Ankeny Fanatic

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Tami Lewton

Mackaman, Clark provide key victories in Jaguars’ 7-4 win at Ames

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Will Blevins and Caleb Peterson usually grab most of the headlines for the Ankeny Centennial boys' tennis team. On Thursday, it was Nic Mackaman and Wesley Clark who provided the key victories for the Jaguars in a 7-4 win at Ames. Mackaman posted a 6-7, 7-5, 10-7 triumph over Tharun Raju at the No. 3 singles position, while Clark rallied for a 4-6, … [Read more...] about Mackaman, Clark provide key victories in Jaguars’ 7-4 win at Ames

‘It definitely helps for seeding at state’: Blevins knocks off Waukee’s Ecklund

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Ankeny Centennial's Will Blevins may have taken a big step toward a state tennis title on Tuesday at Waukee. Blevins posted a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Waukee's Will Ecklund in a matchup of two of the state's top players. Blevins placed fourth in the Class 2A singles tournament as a sophomore in 2019, while Ecklund was a part of the state championship doubles … [Read more...] about ‘It definitely helps for seeding at state’: Blevins knocks off Waukee’s Ecklund

Centennial’s Blevins, Mackaman win No. 1 doubles flight at Hoefle Invite

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Ankeny Centennial's Will Blevins is a two-time placewinner in singles at the boys' state tennis tournament. The senior showed on Friday that he could be a threat in doubles as well if he decided to go that route. Blevins teamed up with Nic Mackaman to win the No. 1 doubles title in the Dennis Hoefle Invitational at Ankeny. The duo led the Jaguars to a … [Read more...] about Centennial’s Blevins, Mackaman win No. 1 doubles flight at Hoefle Invite

Centennial tennis teams sweep “Pink Out” event against rival Ankeny

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Thursday's Jag-Hawk doubleheader at the Prairie Ridge courts featured a lot of great tennis and four teams battling a common opponent. "It was a fantastic night for our fifth annual 'Pink Out' event," said Ankeny Centennial boys' coach Tami Lewton. "It was so awesome to see four teams about to compete come together to fight one enemy--cancer." All four … [Read more...] about Centennial tennis teams sweep “Pink Out” event against rival Ankeny

Mackaman’s rally sparks Centennial boys to 6-5 victory over Roughriders

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Senior Nic Mackaman fought off several match points to win the No. 3 singles match on Tuesday, sparking the Ankeny Centennial boys' tennis team to a 6-5 victory over visiting Des Moines Roosevelt. Mackaman rallied from a 9-4 deficit in the super-tiebreaker to defeat Alex Russell in three sets, 6-2, 2-6, 13-11. That win proved to be the difference as the … [Read more...] about Mackaman’s rally sparks Centennial boys to 6-5 victory over Roughriders

Jaguars drop 6-3 decision to Cedar Falls, then roll to 9-0 win over Bettendorf

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A long road trip to Bettendorf ended the same way it began for the Ankeny Centennial boys' tennis team--with a .500 record. The Jaguars entered Saturday with a 2-2 record, and they returned home with a 3-3 mark. After dropping a 6-3 decision to Cedar Falls, Centennial bounced back with a 9-0 victory over Bettendorf. "It was a great day of team building … [Read more...] about Jaguars drop 6-3 decision to Cedar Falls, then roll to 9-0 win over Bettendorf

Centennial boys drop 7-4 decision at Marshalltown in top-10 matchup

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Ankeny Centennial boys' tennis coach Tami Lewton saw some progress from her squad on Thursday at Marshalltown. But the Jaguars still have some more work to do. The host Bobcats relied on their depth to defeat Centennial, 7-4, in a CIML Iowa Conference dual meet. The Jaguars dropped to 1-1 in the league and 2-2 overall. "It was a tough night," said … [Read more...] about Centennial boys drop 7-4 decision at Marshalltown in top-10 matchup

‘We need to strengthen our lineup’: Jaguars tumble to Valley boys, 7-4

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The top of the Ankeny Centennial boys' tennis team's lineup is about as strong as it gets. The rest of the Jaguars' lineup still needs some work. Visiting Valley relied on its depth to defeat Centennial, 7-4, in a non-conference meet on Tuesday. The Jaguars dropped to 1-1 on the season. "We hit a team that has the opposite strengths as us," said … [Read more...] about ‘We need to strengthen our lineup’: Jaguars tumble to Valley boys, 7-4

