Messenger File Photo: Former Fort Dodge quarterback Drake Miller spearheaded many spirited road wins for Fort Dodge during his three-year varsity career.
There’s something special about road wins in sports.
Maybe it is “We to the world” Spirituality. Perhaps it’s a real-time memory with loyal friends and family who traveled and braved the elements. Maybe it’s the fact that no one goes their separate ways after the match. We enjoy riding together, playing together, and riding the bus home together.
The 2024 Fort Dodge football team got to experience that last Friday night, defeating No. 8 Spencer 24-20 in the final at the Tigers’ home base to earn a share of the Class 4A, District 1 championship. The Dodgers were definitely an underdog against an opponent who had won five straight games by a total margin of over 160 points. They fought hard early on and hung on long enough to finally defeat Spencer and secure a playoff berth with a regular season record of 7-2.
Many readers have asked me where this victory ranks among all the Fort Dodge football road games I’ve covered or seen in person. I’ve been visiting most of them since 1994 and have traveled consistently for each of the past 25 seasons, spanning over 20,000 miles.
I won’t rank them, but here are my top five in chronological order:
1994: Fort Dodge 39, Ames 34. The Dodgers needed a win against the Little Cyclones to qualify for the playoffs, and they found themselves in a must-win situation. Late in a classic back-and-forth game, when Ames took the lead, FDSH quarterback Randy Reiners symbolically performed his best impersonation of Babe Ruth’s called shot and ran to the Little Cyclone sideline. I warned you. “You left us too much time.”
A little more than a minute later, Reiners found fellow All-Star Mark Wills in the end zone, giving head coach Sam Moser’s team a dramatic victory for a postseason berth. Ames also needed a win to qualify, but that’s over.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers have gone from what most people viewed as a 2-3 team to a strong contender for the postseason. The program’s only playoff win in the modern format, a home win over Des Moines Hoover, followed with a narrow loss to West Des Moines Dowling in the quarterfinals.
2010: Fort Dodge 15, West Des Moines Valley 12. Many old stereotypes and demons were shattered when the Dodgers won the CIML Iowa Conference title with their first win in program history in West Des Moines. Fort Dodge finished the regular season 8-1 (best in 29 years) and clinched a 4A playoff berth with their fourth win over the Tigers in over 30 seasons.
The defense was the star of the night, with Reid Riesen intercepting a pass, Mark Wilson recovering a fumble and Connor Moraine recording 14 tackles to hold Valley to one touchdown. Levi Peters led Dareus Caston and Willie Williams in scoring on offense.
Well over a thousand Dodgers fans were in attendance, virtually filling the visitor side of the Tigers’ massive stadium.
2016: Fort Dodge 28, Ames 21. Dodgers backup defensive back Brayden Bell, who had played in the junior varsity game the night before, was in the spotlight late as Fort Dodge turned the tide and was destroyed in a one-sided series between the rivals. Little Cyclones Homecoming.
In the final seconds of the game, Bell threw the game-winning touchdown pass at the goal line, giving the Dodgers their fourth win over Ames in their last 20 meetings.
Sophomore quarterback Drake Miller threw for 345 yards and four touchdowns on his 16th birthday. Junior Trey Mosley had 13 catches for 191 yards and three scores, but was sidelined with an injury late in the third quarter.
Bell’s heroics secured the unexpected victory and started the program’s six-game winning streak against the Little Cyclones after a full 20 years of struggle.
2018: Fort Dodge 22, Southeast Polk 21. Arguably the most unlikely of the whole thing. Trailing 21-3, the Dodgers had the ball at their own 6-yard line with 10 minutes left in regulation. Drake Miller sparked a wild rally that ended with a walk-off touchdown pass to Dayson Creighton as time expired, sparking a wild celebration.
Fort Dodge is 0-5 in its last five trips to Pleasant Hill, and none of the games have been particularly close. Shane Harrigan blocked a field goal attempt, Anthony Wagner recovered an onside kick, Miller threw for 193 yards in the fourth quarter, and the Dodgers trailed the Rams by 19 in the final period after being dominated for three full quarters. Broke with -0.
Southeast Polk’s homecoming was ruined by Fort Dodge. The Rams reached the state semifinals later that season and won back-to-back championships in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Their combined record from 2020 to 2023 was 47 wins and 3 losses.
2024: Fort Dodge 24, Spencer 20. No recency bias here. Thirty years after Ames’ victory, the Dodgers found themselves in a similar position, with everything on the line in the final game of the regular season.
The Tigers defeated FDSH 45-0 last fall and won the series through the first three years of district play. They were also one of the hottest teams in 4A, with a vaunted rushing attack and bone-crushing defense.
The Dodgers were able to grab some breaks, get some more, and win the program’s first district championship (shared or outright) under the current format. Head coach Nick Moser’s ball club won seven of eight tries and qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2021, a group that suffered a 28-point loss at home to Webster City earlier in the season. It has grown into a group.
Eric Pratt is the Messenger’s sports editor. Reach us by email at sports@messengernews.net or on Twitter @ByEricPratt.
For four days, the 10th-ranked Iowa Central volleyball team was put to the test. Starting at the end…
SPENCER – The tears of pure joy that welled up in Gavin Pederson’s eyes began to flow the moment he saw…
ALGONA — The 21st consecutive victory was easy for Bishop Garrigan, but it will get even tougher for Bishop…
