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Jay Groth

Ankeny’s Rathjen claims Mendenhall title, while Jags’ Vandermark earns 100th win

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Saturday's Jack Mendenhall Invitational proved to be a memorable tournament for Ankeny wrestler Calvin Rathjen. Ankeny Centennial's Cale Vandermark also enjoyed an historic moment. Rathjen won the 132-pound title to lead the Hawks to a fourth-place finish in the 15-team field, while the Jaguars took sixth behind a runner-up performance at 120 from … [Read more...] about Ankeny’s Rathjen claims Mendenhall title, while Jags’ Vandermark earns 100th win

‘That should do a lot for his confidence’: Keller’s pin seals Jaguars’ win at Dowling

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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

‘We’ve got a lot of work to do’: Centennial wrestlers post 2-2 record at Valley Duals

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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

Vandermark wins 3rd consecutive Miller crown, earns outstanding wrestler award

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Ankeny Centennial's Cale Vandermark exercised a few demons on Saturday. The fourth-ranked junior won the 120-pound title in the Don Miller Invitational at Fort Dodge and earned the Tim Ascherl/Brent Helmkamp outstanding wrestler award after leading the Jaguars to a fifth-place finish in the 14-team field. "I was honored to have earned such an esteemed … [Read more...] about Vandermark wins 3rd consecutive Miller crown, earns outstanding wrestler award

Jaguars top Urbandale again, allow Groth to reach 450-victory career milestone

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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

‘That’s a good run’: Jaguars win Centennial Duals crown for 8th consecutive year

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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

‘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

Vandermark, Dhabolt capture titles while Jaguars claim team crown at Young Invite

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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

‘That was huge’: Smith’s fall helps Jaguars open season with 40-39 win over Wolves

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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

‘Our focus is to be tough’: Jaguars return 5 state qualifiers from 3A’s 4th-place team

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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

Centennial wrestlers place 4th, Hawks finish 14th in Class 3A state tournament

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Jack Wignall and Jay Groth both walked away from Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday with their heads held high. The respective coaches for the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial wrestling teams had plenty of reasons to be proud of their teams' performances over the last four days. They also had bright futures to be excited about. Fourth-ranked Centennial placed … [Read more...] about Centennial wrestlers place 4th, Hawks finish 14th in Class 3A state tournament

Centennial quartet, Ankeny duo come up short in Class 3A semifinal matches

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It was a rough Friday afternoon for both the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial wrestling teams. The two squads combined to go 0-for-6 in the semifinals of the Class 3A state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. "That blood round has come back to haunt us for the second year in a row," said Centennial coach Jay Groth. "We didn't have a very good one last year … [Read more...] about Centennial quartet, Ankeny duo come up short in Class 3A semifinal matches

‘We fought hard’: Jaguars advance 4 to semis, stay in contention for team trophy

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Four Ankeny Centennial wrestlers advanced to Friday's semifinals in a variety of ways at the Class 3A state tournament. In the process, the quartet moved the fourth-ranked Jaguars closer to a coveted team trophy. Centennial sits in third place at the midway point of the tournament with 77.5 points, 12 more than fourth-place Indianola. No. 1 Southeast … [Read more...] about ‘We fought hard’: Jaguars advance 4 to semis, stay in contention for team trophy

Jaguars sit in 2nd place, advance 8 of their 11 state qualifiers to quarterfinals

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In 2019, the Ankeny Centennial wrestling team placed fourth in the Class 3A state tournament, the school's highest finish ever. This week at Wells Fargo Arena, the fourth-ranked Jaguars are looking to finish even higher. Centennial got off to a great start on Wednesday, when the Jaguars went 11-3 on the opening day of the tournament and advanced eight … [Read more...] about Jaguars sit in 2nd place, advance 8 of their 11 state qualifiers to quarterfinals

No. 4 Jaguars capture district crown, qualify 11 wrestlers for state tournament

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The Ankeny Centennial wrestlers turned in a dominating performance on Saturday. The fourth-ranked Jaguars easily won a Class 3A district tournament at Cedar Rapids Prairie, racking up 210 points and qualifying 11 wrestlers for this week's state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. Iowa City West was a distant second with 148 points. "For the most part we … [Read more...] about No. 4 Jaguars capture district crown, qualify 11 wrestlers for state tournament

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

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

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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