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Jay Groth

Hawk wrestlers place 10th, Jaguars finish 12th in Class 3A state tournament

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It was a rollercoaster Saturday for the Ankeny wrestling team during the consolation finals of the Class 3A state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. The Hawks went 3-7 on the day and finished in 10th place overall with 89.5 points. Still, they had six placewinners for the first time under coach Jack Wignall. "It was a really fun tournament," said … [Read more...] about Hawk wrestlers place 10th, Jaguars finish 12th in Class 3A state tournament

Ankeny wrestlers fall to 10th, Jaguars drop to 12th after semifinal losses

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It was a rough Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena for the Ankeny Centennial wrestling team. Crosstown rival Ankeny fared considerably better in the Class 3A state tournament, especially in the consolation rounds. The Hawks went 6-3 on the back sides of the brackets and are now in 10th place with 81.5 points. Six of Ankeny's nine state qualifiers earned … [Read more...] about Ankeny wrestlers fall to 10th, Jaguars drop to 12th after semifinal losses

‘That was awesome’: Cale Vandermark, Lucas Bruhl punch tickets to semifinals

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Ankeny Centennial freshman Cale Vandermark was getting tired during his quarterfinal match at the Class 3A state wrestling tournament on Thursday. His opponent, though, was beginning to fade as well under the bright lights at Wells Fargo Arena. The sixth-seeded Vandermark got a takedown in the final seconds of regulation to force overtime, then got … [Read more...] about ‘That was awesome’: Cale Vandermark, Lucas Bruhl punch tickets to semifinals

Centennial crowns 3 district champs, advances 9 other wrestlers to state

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Every year, the goal for Ankeny Centennial coach Jay Groth is to qualify all 14 of his wrestlers for the Class 3A state tournament. On Saturday, the Jaguars came closer than ever to meeting that goal--with help from a new format that allows the top three finishers at each weight to advance to state. Centennial qualified 12 wrestlers while placing … [Read more...] about Centennial crowns 3 district champs, advances 9 other wrestlers to state

‘We’ve just got to learn from it’: Jaguars finish 8th in 3A duals tournament

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Ankeny Centennial's trip to the state duals wrestling tournament turned into a bumpy ride. The Jaguars placed eighth in the Class 3A field on Saturday at Xtream Arena in Coralville. They finished the dual season with a 21-9 record after losing to all three of their opponents. "It was just one of those days where we came out flat and wrestled flat all … [Read more...] about ‘We’ve just got to learn from it’: Jaguars finish 8th in 3A duals tournament

‘It was a nailbiter’: Jaguars edge Carlisle on 9th criteria, advance to state duals

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When Ankeny Centennial's Cael Wiener stepped onto the wrestling mat Tuesday night, he had a chance to send his team to the Class 3A state duals tournament. The 132-pound senior just didn't know for sure by what margin he needed to win in order to give the sixth-ranked Jaguars a victory over No. 10 Carlisle in a regional final at Centennial. "At first … [Read more...] about ‘It was a nailbiter’: Jaguars edge Carlisle on 9th criteria, advance to state duals

Centennial wrestlers close out regular season with 36-34 loss at Waukee NW

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The Ankeny Centennial wrestling team closed out the regular season on Thursday with a 36-34 loss at Waukee Northwest. The Wolves won eight of the 14 matches to offset four pins and two technical falls by Centennial. The 10th-ranked Jaguars finished 4-4 in the CIML Conference and dropped to 20-6 overall. Northwest sealed the win when defending state … [Read more...] about Centennial wrestlers close out regular season with 36-34 loss at Waukee NW

‘They weren’t afraid of the competition’: Jaguars take 4th at rugged Winger Invite

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Saturday's Ed Winger Invitational at Urbandale gave the Ankeny Centennial wrestlers an opportunity to test themselves against some of the state's top grapplers. The Jaguars responded with a strong performance, placing fourth in a field of 24 teams with 120 points. They had eight top-six finishes. "I was pretty pleased with the way things went," said … [Read more...] about ‘They weren’t afraid of the competition’: Jaguars take 4th at rugged Winger Invite

Jaguars rout Dowling on Senior Night, reach 20 wins for 3rd time under Groth

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It was a memorable Senior Night for the Ankeny Centennial wrestlers on Thursday. The sixth-ranked Jaguars recorded six pins and rolled to a 57-22 victory over visiting Dowling Catholic in a CIML Conference dual meet. "We wrestled well," said Centennial coach Jay Groth. "I thought all of our guys went out there and fought." Prior to the meet, … [Read more...] about Jaguars rout Dowling on Senior Night, reach 20 wins for 3rd time under Groth

