-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Joe Constable of Fort Dodge wrestle against Sioux Center Thai Cam in the Finals during Don Miller Invitational on Saturday inside Dodgers gym

Joe Constable took his time and made his move when the time was right.

The Fort Dodge sophomore claimed his first Don Miller Invitational title in dramatic fashion to conclude the 50th anniversary of the tournament.

With a 1-1 tie late in the third period Constable (16-3) took a shot against top-seed Thai Cam (12-2) of Sioux Center. The two scrambled around and Constable held off Cam at the end to force overtime.

In the extra period they once again felt each other out with Constable taking another shot late in the period and a scramble ensued. Constable circled around to get the takedown with no time left and sent the crowd into a frenzy.

The referees went to the table to confer as the crowd went silent. After a brief discussion the referee came to the center of the mat and called the takedown official and the crowd reacted with a roar as Constable earned a 4-1 victory.

“Joe was definitely the aggressor,” Thompson said. “That was the No. 1 seed and Joe had already beaten the two-seed. Joe usually goes undersized, but always controls the match.”

Constable was the third Dodger to win a Don Miller Invitational as senior Koy Davidson (144) won his second invitational title and sophomore Trace Rial (106) earned his first crown.

Junior Jesse Egli earned a runner up showing at 175 pounds.

“That was a good first part of the season,” said Fort Dodge head coach Bobby Thompson. “Now we need to go into break and polish our technique and get some good reps in.

“We need to start getting a plan and stick to the plan in our matches.”

Humboldt won its first ever Don Miller title with lone champion, top-ranked (IAwrestle at 175) Broedy Hendricks claiming the title at 190 pounds.

The Wildcats finished with 217.15 points. North Central Conference member Algona (204.5) was the runner up. Decorah (170.5) was third and Fort Dodge (165.5) placed fourth.

Constable, who was the third seed, won a 4-1 decision over No. 2 seed Hayden Overgaard of Bishop Heelan. He had a 53 second fall in the quarterfinals.

The top-ranked (IAwrestle) Davidson (18-1) cruised to the title with two falls and a tech fall on the day. In the finals, he pinned Algona’s second-ranked (IAwrestle) Barrett Morgan in 1:43. He earned a 17-2 tech fall in the semifinals and a fall in 1:10 of the quarters.

“Koy was dominant throughout the day and the season,” Thompson said. “He is still recovering from his surgery, but over break we’ll get healed up and use that momentum that he built up.”

Rial (15-3), ranked eighth by IAwrestle, earned a 23-7 tech fall over Meison Tollefson of Decorah. Rial earned a 55 second fall in the semifinals.

“Trace has started to separate that gap,” Thompson said. “There was a scramble there, but once he opened up, he dominated.”

Egli (12-5) earned a 16-0 tech fall in the quarterfinals and a 12-6 decision in the semifinals. He lost to second-ranked (165 by IAwrestle) Justin Wirtz of Emmetsburg, 17-1.

“He kept his cool and composure (in the semifinals),” Thompson said. “He was trailing, but he was able to turn things around.

“He had a very tough kid in the finals.”

Freshman Damien Yeoman (113), junior Rylee Brown (157) were fourth. Jayce Skow (165) was fifth. Bo Marsh (126) was sixth, Brexton Hines (132), and Hunter Kasperbauer (120) was seventh, while Kadince Kisler (132) placed eighth.

“Jayce had a good day beating the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds,” Thompson said. “Rylee had another strong day reaching the consolation semifinals for the second straight meet.”

Fort Dodge two-time state champion and top-ranked 215-pounder (IAwrestle) Dreshaun Ross is scheduled to return on Jan. 16 at Ames.

“Dreshaun told me he was going to make two trips to Ames that day,” Thompson said. “One during the day to get cleared and back that night for the dual.

“He is chomping at the bit to get back on the mat.”

Fort Dodge will open its 2025 portion of its schedule on Jan. 2 at Waukee Northwest with Valley.