Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Hunter Richardson of Fort Dodge wrestles against Lewis Central's Issac Bates in the finals at a district meet on Saturday in the Dodger gym. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

Hunter Richardson screamed and pumped his fists in excitement after his final match in the Dodger gym on Saturday.

The Fort Dodge senior wasn’t the only one.

The Dodger 150-pounder clinched his first-ever state appearance in a win-or-go-home victory in the third-place match, bringing the FDSH crowd to its feet in an electric moment.

“There are no words that can describe what I saw and heard when I got my hand raised. It was pure joy,” Richardson said. “My last match was one of the hardest ones this year, but I wouldn’t stop.”

Richardson was one of four Dodgers to punch their first state trips from a Class 3A district meet, joining five teammates who will return to Des Moines.

Ninth-ranked (IAwrestle) sophomore Trace Rial (106), third-ranked senior Koy Davidson (144), juniors Rylee Brown (No. 9 at 157) and ninth-ranked Jesse Egli (175), along with top-ranked junior Dreshaun Ross (215) will make their return.

Freshman Damien Yeoman (113), Jayce Skow (165) and fourth-ranked Joe Constable (285) are going to Des Moines for the first time.

Richardson (21-24) pinned Matthew Sitzmann of Le Mars in 3:44 to advance to the semifinals, where he lost to Wyatt Heying of Spencer by fall.

“Hunter is a well-rounded person,” Thompson said. “He is involved in a lot of things, and he showed the resilience and perspective of a senior with a sense of urgency.”

Richardson’s road to Des Moines restarted with a consolation semifinal win over Aidan Conlon of Sioux City East, 15-0 in 5:55. The excitement ensued after Richardson earned an 11-5 decision over Isaac Bates of Council Bluffs Lewis Central for bronze at 140.

“After the first couple of weeks of wrestling, I promised myself that I would only lose if I went all-out,” Richardson said. “My buddy John (Phan) was my partner for this year and even though we saw some hard times, we kept wrestling our best.”

Richardson went 5-11 in the first part of the season. After the turn of the new year, Richardson went 16-13. At one point, he won nine of 11 matches.

“Ever since Christmas time, he’s given great effort and competed even tougher,” Thompson said. “Hunter is the definition of Dodger Pride.”

Constable (38-6) only wrestled one match on the day, earning a fall in the 285-pound semifinal in 2:18 over Jaxen Hoag of Le Mars.

“I am honored to be wrestling for the Fort Dodge Dodgers,” Constable said. “All the hard work it takes to be a wrestler is finally paying off, and I can’t wait to compete at the state wrestling tournament.”

He claimed the championship with an injury default over Charles Sloan of Ankeny Centennial.

“Joe is Mr. Consistency,” Thompson said. “He is a great kid to coach. He is eager and listens.

“He is outsized (weight and height), but when he gets into deep waters, Joe has the tank to go the distance.”

Yeoman (33-17) advanced to the finals with a fall in 3:47 over Sioux City East’s Isaiah Greer in 3:47. The Dodger freshman lost to third-rated Weston Porter (43-4) of Lewis Central.

“It feels great to be able to make it to state as a freshman,” Yeoman said. “I’ve been working my butt off all year for this, but the job’s not finished.”

The youngster advanced as a true-second place performer, with the previous win over Greer.

“Damien has had a great year, basically wrestling 113 as a 106-pounder,” Thompson said. “He is peaking and rolling at the right time.”

Skow (15-22) earned three wins on the day. He had a 15-0 tech fall over Divine Adams of Sioux City East in 3:24 of the quarterfinals. He then lost to Ankeny Centennial’s Jacob Hand in the semifinal.

Skow bounced back with a fall in 56 seconds over Elisha Olson of Le Mars in the consolation semis. He had another 15-0 tech fall in the third-place match, beating Kaman Ellington of Sioux City North in 4:38.

“It means a lot going to state, especially after a tough year,” Skow said. “It’s hard to not get down on yourself a little after all the tough tournaments that we go to, but it prepares us well.”

The Dodger sophomore lost to Cohen Roth of Spencer by fall in the true second-place match.

“Jayce was one of those guys that came in late after football,” Thompson said. “He fought through some injuries and was able to become a state qualifier. That’s big as just a sophomore.”

Junior Hunter Kasperbauer (120) and freshman Drake Hayes (126) placed fourth for the Dodgers.

Phan (190) wrestled his final match for the Dodgers as a senior. Freshman Amari McCaleb competed at 138.

Ankeny Centennial’s Isaac Bruhl, the son of former Fort Dodge state champion Brad Bruhl, was the 150-pound district champion.

The Dodgers head to Des Moines on Wednesday. They’ll compete in the morning session of the Class 3A state tournament.