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‘It was a hard-fought game’: Jags edge Waukee NW, end regular season at 12-8

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(Story by Gabe Ploeger) In a game that never lacked competitive spirit, the fifth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team closed out the regular season on Friday with a 48-44 victory over visiting Waukee Northwest, the No. 12 squad in Class 5A. The Jaguars outscored Northwest in the fourth quarter, 13-9, to break away from a 35-35 tie. “It … [Read more...] about ‘It was a hard-fought game’: Jags edge Waukee NW, end regular season at 12-8

‘I knew we could get this one’: Hawks stun No. 3 Valley with late 10-0 run

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The Valley boys' basketball team had a chance to clinch at least a tie for the CIML Conference title on Friday. But visiting Ankeny had a lot to play for, too. The Hawks scored the final 10 points of the game over the last 3 minutes 53 seconds to post a 76-72 victory over third-ranked Valley, knocking off the defending Class 4A state champions and … [Read more...] about ‘I knew we could get this one’: Hawks stun No. 3 Valley with late 10-0 run

Hawkettes rally past Valley in 4th period, lock up No. 1 seed in Class 5A Region 8

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The eighth-ranked Ankeny girls' basketball team traveled to Valley on Friday for its regular-season finale and handed the No. 9 Tigers a damaging loss. An injury to standout post player Elise Jaeger could spell even more trouble for Valley with postseason play starting next week. Jaeger, a Northern Iowa recruit, scored 10 points before leaving the game … [Read more...] about Hawkettes rally past Valley in 4th period, lock up No. 1 seed in Class 5A Region 8

‘We defended the jungle’: Centennial boys shut down Wolves for 49-35 victory

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(Story by Gabe Ploeger) The Waukee Northwest boys' basketball team had won six straight games and nine of their last 10, and the 10th-ranked Wolves intended to keep that hot streak going. But No. 8 Ankeny Centennial had their own plans. The Jaguars relied on a stingy defense to beat visiting Northwest, 49-35, in a CIML Conference game on … [Read more...] about ‘We defended the jungle’: Centennial boys shut down Wolves for 49-35 victory

Five Ankeny swimmers advance to Saturday’s finals at boys’ state meet

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Five of Ankeny's nine individual state qualifiers advanced to Saturday's finals in the boys' state swim meet at Iowa City. Senior Owen Schwebach qualified for the "A" final in both of his events during Friday's preliminaries. Senior Owen Evans qualified for one "A" and one "B" final, while junior Brock Peterson qualified for the "B" final in both of his … [Read more...] about Five Ankeny swimmers advance to Saturday’s finals at boys’ state meet

‘I liked the coaches a lot’: Centennial’s Snyder to play for Minn. State-Mankato

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Ankeny Centennial receiver Max Snyder has signed a letter of intent with Minnesota State-Mankato. Snyder said it wasn't an easy decision. "I looked at a lot of schools and also visited multiple," said Snyder. "It was tough to try to narrow down what I wanted in a school for sure. But I liked the coaches a lot at Minnesota State, and the fact that they … [Read more...] about ‘I liked the coaches a lot’: Centennial’s Snyder to play for Minn. State-Mankato

Ankeny bowlers Tigges, Johnston, Harris earn all-CIML Conference honors

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The Ankeny bowling teams turned in some strong performances while hosting the CIML Conference meet on Wednesday at Great Escape. In the individual portion of the meet, Sam Tigges placed third and Gavin Johnston added an 11th-place finish for the Hawks. On the girls' side, Ankeny's Olivia Harris took eighth for the second straight year. Tigges bowled … [Read more...] about Ankeny bowlers Tigges, Johnston, Harris earn all-CIML Conference honors

Rock Chalk Jackhawk: Ankeny sprinter Belding picks Kansas over ISU, SDSU

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Ankeny sprinter Jack Belding has verbally committed to run for Kansas. The senior announced on Wednesday that he picked the Jayhawks over Iowa State and South Dakota State. "I looked at several schools and narrowed it down to (those three)," said Belding. "I was focused on schools that also offered architecture, which also narrowed the choices. It was … [Read more...] about Rock Chalk Jackhawk: Ankeny sprinter Belding picks Kansas over ISU, SDSU

Regional pairings announced: Ankeny’s No. 1 seed could be at stake on Friday

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team has earned a No. 1 seed in Class 5A regional play. Ankeny was also awarded a No. 1 seed in Region 8 by the Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union, but the eighth-ranked Hawkettes may need to win at No. 9 Valley on Friday to earn the right to host a regional final. After receiving a first-round bye, Ankeny … [Read more...] about Regional pairings announced: Ankeny’s No. 1 seed could be at stake on Friday

