×

Dodgers welcome Storm Lake

Homecoming week is always a difficult time for both coaches and players to navigate leading up to the football contest on Friday night.

Fort Dodge’s opponent this week isn’t making matters much easier in terms of preparation.

The Dodgers (4-1 overall, 1-0 in Class 4A, District 1) put their four-game win streak on the line against a very unconventional offense as Storm Lake (3-2, 1-0) comes to town for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

The pass-happy Tornadoes have lived up to their moniker, as they bring Class 4A’s most prolific — and unpredictable — aerial attack to Dodger Stadium under the direction of head coach Drake Curry. Senior Charlie Dvergsten has thrown for 1,334 yards — the most not just in 4A, but by any 11-player quarterback in the entire state. Dvergsten — a standout pitcher and golfer for Storm Lake as well — is the overall offensive leader in Iowa by a wide margin with 1,638 total yards from scrimmage, or 327.6 yards per game.

“They’re a fun offensive team to watch on film. I’m not sure we’ll be saying the same once we see it in person,” FDSH head coach Nik Moser said. “They do a lot of nice stuff, and Dvergsten’s a stud. You could easily make an argument that he’s the best we’ll see at the position this year, and the stats definitely back that up.

“It will be a tremendous, and different, challenge for our defense. The key in a situation like this is to not be predictable in coverage, and to get as much pressure as you can without compromising your position and allowing big plays in open space. We have to be both aggressive and fundamentally sound with our tackling.”

The Dodgers have been building confidence – and racking up victories – over the last month. Fort Dodge rained on Denison-Schleswig’s Homecoming parade a week ago, pitching a 36-0 shutout thanks to nearly 400 yards of offense compared to less than 100 from the Monarchs.

“We were on the right end of a (Homecoming decision), and our guys saw how tough it was (for D-S) to lose like that,” Moser said. “A lot of our guys went through it last year (in a narrow setback to the Monarchs). They don’t want that to happen again.

“This week is all about using your emotions in the right way, staying disciplined and avoiding distractions. We’ve been able to build something to this point, and it’s taken a lot of hard work. We don’t want to lose that momentum. I think the kids understand that even though we’ve gotten better, we still have a long way to go and we can’t afford to take a step back now.”

Dvergsten is 4A’s top arm statistically, but Dodger sophomore Tru McBride is racking up impressive numbers in his own right. McBride ranks in the Top-10 for passing yards (855) and touchdowns (11) in the class.

Senior Jamarius Gibbs-Green, meanwhile, had 177 rushing yards last Friday and is now just 28 away from 1,000 for his career – a stretch that only spans nine starts and less than half of that with full-time carries. He has 536 yards at six yards per tote and five touchdowns so far this season.

“We’ve done a good job of balancing things out and establishing ourselves in the trenches,” Moser said. “Against a team like this, your offense is your best defense. The more you’re able to control the line, the clock and the ball, the better.”

Junior safety Jesse Egli, sophomore linebacker Jayce Skow, junior linebacker Caiden Fraher, junior cornerback Taevon Feeley, junior safety Noah Daniel and the active FDSH back eight – which hasn’t surrendered more than 300 yards since a Week 1 loss to Webster City – will be tasked with handling Storm Lake’s three-pronged receiver attack of sophomore David William (37 catches, 573 yards, 5 TDs), junior Rylan Richardson (24-323-6) and junior Cameron Boyd (24-281-3) – all starters back from a year ago and 4A leaders in 2024. Senior Jonathan Brown, sophomore Jayon Preston-Grady and sophomore Will McElroy, meanwhile, hope to get pressure on Dvergsten up front before he is able to get into a rhythm.

“Our guys have been going up against a good quarterback and a lot of talented receivers in practice since the start of camp,” Moser said. “It’s not an apples-to-apples comparison, obviously, but our defense knows what a challenge like this is all about. It’s not easy; we’ll have to be physically and mentally ready from start to finish.”

Moser is also hoping the community “continues to rally around these players” by creating a special Homecoming environment.

“We’ve come a long way and we have a lot of good kids who are passionate about football,” Moser said. “We’d all like to see a big crowd that reflects that and supports this program in an effort to try and get to 5-1. Our players have started to create some buzz, and we’re looking to extend that (Friday night).”

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox
I'm interested in (please check all that apply)(Required)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper?(Required)