Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Jamarius Green of Fort Dodge stiff arms a Sioux City West defender on Friday inside Dodger Stadium.

It wasn’t pretty or perfect, but Fort Dodge head coach Nik Moser wanted to make sure his squad saw the big picture following Friday’s 35-0 home victory over Sioux City West.

“Through eight weeks, we’re a six-win football team,” Moser said. “And there aren’t many ballclubs — either past ones from here or around the state right now — that can say that.

“We weren’t great (last night). And we’re going to have to be a lot better (this coming week). But I also think it’s important to take a step back and appreciate how far these kids have come since (a Week 1 home loss to Webster City). The exciting thing is that they’ll get a lot better if they keep working hard and being there for each other.”

Jamarius Green rushed for 124 of his 130 yards in the first half as the Dodgers (6-2 overall, 3-1 in Class 4A, District 1) scored 35 points in the first quarter and a half and finished their second shutout of the season from there. The winless Wolverines (0-8, 0-4) managed only four yards of total offense — losing 44 yards from scrimmage on the ground — as the FDSH defense forced three turnovers that led to points and added a special-teams score for good measure on a breezy evening inside Dodger Stadium.

“We didn’t play the way we had been, but all things considered, we took care of business,” Moser said. “Now we need to get things cleaned up and get healed up and ready for Spencer.

“You never apologize for being this late into the season having won 75 percent of your ballgames. That means you get to have meaningful (preparation for Week 9). We’ve grown a lot, but have a lot of growing still to do.”

Fort Dodge scored in a myriad of ways. Green had two rushing touchdowns, pushing his season total to 12. Junior Noah Daniel scooped up a fumble and returned it 33 yards to the end zone, and classmate Dalton Eckley returned a punt 40 yards to paydirt. The Dodgers also tallied a safety when an errant West snap on a punt flew next to the goal post, and McBride hit junior Tytrell Mosley from 18 yards out for another TD.

The Wolverines, who haven’t won since 2022, found the sledding next to impossible against the Fort Dodge defense. Quarterback Turner Joy, who had thrown for over 1,000 yards this season in the first seven weeks, was just 3 of 20 passing for 48 yards and was intercepted by junior Jesse Egli.

Meanwhile, of the 15 carries West attempted on the ground, 12 failed to gain a single yard. The Dodgers had 10 tackles for loss, and sophomore Jayon Preston-Grady recorded a sack.

Jayce Skow, also a sophomore, recovered a fumble.

Now Fort Dodge turns its attention to the red-hot Tigers, who pounded Storm Lake by a final of 46-6 last night. Spencer, which is now 6-2 and a perfect 4-0 in the district, has won five straight games by a combined point differential of 189-22.

“We get to play for a district title,” Moser said. “Spencer’s a solid, well-coached squad. They’re really tough. But this is why you do what you do: for opportunities like this.”

The Dodgers will likely need a win to reach the 16-team Class 4A playoff field.

Fort Dodge has at least six victories for the sixth time since 2014. The Dodgers had done so just six times in the previous 24 seasons, from 1990-2013.

The program honored its 17 seniors before kickoff.

“I know we’re young overall (FDSH starts only seven seniors), but this senior class has helped build a stronger culture here and I want to thank them for that,” Moser said. “They’ve worked hard, set a good example, and led in their own way — regardless of what their skill set is or the role they play on this team.”

Kickoff at Dale Norton Field in Spencer on Friday is set for 7 p.m.

FD SCW

First Downs 10 3

Rushes-Yards 30-133 15-(-44)

Passing Yards 58 48

Comp-Att-Int 5-13-1 3-20-1

Total Yards 191 4

Punts-Avg. 3-23.0 4-32.5

Fumbles-Lost 0-0 3-2

Penalties-Yards 6-60 4-30

SC West 0 0 0 0 — 0

Fort Dodge 14 21 0 0 — 35

Scoring Summary

Fort Dodge — Noah Daniel (33-yard fumble return), 9:53 left first quarter. Tru McBride pass to Royce Pederson).

Fort Dodge — Jamarius Green (7-yard run), 3:55 left first. Kick blocked.

Fort Dodge — Dalton Eckley (40-yard punt return), 11:30 left second. Kick failed.

Fort Dodge — Green (4-yard run), 10:52 left second. Run failed.

Fort Dodge — Safety (ball snapped out of the end zone), 8:36 left second.

Fort Dodge — Tytrell Mosley (18-yard pass from McBride). Albert Myrvold kick.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing — Fort Dodge: Jamarius Green 21-130, Ezrah Barkhaus 6-31, Tytrell Mosley 1-(minus-1), Albert Myrvold 1-(minus-13), Team 1-(minus-14). SC West: Jayson Joseph 4-(minus-1), Sincere Douglas 3-(minus-6), Koda Tyndall 5-(minus-7), Turner Joy 2-(minus-8), Team 1-(minus-22).

Passing — Fort Dodge: Tru McBride 4-11-1-48, Reggie Pederson 1-2-0-10. SC West: Turner Joy 3-20-1-48.

Receiving — Fort Dodge: Tytrell Mosley 2-24, Dalton Eckley 1-12, Kyree Rochon 1-12, Royce Pederson 1-10). SC West: Nathan Case 1-25, Sincere Douglas 1-21, Tavien Manning 1-2.