Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Jay Groth

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

by

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

‘That was a nailbiter’: Jags use late pins to beat Johnston, advance to state duals

by

Lucas Bruhl and the Ankeny Centennial wrestlers are headed back to the state duals tournament. The top-ranked Bruhl got a fall at 150 pounds to clinch the fifth-seeded Jaguars' 45-34 victory over No. 11 Johnston in the final of a Class 3A regional dual on Tuesday at Centennial. He pinned Kinnick Thompson in just 24 seconds to punch his team's ticket to … [Read more...] about ‘That was a nailbiter’: Jags use late pins to beat Johnston, advance to state duals

‘We were just hungry for this win’: Jaguars top Waukee NW, raise record to 18-1

by

Mitchell Grider and the Ankeny Centennial wrestlers wanted to keep their momentum going heading into next week's Class 3A regional dual. Grider won by a major decision at 215 pounds to help the Jaguars to a 39-28 victory at Waukee Northwest in their final dual meet of the regular season on Thursday. "We had a good game plan coming in," said Grider, who … [Read more...] about ‘We were just hungry for this win’: Jaguars top Waukee NW, raise record to 18-1

‘This is the match I have wanted all year’: Bruhl defeats Diaz to win Winger crown

by

Ankeny Centennial's Lucas Bruhl has been waiting 11 months for another opportunity to wrestle Waverly-Shell Rock's Bas Diaz. He didn't let his chance go to waste. The second-ranked Bruhl posted a 3-1 decision over the No. 1 Diaz to win the 150-pound title in the Ed Winger Classic on Saturday at Urbandale. The senior was named the tournament's most … [Read more...] about ‘This is the match I have wanted all year’: Bruhl defeats Diaz to win Winger crown

‘We’ve just got to get tougher’: Jaguars suffer their first loss at No. 1 S.E. Polk

by

The unbeaten streak came to an end for the Ankeny Centennial wrestlers. The sixth-ranked Jaguars traveled to Southeast Polk on Thursday and dropped a 46-19 decision to the No. 1 Rams, who won 10 of the 14 matches. Centennial's records dropped to 6-1 in the CIML Conference and 17-1 overall. "They've got a good team," Centennial coach Jay Groth said … [Read more...] about ‘We’ve just got to get tougher’: Jaguars suffer their first loss at No. 1 S.E. Polk

‘They were really motivated’: Centennial wrestlers end losing streak to Ankeny

by

The seniors on the Ankeny Centennial wrestling team were highly motivated for Thursday's dual meet against visiting Ankeny. The eighth-ranked Jaguars won nine of the 14 matches and recorded five falls en route to a 42-17 victory--their first over Ankeny since the 2019-20 season. "There was definitely some talk amongst the seniors who were saying, 'Hey, … [Read more...] about ‘They were really motivated’: Centennial wrestlers end losing streak to Ankeny

‘The guys did some good things’: Jaguars rack up 24 pins, win title at Norwalk Duals

by

Racking up 24 pins along the way, the Ankeny Centennial wrestlers easily defeated three opponents on Saturday to win the Norwalk Duals. The Jaguars recorded 12 falls in a 72-9 win over Knoxville. They had seven more pins in a 69-10 victory over Cedar Rapids Washington, then followed with five more in a 47-21 triumph over Norwalk in the championship … [Read more...] about ‘The guys did some good things’: Jaguars rack up 24 pins, win title at Norwalk Duals

Centennial wrestlers knock off No. 5 Johnston on Max Dhabolt’s technical fall

by

Thursday's dual meet at Johnston came down to the final match for the Ankeny Centennial wrestling team. Freshman Max Dhabolt won by a technical fall over Wes Weiford at 144 pounds, 16-0, to give the 10th-ranked Jaguars a 35-30 victory over No. 5 Johnston. "I told Max before he went out on the mat that I don't know if I've ever been more confident … [Read more...] about Centennial wrestlers knock off No. 5 Johnston on Max Dhabolt’s technical fall

‘We did what we needed to do’: Jaguars top Lewis Central, Valley on Senior Night

by

The Ankeny Centennial wrestlers remained unbeaten in dual-meet competition with a pair of victories on Thursday on its Senior Night. The host Jaguars rolled to a 66-6 win over Council Bluffs Lewis Central in a non-conference meet, then followed with a 43-22 triumph over Valley in a CIML Conference dual. They raised their records to 4-0 in the league and … [Read more...] about ‘We did what we needed to do’: Jaguars top Lewis Central, Valley on Senior Night

