Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Chad Fickbohm

Jaguars edge Valley girls to win Karpen Invite; Schermerhorn claims boys’ crown

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After the Ankeny Centennial girls' cross country squad captured another team title on Tuesday, Centennial junior AJ Schermerhorn won an individual crown in the boys' race. Schermerhorn came from behind to win the Tom Karpen Invitational at Valley Southwoods Freshman High School. He posted a time of 16 minutes 15 seconds on the 5k course to earn his first … [Read more...] about Jaguars edge Valley girls to win Karpen Invite; Schermerhorn claims boys’ crown

TWIN WINS: Ankeny’s Zuber, Hill race to victories in opening meet of season

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The Ankeny boys' cross country team captured a pair of individual titles in the Ankeny Centennial Invitational on Thursday at DMACC. The Hawks nearly won a division crown as well. Ethan Zuber raced to an impressive victory in the 9/10 race, then teammate Levi Hill followed with another win in the 11/12 race. "Any time you get a meet champion, that … [Read more...] about TWIN WINS: Ankeny’s Zuber, Hill race to victories in opening meet of season

Despite heavy losses to graduation, Jaguars seek 3rd straight trip to state

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This could be a rebuilding season for the Ankeny Centennial boys' cross country team. The Jaguars placed 14th in last year's Class 4A state meet with 307 points. It was their second straight state-meet appearance, but four of the top seven runners from that squad graduated, including Tyler Schermerhorn. Schermerhorn was Centennial's No. 1 runner for … [Read more...] about Despite heavy losses to graduation, Jaguars seek 3rd straight trip to state

ANOTHER CLOSE BATTLE: Ankeny boys edge Jaguars by 8 points for 13th place

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The Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys' cross country teams were both hoping to earn top-10 finishes in the Class 4A state meet on Friday. In the end, the two squads waged a close battle for 13th place at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge. Twelfth-ranked Ankeny finished with 299 points to edge No. 11 Centennial by eight points. "We're happy about it," … [Read more...] about ANOTHER CLOSE BATTLE: Ankeny boys edge Jaguars by 8 points for 13th place

Jaguars, Hawks qualify for state, will face off against each other one more time

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The season-long tussle between the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys' cross country teams continued on Wednesday at the DMACC course. After losing a tiebreaker to its crosstown rival at the CIML Iowa Conference meet on Thursday, 11th-ranked Centennial placed second in a Class 4A district meet with 66 points, edging No. 10 Ankeny by six points for the … [Read more...] about Jaguars, Hawks qualify for state, will face off against each other one more time

Hill wins conference title; Hawks edge Centennial for 2nd place on tiebreaker

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All season long, the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys' cross country teams have taken turns defeating each other. On Thursday, the crosstown rivals waged their closest battle yet in the CIML Iowa Conference meet at DMACC. In the end, 11th-ranked Centennial and No. 12 Ankeny both finished with 51 points to tie for second place behind No. 9 Waukee … [Read more...] about Hill wins conference title; Hawks edge Centennial for 2nd place on tiebreaker

Centennial boys top Ankeny by 18 points for 7th place at Fort Dodge Invite

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The last time the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys' cross country teams ran against each other, the Hawks edged the Jaguars by five points for seventh place in the Bobcat Invitational on Sept. 9 at Marshalltown. On Thursday, 15th-ranked Centennial reversed the outcome against its crosstown rival. The Jaguars placed seventh among 26 teams in the Fort … [Read more...] about Centennial boys top Ankeny by 18 points for 7th place at Fort Dodge Invite

Centennial cross country teams place 2nd, 3rd at Bud Williams Invitational

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While the Ankeny cross country teams were unable to run Thursday when the Southeast Polk Invitational was cancelled due to lightning, the Ankeny Centennial squads traveled to Iowa City to compete in the Bud Williams Invitational at the Iowa City Kickers Soccer Club. The seventh-ranked Centennial girls' team placed second in the nine-team field with 50 … [Read more...] about Centennial cross country teams place 2nd, 3rd at Bud Williams Invitational

Quass breaks 20-minute mark, leads Jaguars to 3rd-place finish at Indianola

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There's about five weeks left in the high school cross country season. Thursday's Indianola Invitational at Pickard Park showed that the Ankeny Centennial girls' team is making a lot of progress. The Centennial boys' squad, meanwhile, still has some ground to make up--despite a runner-up finish in the 10-team field. In the girls' race, the … [Read more...] about Quass breaks 20-minute mark, leads Jaguars to 3rd-place finish at Indianola

