Jay Groth

The Ankeny Centennial wrestlers came away with a Class 3A district team title on Saturday for the second year in a row. The Jaguars qualified nine wrestlers for the state tournament while racking up 208.5 points in the district meet at Fort Dodge. The host Dodgers, who are ranked sixth in Class 3A, placed second in the eight-team field with 189 … [Read more...] about Jaguars capture district crown, qualify 9 wrestlers for Class 3A state tournament

The Ankeny Centennial wrestling team celebrated its Senior Night on Thursday before dropping a 58-14 decision to visiting Southeast Polk. It was the final home meet for the 14th-ranked Jaguars, who finished 5-3 in the CIML Conference and fell to 10-10 overall. "We have almost 20 seniors, and it's nice just to have those guys around," said Centennial … [Read more...] about ‘We went out and fought’: Jags drop 58-14 decision to No. 1 S.E. Polk on Senior Night

Although Max Dhabolt returned to the lineup on Thursday for the Ankeny Centennial wrestling team, the 17th-ranked Jaguars simply didn't have enough firepower against No. 3 Johnston. The Dragons recorded seven falls and rolled to a 58-17 victory at Centennial. The loss dropped the Jaguars' records to 5-2 in … [Read more...] about ‘It was a tough night’: Johnston wrestlers record 7 falls in 58-17 win over Centennial

Saturday was a rough day for the Ankeny Centennial wrestling team. With two open weights and some other wrestlers out of the lineup due to injuries, the Jaguars struggled to a 10th-place finish at the Osage Duals. They lost all five of their dual meets, dropping to 10-8 overall on the season. "We wrestled some really good teams, and we wrestled flat," … [Read more...] about Centennial wrestling team struggles to 10th-place finish at Osage Duals

The Ankeny Centennial wrestling team was without a trio of varsity regulars on Thursday, including a pair of state placewinners in Isaac Bruhl and Max Dhabolt. No worries. The Jaguars relied on their depth to post a 47-22 victory over Waukee in a CIML Conference dual meet at Timberline Middle School. They improved their records to 5-1 in the league and … [Read more...] about ‘We weren’t sure we could pull it off’: Jaguars’ depth pays off in win at Waukee

After losing four of the first five matches, the Ankeny Centennial wrestlers won seven of the next eight bouts and posted a 45-33 victory at Dowling Catholic on Thursday. The sixth-ranked Jaguars raised their records to 4-1 in the CIML Conference and 9-3 overall, but coach Jay Groth still had some concerns after the meet. "We need to continue to not … [Read more...] about ‘That should do a lot for his confidence’: Keller’s pin seals Jaguars’ win at Dowling

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

Behind every successful wrestling coach is a group of talented assistant coaches. At least that's what Ankeny Centennial coach Jay Groth believes. Groth paid credit to his assistants on Thursday after earning his 450th career victory when the Jaguars defeated visiting Urbandale, 42-30, in a CIML Conference dual meet. "Like I've said before, my best … [Read more...] about Jaguars top Urbandale again, allow Groth to reach 450-victory career milestone

The only question on Saturday was whether the Ankeny Centennial wrestling team would be able to host its home duals tournament. Once the competition began, there was little doubt which squad would prevail. The Jaguars rolled past four other teams to win the Centennial Duals for the eighth consecutive year. "That's a good run," said Centennial coach … [Read more...] about ‘That’s a good run’: Jaguars win Centennial Duals crown for 8th consecutive year

After nearly winning the tournament a year ago, the Ankeny Centennial wrestlers dominated the Keith Young Invitational on Saturday at Cedar Falls. The Jaguars advanced five wrestlers to the finals, crowned two individual champions, and cruised to the team title with 189.5 points. North Scott was a distant second in the 15-team field with 169. "I … [Read more...] about Vandermark, Dhabolt capture titles while Jaguars claim team crown at Young Invite

With a 34-28 lead through the first 11 matches on Thursday, the Ankeny Centennial wrestlers were in position to knock off fifth-ranked Waukee Northwest in their season opener. However, the visiting Wolves had a trio of ranked wrestlers lined up for the final three matches, meaning that Centennial needed to pull off an upset in order to win the CIML … [Read more...] about ‘That was huge’: Smith’s fall helps Jaguars open season with 40-39 win over Wolves

There are plenty of reasons for optimism in the Ankeny Centennial wrestling room. The Jaguars return five state qualifiers from one of the best teams in school history, including a pair of placewinners in Max Dhabolt and Cale Vandermark. The other returning qualifiers are Isaac Bruhl, Andrew Roland and Ethan Sodergren. "The practices are going … [Read more...] about ‘Our focus is to be tough’: Jaguars return 5 state qualifiers from 3A’s 4th-place team