Centennial wrestlers beat Humboldt to earn 3rd-place finish at Osage Duals

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The Ankeny Centennial wrestlers earned a third-place finish in the Osage Duals on Saturday. After going 2-2 during the preliminary rounds, the eighth-ranked Jaguars posted a 39-30 victory over Humboldt in the third-place match. They are now 19-5 on the season. "We had a little bit of a letdown after our big win over Johnston (on Thursday)," said … [Read more...] about Centennial wrestlers beat Humboldt to earn 3rd-place finish at Osage Duals

Jaguars roll past No. 7 Johnston, could be in position to host 3A regional dual

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The Ankeny Centennial wrestlers may have secured a top-eight seed for the Class 3A regional duals later this month. The eighth-ranked Jaguars defeated a pair of opponents on Thursday during a CIML Conference triangular at Centennial. After rolling to a 70-4 win over Waukee, Centennial followed with a 62-15 triumph over No. 7 Johnston--which is one of the … [Read more...] about Jaguars roll past No. 7 Johnston, could be in position to host 3A regional dual

Centennial wrestlers crown 4 champs, capture overall title at Lepic Invite

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The Ankeny Centennial wrestlers crowned four individual champions and also captured the team title in the Tom Lepic Invitational on Saturday at Iowa City West. The Jaguars racked up 189.5 points, 16 more than runner-up Pleasant Valley. Norwalk, Fort Madison and Iowa City West also competed in the round-robin event. "We wrestled an aggressive style," … [Read more...] about Centennial wrestlers crown 4 champs, capture overall title at Lepic Invite

‘We did what we needed to do’: Jaguars get bonus points to edge Fort Dodge

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Last month, Ankeny Centennial wrestling coach Jay Groth said his team's runner-up finish at the Don Miller Invitational would have felt even better if the Jaguars could have defeated host Fort Dodge. On Thursday, Groth's team returned to Fort Dodge and accomplished what it couldn't on Dec. 17. Tenth-ranked Centennial posted a 35-33 victory over the No. … [Read more...] about ‘We did what we needed to do’: Jaguars get bonus points to edge Fort Dodge

‘We have to fight’: Jaguars seek mental toughness after losing to Valley, S.E. Polk

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It's not often that a wrestling team would want to be compared to the NFL's Detroit Lions. But that's exactly who Ankeny Centennial coach Jay Groth compared his squad to following Tuesday's triangular meet at Southeast Polk. "We've got to get healthy," Groth said after the Jaguars suffered losses to Southeast Polk and Valley. "We have three varsity … [Read more...] about ‘We have to fight’: Jaguars seek mental toughness after losing to Valley, S.E. Polk

Bruhl leads Jaguars to runner-up finish, named most outstanding wrestler

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A strong performance in the Don Miller Invitational led to an enjoyable trip home from Fort Dodge for the Ankeny Centennial wrestlers on Saturday. Only one thing would have made it even better. "If we beat Fort Dodge, it would have been a really good day," said Centennial coach Jay Groth. "So we had a pretty good day." The fifth-ranked Dodgers won … [Read more...] about Bruhl leads Jaguars to runner-up finish, named most outstanding wrestler

‘We knew we could win this dual’: Hawks beat Jaguars, maintain bragging rights

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The Ankeny wrestling team was confident going into Thursday's dual meet against its crosstown rival. But Ankeny coach Jack Wignall made sure that the sixth-ranked Hawks weren't too confident. "You've seen it in football. It's the game within the game," Wignall said. "You just never know, and Jay (Groth) is a good wrestling coach who knows how to win … [Read more...] about ‘We knew we could win this dual’: Hawks beat Jaguars, maintain bragging rights

JAG-HAWK PREVIEW: Crosstown rivals battle for mat supremacy on Thursday

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Due to some technical issues, we were not able to post this week's Ankeny Fanatic weekly podcast sponsored by Coldwell Banker Mid-America that previewed Thursday night's Jag-Hawk wrestling dual. However, here are the highlights from publisher Dan Holm's interviews with Coldwell Banker realtor Tiffany Rumelhart, Ankeny assistant coach Austin Anderson, Ankeny … [Read more...] about JAG-HAWK PREVIEW: Crosstown rivals battle for mat supremacy on Thursday

Jaguars edge Carlisle, claim Centennial Duals crown for 6th straight time

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The Ankeny Centennial wrestling team wasn't tested on Saturday until its final match at the Centennial Duals. The Jaguars easily defeated their first four opponents before edging Carlisle, 31-29, in the championship match. They won the tournament for the sixth straight time. "We wrestled well," said Centennial coach Jay Groth, whose team is now 11-0 on … [Read more...] about Jaguars edge Carlisle, claim Centennial Duals crown for 6th straight time