There's a lot of hype surrounding Joey Oakie and the Ankeny Centennial baseball team. Oakie, an Iowa recruit, is one of the top high school pitchers in the country and a probable first- or second-round pick in the upcoming MLB amateur draft, which is slated for July 14-16. It's possible, however, that Oakie could turn professional before the season … [Read more...] about As Oakie awaits MLB draft, No. 1 Jaguars appear to be primed for special season
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‘This group has been dedicated’: Ankeny baseball team boasts high hopes
A year ago, the Ankeny baseball team came up one victory shy of qualifying for the Class 4A state tournament. Coach Joe Balvanz and the Hawks are hoping to clear that hurdle this season. "The practices have been going great," said Balvanz. "The players are working hard every day to improve their skill set and baseball IQ. This group has … [Read more...] about ‘This group has been dedicated’: Ankeny baseball team boasts high hopes
Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Connor Welsch, Centennial boys’ track
Senior Connor Welsch of the Ankeny Centennial boys' track team is one of the state's top sprinters. He won the 100 in a state qualifying meet on Thursday at Waukee Northwest, setting a school record and posting the fastest time among all Class 4A qualifiers with a clocking of 10.66 seconds. Welsch anchored the winning 4x200 relay and ran on the victorious … [Read more...] about Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Connor Welsch, Centennial boys’ track
Jaguars blank D.M. East, then outlast Sioux City North to reach substate final
The Ankeny Centennial boys' tennis squad is one of 16 teams still left standing in the Class 2A team competition. The Jaguars rolled to a 5-0 victory over visiting Des Moines East in a substate quarterfinal on Friday, ending the Scarlets' season with a 1-11 record. Centennial then traveled to Sioux City North on Saturday and posted a 5-3 win over the … [Read more...] about Jaguars blank D.M. East, then outlast Sioux City North to reach substate final
‘It’s our Achilles’ heel’: Hawkettes lose another PK shootout, share CIML crown
The Ankeny girls' soccer team ran out of gas. It resulted in another shootout loss. The second-ranked Hawkettes closed out the regular season on Friday with a 2-1 loss at No. 4 Valley. The Tigers' win, coupled with No. 1 Waukee Northwest's 4-2 victory at No. 7 Ankeny Centennial, allowed the Wolves to tie Ankeny for the CIML Conference title. "The … [Read more...] about ‘It’s our Achilles’ heel’: Hawkettes lose another PK shootout, share CIML crown
Hawks beat Indianola in substate team tourney before falling to C.R. Washington
The Ankeny boys' tennis squad advanced to the semifinals of a Class 2A substate team tournament on Saturday before dropping a 5-1 decision at seventh-ranked Cedar Rapids Washington, which lost a total of only 10 games in the five singles matches that it won. The Warriors (11-4) advanced to play Johnston (6-4) in the substate final on Wednesday. The Hawks … [Read more...] about Hawks beat Indianola in substate team tourney before falling to C.R. Washington
No. 1 Wolves top Centennial girls, earn share of CIML Conference championship
Freshman Ayrissa Robinson recorded a hat trick to lead the top-ranked Waukee Northwest girls' soccer team to a 4-2 victory at No. 7 Ankeny Centennial on Friday, allowing the Wolves to earn a share of the CIML Conference title when No. 2 Ankeny lost at No. 4 Valley in a shootout. Northwest scored twice off corner kicks in the second half to break a 2-2 … [Read more...] about No. 1 Wolves top Centennial girls, earn share of CIML Conference championship
‘We just didn’t finish chances’: Jaguars suffer their 3rd straight shutout loss
The Ankeny Centennial boys' soccer team will have a full week to figure out its offensive woes. The Jaguars closed out the regular season on Friday with a third consecutive shutout loss, dropping a 2-0 decision at third-ranked Waukee Northwest. The Wolves finished 6-2 in the CIML Conference and improved to 12-3 overall, while Centennial's records dropped … [Read more...] about ‘We just didn’t finish chances’: Jaguars suffer their 3rd straight shutout loss
Tentative qualifiers announced for coed state track and field meet
The tentative qualifiers for this year's coed state track and field meet at Drake Stadium have been announced. Here are all of the qualifiers from Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial: Girls 100--Morgan Posusta (AC) 200--Karsen Jacks (A) 400--Charlee Cibula (A), Morgan Johnson (A), Ellie Pollock (AC) 800--Ellie Blevins (AC), Julia Flick (AC), Alli … [Read more...] about Tentative qualifiers announced for coed state track and field meet
‘I’m proud of the boys’: Depleted Hawks fall to Valley boys, drop to 9-7 on season
A week off to prepare for postseason play might be just what the Ankeny boys' soccer team needs. Unfortunately, the seventh-ranked Hawks still have one game left to close out the regular season. Ankeny dropped a 3-0 decision on Friday to visiting Valley, one of the state's hottest teams. The No. 5 Tigers extended their winning streak to 13 … [Read more...] about ‘I’m proud of the boys’: Depleted Hawks fall to Valley boys, drop to 9-7 on season
Ankeny girls edge Roughriders, will play No. 4 Valley in regional semifinal Tuesday
