WAUKEE — The 14th-ranked Fort Dodge wrestling team will open the new year against a pair of perennial powers on the road.

The Dodgers travel on Thursday to face No. 8 (IAwrestle) Waukee Northwest and West Des Moines Valley.

Action begins at 5 p.m. with the host Wolves taking on the Dodgers. FDSH then squares off with the Tigers.

“This will obviously be a very challenging dual,” Dodger head coach Bobby Thompson said. “We looked at the rosters…Northwest has 82 kids, Valley has 52 and we have 35.

“We want to be able to go out and compete with what we have.”

The short-handed Dodgers are coming off a fourth-place finish at the 50th annual Don Miller Invitational right before winter break began. Eighth-ranked Trace Rial (106), top-rated Koy Davidson (144) and No. 8 Joe Constable (285) earned championships in the squad’s home gym.

It was the second Miller Invite crown for Davidson (18-1), the future Oregon State University competitor.

Also ranked for the Dodgers is Jesse Egli (No. 5 at 175).

The Dodgers are still without two-time defending state champion Dreshaun Ross (No. 1 at 215). They also won’t have Davidson on Thursday, another defending state champ.

Ross will likely return from his shoulder injury on Jan. 16 in a dual at Ames. Davidson is recovering from a knee injury.

“We want this kind of competition and we need it for the stretch run,” said Thompson, who has 295 career dual victories as a head coach. “We are working at getting to full strength and being able to click a little better.

“We need to get everyone on the same page these next few weeks.”

Waukee Northwest boasts 10 ranked wrestlers. Carew Christensen is No. 1 at 106 pounds. Joey Cahill (No. 9 at 113), Grayson Manning (No. 8 at 120), Hayden Hutt (No. 11 at 138), Lincoln Hutt (No. 7 at 150), Gabe Rubino (No. 8 at 165), Bryce Williams (No. 9 at 175), Abe Parker (No. 7 at 190), Jamal Neeway (No. 3 at 215) and Henry Mohr (No. 9 at 285) are also rated at their respective weights for the Wolves.

Valley is anchored by Jahkari Clark (No. 3 at 144) and Andrew Price (No. 4 at 190).

PROJECTED DODGER LINEUP

106 — Trace Rial, so., (15-3); 113 — Damien Yeoman, fr., (14-8); 120 — Hunter Kasperbauer, jr., (9-14); 126 — Bo Marsh, so., (9-11); 132 — Brexton Hines, so, (2-2); 138 — Amari McCaleb, fr., (2-3); 144–Open; 150 — Hunter Richardson, sr., (5-10); 157 — Rylee Brown, jr., (13-9); 165 — Jayce Skow, so., (9-10); 175 — Jesse Egli, jr., (12-5); 190 — Kason Echevarria, fr., (3-3); 215 — Kaden Nichols, fr. (1-10); 285 — Joe Constable, so., (16-3).