Centennial boys defeat Rams again, will host Waukee Northwest, Dowling next

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Tuesday's game was far from perfect for the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team. But the eighth-ranked Jaguars were good enough to emerge with a victory. Centennial overcame a 36-27 rebounding disadvantage to beat visiting Southeast Polk, 64-53, for the second time this season. The final score was almost identical to last month's 64-55 outcome at … [Read more...] about Centennial boys defeat Rams again, will host Waukee Northwest, Dowling next

Crawford avoids major injury, scores 18 points in Jaguars’ victory over S.E. Polk

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Many of the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball fans held their breath when standout guard Mya Crawford suffered an injury Tuesday during a game against visiting Southeast Polk. Crawford hyperextended her knee with 2 minutes 38 seconds left in the second quarter and was helped off the court. "It didn't look good," said Centennial coach Scott DeJong. … [Read more...] about Crawford avoids major injury, scores 18 points in Jaguars’ victory over S.E. Polk

‘There’s not a lot of time to waste’: Hawks roll past Urbandale for 3rd straight win

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A huge second quarter lifted the Ankeny boys' basketball team to a 76-39 win at Urbandale on Tuesday. The Hawks outscored Urbandale in the second period, 30-7, to build a 46-18 halftime lead. They then cruised to their third consecutive victory--all of them in the last five days. "We shot the ball well again, so that was two nights in a row," said … [Read more...] about ‘There’s not a lot of time to waste’: Hawks roll past Urbandale for 3rd straight win

Jacks ties her career-high with 30 points, leads Hawkettes to win at Urbandale

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Karsen Jacks tied her career-high with 30 points to lead the Ankeny girls' basketball team to a 66-38 victory at Urbandale on Tuesday. Jacks, who made 11-of-16 shots from the field, also scored 30 points in an overtime win against then-No. 6 Cedar Falls on Nov. 21. "I was just taking what the defense was giving me," said Jacks, who also had seven … [Read more...] about Jacks ties her career-high with 30 points, leads Hawkettes to win at Urbandale

‘We need these wins’: Aguirre brothers lead Ankeny boys to sweep over Dragons

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There was no letdown for the Ankeny boys' basketball team. Three days after posting an emotional win over their crosstown rival, the Hawks made another statement on Monday with a 71-59 victory over visiting Johnston, which was coming off a 66-45 triumph against CIML Conference leader Waukee. "It was nice to see that because it's always hard for young … [Read more...] about ‘We need these wins’: Aguirre brothers lead Ankeny boys to sweep over Dragons

Ankeny bowling teams fall to Clarke, gear up for Wednesday’s conference meet

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The Ankeny bowling teams dropped a non-conference meet to Clarke on Monday at Alley Bowl in Osceola. Clarke won the boys' meet by a score of 3,088 to 2,431. Ashton Giza bowled a 492 series for the Indians (4-3). The Clarke girls' squad improved to 6-1 on the season, defeating Ankeny by a score of 2,087 to 1,834. Bridget Henry had a 323 total for the … [Read more...] about Ankeny bowling teams fall to Clarke, gear up for Wednesday’s conference meet

Hawkettes put huge scare into No. 1 Johnston before upset bid falls short

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The Ankeny girls' basketball team had nothing to lose on Monday night. It nearly resulted in a massive upset. The eighth-ranked Hawkettes put a huge scare into No. 1 Johnston before the visiting Dragons, who are ranked 20th in the nation by ESPN, scored the last six points of the game to hold on for a 62-52 victory. "It was nice to see our girls … [Read more...] about Hawkettes put huge scare into No. 1 Johnston before upset bid falls short

Hawk swimmers place 2nd at district meet, qualify for state in 10 of 11 events

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The Ankeny boys' swimming team has qualified for the state meet in every event except the 200 freestyle. The seventh-ranked Hawks placed second in a district meet on Saturday at Mason City with 465 points. No. 5 Cedar Falls captured the team title with 490 points. "As we expected, the team race was a battle throughout," said Ankeny coach Dustin Rhoads, … [Read more...] about Hawk swimmers place 2nd at district meet, qualify for state in 10 of 11 events

Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Lio Aguirre, Ankeny boys’ basketball

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Senior guard Lio Aguirre has helped the Ankeny boys' basketball team to an 11-6 record, including an 8-5 mark in the CIML Conference. He is averaging 12.4 points and a team-high 6.3 rebounds per game. Aguirre scored 10 points on Friday as the Hawks posted a 76-63 victory over eighth-ranked Ankeny Centennial, ending a three-game losing streak in the … [Read more...] about Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Lio Aguirre, Ankeny boys’ basketball

Centennial wrestlers place 5th at state duals, finish season with 21-2 record

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When the Ankeny Centennial wrestlers dropped their opening match in the Class 3A state duals tournament on Saturday, the Jaguars still had plenty of motivation to bounce back. "Last year it was great qualifying, but we went 0-3," said Centennial coach Jay Groth. "This year we didn't want to leave with that same bitter taste in our mouth. We won that … [Read more...] about Centennial wrestlers place 5th at state duals, finish season with 21-2 record