‘It was a great start to our season!’: Centennial boys roll past Norwalk

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Tuesday's cold and windy weather didn't seem to bother the Ankeny Centennial boys' tennis team. The Jaguars were just happy to be playing for the first time since 2019. Centennial opened its season with a 10-1 victory over visiting Norwalk in a non-conference meet. The Warriors' lone win came at No. 5 doubles. "I thought the guys played really … [Read more...] about ‘It was a great start to our season!’: Centennial boys roll past Norwalk

Blevins is back for final season, but Centennial lacks depth, experience

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COVID-19 took a toll on the Ankeny Centennial boys' tennis team. The Jaguars not only lost the entire 2020 season to the global pandemic. They also lost a lot of players in the process. "Many of the freshmen and sophomores that were new to tennis (last year) found jobs, or got involved in other activities and did not come out this year," said … [Read more...] about Blevins is back for final season, but Centennial lacks depth, experience

Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny boys’ tennis team

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The Ankeny boys' tennis program dates back to the early 1970s. The biggest highlight for the Hawks over the last 50 years came nearly two decades ago. In 2003, head coach Dennis Hoefle guided Ankeny to the best season in school history. The Hawks advanced to the state team tournament for the first time ever and went on to capture the Class 2A … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny boys’ tennis team

Jaguars fall to eventual champs, finish 4th in 2A state team tourney

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The most successful boys' tennis season in Ankeny Centennial school history ended on Tuesday with a fourth-place finish in the Class 2A state team tournament at the Life Time Athletic Club in Urbandale. The Jaguars lost to eventual champion Iowa City West, 5-0, in the semifinals. They then dropped a 5-1 decision to Waukee in the third-place match. "I'm … [Read more...] about Jaguars fall to eventual champs, finish 4th in 2A state team tourney

Centennial’s Blevins earns 4th-place finish in Class 2A singles tournament

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Ankeny Centennial's Will Blevins finally ran out of gas on Saturday at the boys' state tennis tournament in Cedar Rapids. After playing two consecutive grueling three-set matches, Blevins dropped a 6-3, 7-5 decision to Luke VanDonslear of Linn-Mar (Marion) in the third-place match of the Class 2A singles tournament. By placing fourth, the sophomore … [Read more...] about Centennial’s Blevins earns 4th-place finish in Class 2A singles tournament

Blevins wins four-hour match to reach semifinals of Class 2A singles tourney

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After winning a boys' district tennis title on May 10, Ankeny Centennial's Will Blevins said he thought he was capable of beating anyone on any given day. On Friday, the sophomore proved that he was right. Blevins outlasted third-seeded Sam Shin of Iowa City West, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2, in the quarterfinals of the Class 2A state singles tournament in Cedar … [Read more...] about Blevins wins four-hour match to reach semifinals of Class 2A singles tourney

‘We are going to the final four!’: Jaguars advance to state team tourney

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The Ankeny Centennial boys' tennis team earned the right to play for the Class 2A state team title on its home courts by winning a pair of thrilling matches on Friday at Dowling Catholic. The sixth-ranked Jaguars posted a 5-4 victory over No. 4 Cedar Rapids Washington in the substate final, then followed with another 5-4 win over No. 8 Ames in a state … [Read more...] about ‘We are going to the final four!’: Jaguars advance to state team tourney

Centennial boys advance 3 players to state tennis tournament

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For the second year in a row, the Ankeny Centennial boys' tennis team has qualified three players for the Class 2A state tournament later this month in Cedar Rapids. Sophomore Will Blevins won a district singles title on Friday at Ankeny, while teammates Samson Densmore and Ryan Lofgren combined to win the doubles crown. The Jaguars edged Dowling Catholic … [Read more...] about Centennial boys advance 3 players to state tennis tournament

Seniors lead the way as Centennial boys clinch outright conference crown

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Relying heavily on its seniors, the Ankeny Centennial boys' tennis team clinched the outright CIML Central Conference title with a 9-2 victory over visiting Urbandale on Friday. The Jaguars finished 5-0 in the conference and improved to 11-1 overall. Urbandale's records dropped to 0-4 and 2-8. "It was Senior Night, and we played a senior-heavy lineup," … [Read more...] about Seniors lead the way as Centennial boys clinch outright conference crown

Jaguars roll past Mason City, set school record for most wins in a season

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The Ankeny Centennial boys' tennis team set a school record for most wins in a season on Thursday. The Jaguars posted a 10-1 victory at Mason City to improve to 10-1 on the season. The previous record of nine wins was set in 2016 and equaled last year. "Mason City has a pretty strong 1 and 2 (singles players) and 1 doubles team, but Will (Blevins) and … [Read more...] about Jaguars roll past Mason City, set school record for most wins in a season