Centennial wrestlers crown 3 champs, place 2nd overall at Don Miller Invite

by

The Ankeny Centennial wrestlers crowned three individual champions and placed second overall in the Don Miller Invitational on Saturday at Fort Dodge. The Jaguars racked up 230.5 points in the 10-team tournament. Third-ranked Fort Dodge scored 243.5 points to defend its title. "We were missing two state placewinners in our lineup (Lucas and Isaac … [Read more...] about Centennial wrestlers crown 3 champs, place 2nd overall at Don Miller Invite

Centennial wrestlers rack up 9 falls, romp to 67-11 victory over Dowling Catholic

by

Ankeny Centennial wrestling coach Jay Groth felt pretty good about his team's chances heading into Thursday's dual meet against visiting Dowling Catholic. The Jaguars backed up his confidence by winning 12 of the 14 matches and rolling to a 67-11 victory. "We wrestled well," said Groth. "I've been doing this a long time and I always go through the … [Read more...] about Centennial wrestlers rack up 9 falls, romp to 67-11 victory over Dowling Catholic

Jaguars dominate Centennial Duals, capture title for 7th consecutive year

by

The Ankeny Centennial wrestlers dominated the Centennial Duals on Saturday, easily winning the tournament for the seventh consecutive year. The Jaguars defeated their five opponents by an average margin of 57-18. They raised their record to 9-0 on the season. "I thought we wrestled pretty well," said Centennial coach Jay Groth. "The boys came out, got … [Read more...] about Jaguars dominate Centennial Duals, capture title for 7th consecutive year

Centennial wrestlers notch 7 falls, stay unbeaten with 48-21 win at Urbandale

by

The Ankeny Centennial wrestlers remained unbeaten in dual-meet competition with a 48-21 victory at Urbandale on Thursday. The Jaguars won eight of the 14 matches and recorded seven falls. They improved their records to 2-0 in the CIML Conference and 4-0 overall. "We wrestled well, but we've got to win the close matches," said Centennial coach Jay … [Read more...] about Centennial wrestlers notch 7 falls, stay unbeaten with 48-21 win at Urbandale

Jaguars crown 3 individual champs, take 2nd overall at Keith Young Invitational

by

Even with a depleted lineup, the Ankeny Centennial wrestlers earned runner-up honors in the Keith Young Invitational on Saturday at Cedar Falls. The Jaguars scored 177 points in the 16-team tournament. Dubuque Hempstead captured the crown with 184.5 points. "Our guys wrestled much better than they did on Thursday (against Waukee)," said Centennial … [Read more...] about Jaguars crown 3 individual champs, take 2nd overall at Keith Young Invitational

‘We got the job done’: Jags top Waukee, but aren’t satisfied with performance

by

A moral victory is defined as a defeat that can be interpreted as a victory on moral terms, because the defeated team exceeded its expectations. The Ankeny Centennial wrestling team may have experienced the opposite of a moral victory on Thursday, when the Jaguars posted a 39-24 win over a visiting Waukee squad that they defeated a year ago by 66 … [Read more...] about ‘We got the job done’: Jags top Waukee, but aren’t satisfied with performance

Centennial wrestlers romp to wins over Albia, West Marshall to open season

by

Ankeny Centennial wrestling coach Jay Groth isn't sure what the Jaguars' best lineup will be just yet. But the one that he put on the mat Tuesday night looked pretty good. Centennial opened the season with a pair of lopsided victories in a double dual meet. The host Jaguars posted a 58-16 win over Albia, then rolled to a 72-6 triumph over West … [Read more...] about Centennial wrestlers romp to wins over Albia, West Marshall to open season

‘We have talent and depth and numbers’: Jaguars boast 8 returning state qualifiers

by

A year ago, Ankeny Centennial advanced 12 wrestlers to the Class 3A state tournament--the most in school history. Now, eight of those 12 wrestlers are back, the most returning qualifiers the Jaguars have ever had under coach Jay Groth. "We are an experienced crew," Groth said. "We are working hard to raise the bar to get to the next level. We have a … [Read more...] about ‘We have talent and depth and numbers’: Jaguars boast 8 returning state qualifiers