The Ankeny girls' tennis team will get a shot at CIML Conference rival Valley after all. The Hawkettes won two of the three doubles matches to beat visiting Des Moines Roosevelt, 5-4, in the quarterfinals of a Class 2A regional team tournament on Friday. The Roughriders finished the season with a 6-4 record. Ankeny (4-8) will play No. 4 Valley (9-3) in … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls edge Roughriders, will play No. 4 Valley in regional semifinal Tuesday
‘We had an amazing night’: Centennial teams break 3 school records at SQM
A weather delay of nearly an hour couldn't slow down the Ankeny Centennial track teams. Both squads turned in some stellar performances on Thursday in a Class 4A state qualifying meet at Waukee Northwest. The meet was halted at about 5:15 p.m. due to rain and lightning, but was able to resume 50 minutes later. "We had an amazing night of competition!" … [Read more...] about ‘We had an amazing night’: Centennial teams break 3 school records at SQM
Drefke earns medalist honors again, leads Jaguars to victory over Ankeny
Ankeny Centennial's Payton Drefke earned medalist honors for the third time in four days and for the fifth time this season on Thursday. The senior carded a 4-over-par 39 at Copper Creek to finish one stroke ahead of Southeast Polk's Kate Wahman in a CIML Conference triangular meet. Her round was highlighted by a birdie on the par-4, No. 4 … [Read more...] about Drefke earns medalist honors again, leads Jaguars to victory over Ankeny
Hawks, Hawkettes sweep team titles at Class 4A SQM in impressive fashion
It was a jubilant bus ride home for the Ankeny track teams on Thursday night. Both squads captured team titles in a Class 4A state qualifying meet at Council Bluffs. More importantly, the Hawkettes and Hawks unofficially qualified for next week's state meet in 17 and 15 events, respectively. "We are so excited with how our team competed," said Ankeny … [Read more...] about Hawks, Hawkettes sweep team titles at Class 4A SQM in impressive fashion
Hawkettes, Jaguars earn No. 1 regional seeds, but face tough roads to state
The road to the state tournament won't be an easy one for the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial girls' soccer teams. Both the Hawkettes and Jaguars earned No. 1 seeds for regional play from the Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union, but will likely have to beat familiar opponents from the CIML Conference in order to qualify for state. Second-ranked Ankeny … [Read more...] about Hawkettes, Jaguars earn No. 1 regional seeds, but face tough roads to state
Victor uses ‘Herculean effort’ to become Ankeny’s first state qualifier since 2017
Ankeny junior Dylan Victor is headed to the boys' state tennis tournament later this month. Victor qualified with a second-place finish in singles at a Class 2A district tournament on Wednesday at Norwalk. He became the Hawks' first state qualifier since Griffin Laib in 2017. "I had a little bit of confidence based on the schools we were playing," said … [Read more...] about Victor uses ‘Herculean effort’ to become Ankeny’s first state qualifier since 2017
Drefke wins conference title by 9 shots, leads Centennial to 3rd-place finish
Ankeny Centennial's Payton Drefke entered the final round of the CIML Conference girls' golf meet with a three-stroke lead. The senior didn't have to sweat out a narrow victory. Drefke carded a 4-over-par 75 on Wednesday at Otter Creek to finish with a 36-hole total of 152, allowing her to earn medalist honors by nine strokes over Adalyn Wiig of Waukee … [Read more...] about Drefke wins conference title by 9 shots, leads Centennial to 3rd-place finish
Centennial girls edge S.E. Polk on Fair’s goal, raise their record to 10-4 on season
At this point, the Ankeny Centennial girls' soccer team is just looking to build some momentum for postseason play. On Tuesday, the sixth-ranked Jaguars did just that with a 2-1 victory over No. 10 Southeast Polk in a CIML Conference game at Centennial. Addison Fair scored the winning goal in the 59th minute for Centennial, which improved to 4-2 in the … [Read more...] about Centennial girls edge S.E. Polk on Fair’s goal, raise their record to 10-4 on season
Ankeny girls top Urbandale, clinch at least share of CIML Conference crown
The Ankeny girls' soccer players aren't satisfied with a share of the CIML Conference championship. The Hawkettes want to capture the outright crown. That's why there wasn't much of a celebration on Tuesday after third-ranked Ankeny posted a 2-0 victory at No. 12 Urbandale to clinch at least a tie for the title. The Hawkettes may need to win at No. 2 … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls top Urbandale, clinch at least share of CIML Conference crown
Hawkettes defeat previously unbeaten North Polk behind Macke, Gott, Dietz
The Ankeny girls' soccer players didn't need the wind at their backs on Monday night. The third-ranked Hawkettes scored three goals in the first half against the wind and went on to post a 4-0 victory in a non-conference game against visiting North Polk, the No. 2 squad in Class 2A. "It kind of worked in our favor," said Ankeny coach Simon Brown. "We … [Read more...] about Hawkettes defeat previously unbeaten North Polk behind Macke, Gott, Dietz