Ankeny Fanatic

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Trever Anderson

Hawks flex their muscles, move into 5th place in Class 3A team standings

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Caleb Rathjen isn't talking to reporters, but he and the rest of the Ankeny wrestlers are doing plenty of talking on the mat. Rathjen and Trever Anderson both advanced to Saturday's championship round, Cael Cox and Cade Bennethum each won consolation matches to earn a top-six finish, and the eighth-ranked Hawks moved into fifth place in the Class 3A state … [Read more...] about Hawks flex their muscles, move into 5th place in Class 3A team standings

‘It’s pretty crazy what we’re doing right now’: Hawks advance 7 to quarterfinals

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Ankeny junior Trever Anderson fully expected to reach the quarterfinals of the Class 3A state wrestling tournament. He just didn't expect to have so many of his teammates along for the ride. The eighth-ranked Hawks advanced seven wrestlers to Friday's quarterfinals at Wells Fargo Arena. Two other Ankeny qualifiers stayed alive in the consolation … [Read more...] about ‘It’s pretty crazy what we’re doing right now’: Hawks advance 7 to quarterfinals

‘We finally got over that hump’: Hawks qualify record 10 wrestlers for state

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The Ankeny wrestling program has come a long way since the split into two high schools in 2013. In his first year as the team's head coach, Jack Wignall guided the Hawks to a 6-19 record. Only one of his wrestlers qualified for the state tournament. It took three more seasons before Ankeny finished with a winning mark. On Saturday, the eighth-ranked … [Read more...] about ‘We finally got over that hump’: Hawks qualify record 10 wrestlers for state

Rathjen suffers rare loss, Anderson injured as Hawks finish 1-2 in Dubuque

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Ankeny wrestling coach Jack Wignall likes to give his team the best competition possible. Saturday's Dubuque Hempstead Duals accomplished that goal and then some. The tournament featured four of the top nine teams in Class 3A according to The Predicament--top-ranked Southeast Polk, No. 2 Waverly-Shell Rock, No. 7 Ankeny and No. 9 Hempstead. The Hawks … [Read more...] about Rathjen suffers rare loss, Anderson injured as Hawks finish 1-2 in Dubuque

‘It’s nice to finally beat them’: Ankeny ends losing skid against Jaguars

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The last time the Ankeny wrestling team defeated Ankeny Centennial in a dual meet was on Jan. 19, 2017--one day before Donald Trump's inauguration as the 45th president of the United States. "It's been awhile," said Ankeny junior Trever Anderson, who was a seventh grader at the time. "It's nice to finally beat them." Anderson had one of Ankeny's five … [Read more...] about ‘It’s nice to finally beat them’: Ankeny ends losing skid against Jaguars

Anderson defeats Nebraska state champ at IAWrestle’s Night of Conflict

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Ankeny wrestler Trever Anderson isn't usually satisfied with just winning his match. The 2019 state champion likes to dominate his opponents. Anderson posted an impressive 7-2 decision over Nebraska prep standout Caleb Coyle in IAWrestle's Night of Conflict on Saturday at The Arena in Sioux City. But as usual, he thought he could have done even … [Read more...] about Anderson defeats Nebraska state champ at IAWrestle’s Night of Conflict

Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny wrestling team

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(EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is dedicated to longtime Des Moines Register wrestling reporter Dan McCool, who died on Monday at the age of 60. Dan was a legend in the wrestling community and will be sorely missed. I was working for the Register as a correspondent in the 80s and one of the first big events that I was asked to cover was to help out Dan with state … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny wrestling team

‘I went back and got the best thing I could’: Anderson earns 3rd-place medal

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It took Ankeny's Trever Anderson a little while to recover from his semifinal loss in the Class 3A state wrestling tournament on Friday. The top-ranked sophomore dropped a 5-2 decision to No. 4 Ryder Downey of Indianola, ending his bid for a second straight title. "At first my mindset was that I failed a lot," said Anderson. "I failed myself and a lot … [Read more...] about ‘I went back and got the best thing I could’: Anderson earns 3rd-place medal

Ankeny wrestlers crown 5 champs, place 2nd overall at district tourney

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The Ankeny wrestling team crowned five individual champions en route to a second-place finish in a Class 3A district tournament on Saturday at Dallas Center-Grimes. Leading the way were defending state champions Trever Anderson at 113 pounds and Caleb Rathjen at 138. The top-ranked duo easily captured district titles to punch their ticket to next week's … [Read more...] about Ankeny wrestlers crown 5 champs, place 2nd overall at district tourney

