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Jack Wignall

Hawks surge into 8th place, advance 2 to semifinals along with Centennial duo

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Ankeny wrestling coach Jack Wignall was left speechless by his team's performance on Thursday morning. The Hawks won 12 of 14 matches on the second day of the Class 3A state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena, allowing them to catapult from 15th in the team standings into eighth place with 60.5 points. They recorded seven pins and two technical falls along … [Read more...] about Hawks surge into 8th place, advance 2 to semifinals along with Centennial duo

Jaguars advance 4 wrestlers to Thursday’s quarterfinals, while Ankeny duo moves on

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Ankeny Centennial and Ankeny advanced a total of six wrestlers into Thursday's quarterfinal round of the Class 3A state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. The Jaguars won eight of 13 matches on Wednesday and are currently in seventh place in the team standings with 32.5 points. They advanced second-seeded Cale Vandermark at 120 pounds, No. 6 … [Read more...] about Jaguars advance 4 wrestlers to Thursday’s quarterfinals, while Ankeny duo moves on

‘I’m excited for the guys who are going’: Hawks advance 8 wrestlers to the Well

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Saturday was an up-and-down day for the Ankeny wrestling team. The Hawks placed third in a Class 3A district tournament at Marshalltown and qualified eight wrestlers for the state meet at Wells Fargo Arena, but Ankeny coach Jack Wignall was hoping for a little bit more. "We got six kids into the finals, and I was really happy with that," he said. "When … [Read more...] about ‘I’m excited for the guys who are going’: Hawks advance 8 wrestlers to the Well

Hawk wrestlers roll to win over Norwalk, then fall to No. 8 Carlisle in regional final

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The Ankeny wrestling team was in a position to advance to the state duals tournament. After the ninth-ranked Hawks posted a 36-28 victory over No. 11 Norwalk in a Class 3A regional dual on Tuesday at Carlisle, they took a 26-25 lead against No. 8 Carlisle with three matches left in the regional … [Read more...] about Hawk wrestlers roll to win over Norwalk, then fall to No. 8 Carlisle in regional final

Hawks roll to 45-24 victory at Urbandale, will face Norwalk next at regional dual

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The ninth-ranked Ankeny wrestling team closed out the regular season on Thursday with a 45-24 victory at No. 20 Urbandale. The Hawks were also slated to wrestle No. 11 Norwalk, but that meet was cancelled. "When the regional dual pairings were announced, it was agreed upon with Norwalk that we would not wrestle tonight," said Ankeny coach Jack … [Read more...] about Hawks roll to 45-24 victory at Urbandale, will face Norwalk next at regional dual

‘I think it motivated us’: Hawks rebound from loss to win Bean-Smith Duals

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After a disappointing loss on Thursday, the Ankeny wrestling team bounced back in a big way on Saturday. The seventh-ranked Hawks defeated all five of their opponents to win the Clyde Bean-Brad Smith Duals at Iowa City High. They raised their overall record to 15-5 with a 48-16 victory over No. 14 Clear … [Read more...] about ‘I think it motivated us’: Hawks rebound from loss to win Bean-Smith Duals

Waukee Northwest wrestlers rally from 20-point deficit to beat Ankeny, 44-26

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The seventh-ranked Ankeny wrestling team got off to a great start in Thursday's dual meet at No. 8 Waukee Northwest, building a 26-6 lead after the first six matches. The rest of the meet, though, didn't go nearly as well. The Wolves won the final eight matches, two of them by fall, and rallied for a 44-26 victory. The … [Read more...] about Waukee Northwest wrestlers rally from 20-point deficit to beat Ankeny, 44-26

‘I knew it would be close’: Hawks edge 3 other teams to claim Bob Sharp crown

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For the first time in more than a decade, the Ankeny wrestlers captured the team title at their own Bob Sharp Invitational on Saturday. The Hawks battled three other squads down to the wire before emerging with a narrow victory. They finished with 211.5 points, just ahead of Norwalk (208), Linn-Mar (Marion) (207) and Indianola (202.5). Ankeny had not … [Read more...] about ‘I knew it would be close’: Hawks edge 3 other teams to claim Bob Sharp crown

Ankeny wrestlers romp past depleted Maroons, will host Sharp Invite Saturday

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The Ankeny wrestling team tuned up for Saturday's Bob Sharp Invitational with a 62-14 victory over visiting Dowling Catholic on Thursday. The Hawks raised their dual-meet records to 4-2 in the CIML Conference and 10-4 overall. "We knew it was going to be a short night," said Ankeny coach Jack Wignall. "They've got some kids who were out with … [Read more...] about Ankeny wrestlers romp past depleted Maroons, will host Sharp Invite Saturday

No. 1 S.E. Polk completes dominant win over Ankeny matmen before empty gym

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Emotions were running high on Thursday night as two of the state's top wrestling teams in Class 3A collided in a CIML Conference dual at the Ankeny High School gym. The final six matches of top-ranked Southeast Polk's dominant win over No. 4 Ankeny were contested before an empty gym after the referee ejected the entire crowd due to some unruly fans and … [Read more...] about No. 1 S.E. Polk completes dominant win over Ankeny matmen before empty gym

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

‘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

Ankeny wrestlers earn 6th-place finish among 32 teams at Battle of Waterloo

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The Ankeny wrestling team went 4-2 and placed sixth overall among 32 squads in the Battle of Waterloo on Friday and Saturday at Young Arena. The sixth-ranked Hawks are now 7-2 on the season heading into the holiday break. "We wrestled really well," said Ankeny coach Jack Wignall. "The kids fought for every point that they could get all … [Read more...] about Ankeny wrestlers earn 6th-place finish among 32 teams at Battle of Waterloo

‘It was a fun night’: Ankeny wrestlers rely on bonus points to defeat Centennial

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Ankeny senior Andrew Haase wanted his last Jag-Hawk wrestling dual to be a memorable one. He did his part to make sure that it was. Haase recorded one of his team's five falls as the Hawks rallied from an early 13-0 deficit to beat visiting Ankeny Centennial, 40-33, in a CIML Conference matchup on Thursday. "It feels really good," said Haase. "It … [Read more...] about ‘It was a fun night’: Ankeny wrestlers rely on bonus points to defeat Centennial

Walsh, Folkers lead Ankeny wrestling team to 11th-place finish at Donnybrook

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Ankeny wrestling coach Jack Wignall wanted to test his wrestlers by competing in the Dan Gable Donnybrook on Friday and Saturday at Xtream Arena in Coralville. The challenge was as tough as he expected. The Hawks placed 11th in the 38-team field with 187 points. They had four top-10 finishers. "It was a huge challenge," said Wignall. "Our upper … [Read more...] about Walsh, Folkers lead Ankeny wrestling team to 11th-place finish at Donnybrook

‘I saw what I wanted to see’: Ankeny wrestlers thump Valley in opener, 53-19

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) From the start of the very first practice to late February, everything is done with the plan to succeed by the time the state wrestling tournament arrives. The Ankeny wrestling team is already prepping for February as the Hawks found big success in their first of three days of competition this week with a season-opening … [Read more...] about ‘I saw what I wanted to see’: Ankeny wrestlers thump Valley in opener, 53-19

‘We are very excited to get this season rolling!’: Hawks return 6 state qualifiers

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The strength of the Ankeny wrestling team will be at the lower weights. The Hawks return six of their nine state qualifiers from a year ago, and five of them competed at the five lowest weights. "I think that we have several guys on our team that can win state titles, like our three placewinners and potentially some others as well," said Ankeny coach … [Read more...] about ‘We are very excited to get this season rolling!’: Hawks return 6 state qualifiers