Centennial teams survive hills to earn runner-up finish at Tom Karpen Invite

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The hills at Valley Southwoods Freshman High School provided a huge test on Tuesday for the Ankeny Centennial cross country teams. The Jaguars were ready for the challenge. The Centennial boys' and girls' teams both placed second in the Tom Karpen Invitational. A total of nine boys' teams and six girls' squads competed at the meet. "I think we did … [Read more...] about Centennial teams survive hills to earn runner-up finish at Tom Karpen Invite

A REVERSAL OF FORTUNE: Jags place 4th, Hawks finish 7th at Schmaltz Invite

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On Saturday, the Ankeny boys' cross country team finished 34 points ahead of Ankeny Centennial in the Dragon Twilight Invitational at Johnston High School. Five days later, the Jaguars reversed the outcome against their crosstown rival. Fifteenth-ranked Centennial placed fourth among 14 teams in the Kirk Schmaltz Invitational on Thursday at the Iowa … [Read more...] about A REVERSAL OF FORTUNE: Jags place 4th, Hawks finish 7th at Schmaltz Invite

Ankeny boys, girls earn runner-up finish at Dragon Twilight Invitational

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It appears that the Ankeny boys' and girls' cross country teams may have been underrated in the Class 4A preseason rankings. Both squads opened their season on Saturday night by placing second in the Dragon Twilight Invitational at Johnston High School. The Hawks and Hawkettes defeated multiple higher-ranked teams, including Ankeny Centennial. "I'm … [Read more...] about Ankeny boys, girls earn runner-up finish at Dragon Twilight Invitational

Jaguars seek back-to-back trips to state meet for first time in school history

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While dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Ankeny Centennial boys' cross country team enjoyed the best season in school history. The Jaguars won a conference title for the first time and went on to place ninth in the Class 4A state meet with 243 points. It was the first top-10 finish for Centennial, which had placed 13th in its only previous … [Read more...] about Jaguars seek back-to-back trips to state meet for first time in school history

Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny boys’ cross country team

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During his long tenure as the Ankeny boys' cross country coach, Steve Arneson guided dozens of runners to an appearance in the state meet. Ankeny qualified for state for 22 consecutive years from 1990-2011, the third-longest streak in state history. Only Cedar Falls (1992-2016) and Monticello (1997-2019) have had longer streaks. Arneson coached the … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny boys’ cross country team

Blimpie Sub of the Week: Ryan Bybee, Ankeny Centennial boys’ cross country

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Senior Ryan Bybee is a member of the Ankeny Centennial boys' cross country team. Bybee ran in several varsity meets for the Jaguars this season. On Sept. 10, he placed 38th in the Red Division of the Marshalltown Invitational with a time of 17 minutes 52 seconds, helping Centennial to the team title. "It's been great to watch Ryan grow as an athlete … [Read more...] about Blimpie Sub of the Week: Ryan Bybee, Ankeny Centennial boys’ cross country

Centennial boys place 9th at state, earn highest finish in school history

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Gabriel Vicker had yet to see the results from the boys' Class 4A state cross country meet. But the Ankeny Centennial senior was pretty confident that his team had reached its goal. "Our team's goal was top 10, and we're really hoping we got that," said Vicker. "I saw the guys finish in a pretty close pack that wasn't too far behind me, so we're hoping … [Read more...] about Centennial boys place 9th at state, earn highest finish in school history

‘A great day to be a Jaguar’: Centennial boys, girls race to state-meet berths

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Ankeny Centennial will be well represented at next week's state cross country meet in Fort Dodge. The Jaguars qualified for both the boys' and girls' races with strong performances in a Class 4A state qualifying meet on Wednesday at Council Bluffs. While the girls' team qualified for the seventh time in eight years, the boys' squad advanced for the first … [Read more...] about ‘A great day to be a Jaguar’: Centennial boys, girls race to state-meet berths

Jags earn 1st conference title in school history; Ankeny places 3rd behind Cox

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Prior to this season, the Ankeny Centennial boys' cross country team had never finished higher than fourth at a conference meet. That's why winning the CIML Iowa Conference title was such a huge goal for the Jaguars. Mission accomplished. Eleventh-ranked Centennial placed five runners in the top 10 and easily won the league crown on Thursday at the … [Read more...] about Jags earn 1st conference title in school history; Ankeny places 3rd behind Cox

McMahon avenges her only loss, while Ankeny boys claim Fort Dodge crown

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Thursday was a good night for Lauren McMahon and the Ankeny girls' cross country team. The Ankeny boys' squad, and both Ankeny Centennial teams, also had some good performances at the Fort Dodge Invitational. The meet consisted of two separate pods so Ankeny's crosstown rivals did not race against each other. The top-ranked McMahon avenged her only … [Read more...] about McMahon avenges her only loss, while Ankeny boys claim Fort Dodge crown