If there was any question as to who’s top dog on the mats in Ankeny, that question was laid to rest last week.
It was the Centennial grapplers who defeated the Ankeny Hawks three times in a one week span to claim the city title.
The Hawks were in the path of Centennial’s fourth-straight Bob Sharp tourney title on Jan. 13. Then the Jags avenged last year’s dual loss to Ankeny with a convincing 43-25 triumph the following Thursday. Three days later, en route to a second-place finish at the Dave Ewing Invitational, Centennial edged the Hawks, 33-32.
For fifth-year coach Jay Groth, avenging last season’s loss was fine, but the concentration remains on being healthy and focused come postseason.
“It’s a rivalry and they got the better of us last time," Groth said. "We obviously wanted to win that dual (against Ankeny). And we talked about winning that dual. Ultimately, the bigger picture is moving forward and winning at districts and winning at state.”
That postseason picture is starting to come into view, and after losing to No. 4 Valley on Tuesday night, the Jaguars (20-7) will head to the Southeast Polk for the CIML Invitational Friday night.
Then there’s a final regular season dual Feb. 1 against No. 6 Johnston, before the Jags head into their district meet on Feb. 10 at Dallas Center-Grimes.
One thing is certain: They’re being challenged plenty late in the season, just as they approach postseason wrestling.
“Neither Valley nor Johnston are in our district, but the CIML tourney this weekend will be good for us to come up and wrestle some potential district opponents," Groth said. "And hopefully that will get us better seeds where we need them. And maybe we can avenge a loss or two that might have happened at the beginning of the year.
“At this point on the season, we’re working to be ready to peak when it matters, and that’s at districts.”
Ankeny, Centennial wrestlers make The Predicament's rankings
Both the Hawks and the Jaguars have wrestlers featured in the latest 3A individual rankings put out by The Predicament.
Centennial has four guys in the top-10 of their respective weight divisions: Junior Noah Blubaugh is No.10 in 113; sophomore Ben Monroe is No.6 in 120; sophomore Logan Neils checks in at No.5 in 160; and Colin Hondred is No.5 in 182.
The Hawks are enjoying plenty of individual success as well, and feature the state’s second-ranked 113-pounder, Caleb Rathjen.
The freshman suffered an ankle injury earlier this season, but the plan is to have the young and skilled grappler back come February.
More: Hawk wrestlers eyeing strong end to season
“Caleb is a phenom, he’s really quite unbelievable. He does have an ankle injury, and what we’re doing is just being overly cautious,” Ankeny coach Jack Wignall said. “Our plan is to have him back before the district tournament. That’s our hope.”
Other Hawks featured in the rankings are Derek Anderson — he’s No.8 in 120 — and Killyan Green, who’s No.7 in 138.
Jags sweep at Mason City
After having their six-game winning streak snapped at Valley Friday night, the Centennial boys basketball team is right back in the win column after a methodical 52-39 triumph at Mason City Tuesday.
Jags' leading scorer this season Hunter Strait led the team yet again in the win, where he netted 13 points. Brandon Van Meter and Jackson Brannan each scored seven and sophomore forward Cody McCullough came of the bench to score six points and snare six rebounds.
More:Centennial boys get signature win
Centennial has now run their record to 10-4 on the season. They’ll host crosstown rival Ankeny Centennial Friday.
The Jag girls now have their second-longest winning streak of the year after they walloped Mason City 59-50 Tuesday night.
Chloe Olson, who recently signed with Indian Hills Community College for softball, had a monster night against the Mohawks and came away with 15 points and 17 rebounds in the win.
Centennial (13-3) will try to extend their current four-game win streak to five on Friday when the Ankeny Hawks come to Centennial.
“That’s at our house and knock on wood, we haven’t lost yet at home, and we’re not planning on losing,” senior guard Sydney Wycoff said. “And we have everyone back now, so, we’re pumped.”
Hawks fulfilling late-season goals
After a 1-10 start to the season, the Ankeny boys basketball team knew that they were better than the dismal record indicated.
They also knew that if they strung some wins together during the second half of the season, they could nab a three-seed in districts an host a postseason game.
The wheels are now in motion.
Since the 1-10 start, the Hawks have reeled off three straight wins, over Mason City, Southeast Polk and Des Moines East. That quick turnaround was something the boys were planning on.
More: Hawks might be down, but they're dangerous
“We’re really fighting hard," senior guard Ben Lyon said earlier this month. "We’re a scary team, like coach says, and teams don’t want to play us.
“And it’s all about the finish, and that’s where our mindset is. We’re just going to keep pushing towards that.”
Friday night will be a nice test for the Hawks. They’ll head to Centennial to try and avenge an earlier 55-52 loss to the Jaguars.