Hawks crown 3 champs, earn 3rd-place finish overall at Bob Sharp Invitational

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While Martin Luther King Jr. Day provided a day off for many people, that wasn't the case for the Ankeny wrestlers. The seventh-ranked Hawks hosted the Bob Sharp Invitational after Saturday's tournament was postponed until Monday due to inclement weather. Ten of the 13 teams that were originally slated to compete traveled to Ankeny for the rescheduled … [Read more...] about Hawks crown 3 champs, earn 3rd-place finish overall at Bob Sharp Invitational

Anderson wins rematch against Fousek; Hawks finish 10th at Battle of Waterloo

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The Ankeny wrestling team came away from the Battle of Waterloo last weekend with a 4-2 record. More importantly, the prestigious two-day tournament challenged the fifth-ranked Hawks. "We do something similar at Independence (with the Cliff Keen Invitational), and there's another tournament that is like that and that's the state tournament," said … [Read more...] about Anderson wins rematch against Fousek; Hawks finish 10th at Battle of Waterloo

Hawk wrestlers tie for 5th place among 33 teams at Cliff Keen Invitational

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The Ankeny wrestling team proved over the weekend that it belongs on the mat with some of the best squads in the Midwest. The eighth-ranked Hawks tied with Linn-Mar (Marion) for fifth place among 33 teams in the Cliff Keen Invitational on Friday and Saturday at Independence. Both squads finished with 228 points. Simley (Minn.) won the prestigious … [Read more...] about Hawk wrestlers tie for 5th place among 33 teams at Cliff Keen Invitational

Ex-Ankeny player, assistant coach Varnum hired to take over Hawks’ program

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The replacement for Ankeny boys' soccer coach Jordan Burns was already on the Hawks' coaching staff. Assistant coach Marcus Varnum has been hired to take over the program. A former Ankeny player, Varnum helped the Hawks to a 12-7 record last season. "I'm absolutely thrilled," said Varnum. "It's a great opportunity, and I am really pleased and feel very … [Read more...] about Ex-Ankeny player, assistant coach Varnum hired to take over Hawks’ program

‘Hard to walk away’: Ankeny’s Burns resigns as boys’ soccer coach

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Ankeny boys' soccer coach Jordan Burns has resigned from his position after two seasons at the school. Burns, a native of Scotland, compiled a 29-12 record and guided the Hawks to a pair of state tournament appearances. "It was a very tough decision," said Burns. "It's something that I didn't really want to do, but I had to do. I'm at the point in my … [Read more...] about ‘Hard to walk away’: Ankeny’s Burns resigns as boys’ soccer coach

Anderson, Rathjen drop overtime matches in War at West Gym

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Ankeny wrestling standouts Trever Anderson and Caleb Rathjen both participated in the War at West Gym on Saturday in Cedar Falls. The state champion duo both competed for Team Blue, which suffered a 32-10 loss to Team Red. The event featured 26 of the state's top boys' and girls' wrestlers. The meet was sponsored by IAWrestle.com. Anderson dropped a … [Read more...] about Anderson, Rathjen drop overtime matches in War at West Gym

SOLID GOLD: Ankeny’s Rathjen, Anderson capture state wrestling titles

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Ankeny wrestling coach Jack Wignall waited six years to crown his first individual state champion. He only had to wait about 30 minutes for his second one. Ankeny's top-ranked duo of Trever Anderson and Caleb Rathjen each won a title in the Class 3A state tournament on Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena, leading the Hawks to their best finish since the … [Read more...] about SOLID GOLD: Ankeny’s Rathjen, Anderson capture state wrestling titles

Anderson, Rathjen could capture twin titles for Hawk wrestlers

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Ankeny's Caleb Rathjen watched from the bowels of Wells Fargo Arena as Trever Anderson turned in a dominating performance in the semifinals of the Class 3A state wrestling tournament on Friday afternoon. A few minutes later, Rathjen joined his teammate in earning a trip to Saturday night's finals, giving the top-ranked duo a chance to capture twin … [Read more...] about Anderson, Rathjen could capture twin titles for Hawk wrestlers