Jay Groth

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Ankeny Centennial wrestling team tuned up for Saturday's Centennial Duals with a 57-16 victory over visiting Park Hill South (Mo.) on Friday. The Jaguars recorded seven falls while raising their mark to 6-0 on the season. "We wrestled OK," said Centennial coach Jay Groth. "Our guys fight and scrap so we are happy about that. We are still finding … [Read more...] about Jaguars improve to 6-0 with win over Missouri foe, will host dual tourney next

The Ankeny Centennial wrestling team turned in a dominating performance on Tuesday at the Council Bluffs Lewis Central quadrangular. The Jaguars easily defeated all three of their opponents, racking up 23 pins while raising their record to 5-0. They posted a 66-16 win over Clarinda, a 66-18 victory over Denison-Schleswig, and a 65-11 triumph over Lewis … [Read more...] about Jaguars rack up 23 pins, romp past 3 foes at C.B. Lewis Central quadrangular

This isn't the same Ankeny Centennial wrestling team that opponents will see later in the season. That's what coach Jay Groth is hoping anyway. The Jaguars placed fourth among 14 teams in the Andy Davidson Mustang Invitational on Saturday at Dallas Center-Grimes. They finished with 184.5 points. "We had some guys who overperformed and some guys who … [Read more...] about Bruhl, Cody Vandermark claim titles; Jaguars place 4th at Mustang Invite