] about ‘This win stacks up the same as all others’: UNI’s Anderson defeats top-5 opponent

Hawks knock off Linn-Mar at CIML/MVC Crossover event, will face Centennial next

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For the second year in a row, the Ankeny boys' basketball team played in the CIML/MVC Crossover event and came away with an impressive victory. The Hawks broke away from a tie in the fourth quarter to defeat Linn-Mar (Marion), 61-55, on Saturday at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse in Cedar Rapids. "It's a good venue and a fun environment," said Ankeny … [Read more...] about Hawks knock off Linn-Mar at CIML/MVC Crossover event, will face Centennial next

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Isaac Bruhl, Ankeny Centennial wrestling

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Senior Isaac Bruhl has helped the sixth-ranked Ankeny Centennial wrestling team to an 8-3 record, including a 3-1 mark in the CIML Conference. The fourth-ranked Bruhl won all four of his matches on Saturday at the Valley Duals, including a 9-4 decision over No. 5 Elijah Blewitt of Indianola. He also recorded two pins and a technical fall at 150 pounds … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Isaac Bruhl, Ankeny Centennial wrestling

‘We’ve got a lot of work to do’: Centennial wrestlers post 2-2 record at Valley Duals

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Eight Ankeny Centennial wrestlers won at least three matches on the day as the Jaguars went 2-2 overall Saturday at the Valley Duals. Sixth-ranked Centennial opened the tournament with a 54-21 win over Valley that raised its record to 3-1 in the CIML Conference. The Jaguars began that dual with seven consecutive victories, including falls in the first six … [Read more...] about ‘We’ve got a lot of work to do’: Centennial wrestlers post 2-2 record at Valley Duals

Ankeny wrestlers defeat Central Decatur, Centerville to raise their dual record to 9-3

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The fourth-ranked Ankeny wrestling team bounced back from Thursday's loss to visiting Johnston with a pair of non-conference victories Saturday on its home mat. The Hawks rolled to a 61-12 win over Central Decatur, then followed with a 59-8 triumph over Centerville. They raised their overall dual record to 9-3. "We knew these two teams didn't have a … [Read more...] about Ankeny wrestlers defeat Central Decatur, Centerville to raise their dual record to 9-3

‘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

No. 3 Wolves use fast start to hand Ankeny girls their 6th consecutive loss

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The new year has arrived, and the Ankeny girls' basketball team is still working on righting the ship following its 4-0 start to the season. The 15th-ranked Hawkettes looked to snap the five-game losing skid that they ended 2024 with, but a road matchup against No. 3 Waukee Northwest on Friday ended with a 70-49 loss that … [Read more...] about No. 3 Wolves use fast start to hand Ankeny girls their 6th consecutive loss

‘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

Iowa State freshman Peck named Big 12 Conference Co-Newcomer of the Week

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Former Ankeny swimming standout Anja Peck has been named the Big 12 Conference Co-Newcomer of the Week for her outstanding performances in Iowa State's 215-84 loss to Iowa on Dec. 13 at Iowa City. Peck placed second in the 100 breaststroke in a time of 1:03.91. She was also the runner-up in the 200 breaststroke, where she achieved a personal-best time of … [Read more...] about Iowa State freshman Peck named Big 12 Conference Co-Newcomer of the Week

‘We had a good night’: Ankeny swimmers win 9 events in 112-58 victory at Johnston

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Any win in the Central Iowa Metropolitan League is a good one. Ankeny boys' swimming coach Dustin Rhoads certainly didn't take his team's victory at Johnston on Thursday for granted. "We had a good night at the pool," Rhoads said after his squad posted a 112-58 triumph over the Dragons at Summit Middle School. "It was fun to see the guys compete hard … [Read more...] about ‘We had a good night’: Ankeny swimmers win 9 events in 112-58 victory at Johnston

‘Our kids wrestled really hard’: Hawks build lead, but Dragons rally for 37-29 win

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The Ankeny wrestling team built a double-digit lead against visiting Johnston in a top-10 matchup on Thursday night. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough of a cushion. The eighth-ranked Dragons recorded three pins and a technical fall in the final four matches to defeat No. 4 Ankeny, 37-29, in a CIML Conference dual. The Hawks dropped to 3-1 in the league … [Read more...] about ‘Our kids wrestled really hard’: Hawks build lead, but Dragons rally for 37-29 win

BACK IN THE SEC: Ankeny native Rhoads joins Mississippi St. as defensive analyst

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Ankeny native Paul Rhoads is headed back to the SEC. The former Iowa State head football coach has been hired as a defensive analyst by Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby, who is making some changes to his staff after guiding the Bulldogs to a 2-10 record in his first season at the school. "Yes, I do," Rhoads told Ankeny Fanatic when asked if he … [Read more...] about BACK IN THE SEC: Ankeny native Rhoads joins Mississippi St. as defensive analyst

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

Northern Illinois outlasts Fresno State in double OT to win Idaho Potato Bowl

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The Northern Illinois football team closed out the season on Monday with a double-overtime victory in the Idaho Potato Bowl at Boise, Idaho. Freshman wide receiver George Dimopoulos threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Dane Pardridge on the first play of the second overtime, then Jordan Hansen ended the game with a fourth-down sack to give the Huskies a … [Read more...] about Northern Illinois outlasts Fresno State in double OT to win Idaho Potato Bowl

‘We had a great meet’: Ankeny swimmers capture 3rd straight Little Hawk Invite title

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If the Ankeny boys' swimming team needed a shot of momentum heading into the holiday break, the Hawks certainly got one on Saturday. Seventh-ranked Ankeny won four events and easily captured its third consecutive title in the Little Hawk Invitational at Iowa City. The Hawks racked up 442 points to finish 63 points ahead of No. 6 Iowa City West, which took … [Read more...] about ‘We had a great meet’: Ankeny swimmers capture 3rd straight Little Hawk Invite title

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