Fort Dodge head wrestling coach Bobby Thompson called a season opening dual against Ankeny a "measuring stick" for what to expect from his rather youthful team.

With four sophomores and two freshmen cracking the 14-man varsity rotation against a team that has been competitive with the Dodgers as of late, it appears to be exactly that.

Fort Dodge will be starting their season on the road as varsity action will begin at 7:30 p.m., following the junior varsity at 6:30 p.m.

"We have a good group of guys back, but we also don't have a ton of varsity experience," said Thompson. "This will be a good measuring stick for where we are and what we need to do. We'd love to beat Ankney and get 14 wins, but the first leg of the season is always more about evaluation and polishing up technique."

The Dodgers will be looking to avenge a 48-30 loss to head coach Dave Ewing and Ankeny last season. Ewing was a senior on the 1980 state championship Fort Dodge wrestling squad, while Thompson was a freshman on the team that season.

"Looking at them and talking to Ewing, they should be a lot like us. They have better numbers and can do a bit more with their lineup," said Thompson. "But, our guys will be eager to go out and test themselves.

Senior captains Cole Clarken, Chase Grove, Keegan Nelson and Monty Arends will be looking to anchor the Dodger lineup that features a handful of youthful wrestlers making their first varsity starts,

Clarken - ranked fifth at 145 - went 16-4 last season as a junior. Grove will get the nod at 130 pounds and had a 27-10 season last year as a junior.

Nelson will fill the slot at 135 pounds while Arends - who reached state as a sophomore - will be at 119.

"We have a lot of guys that are capable of leading us and our younger wrestlers. Grove, Nelson and Clarken are all four-year starters," said Thompson. "These guys are hungry to get down to state this year and they will be highly motivated."

Junior Matt Birnbaum - the sixth rated wrestler at 103 pounds - will have the meet's only bout between ranked opponents as he will face ninth-ranked Austin Anderson. Birnbaum was 29-12 last season as a state qualifier.

Junior David Rogers will bring back varsity experience, but will be at 160 this season. Fellow classmates Connor Morain (171), Adam Miller (140) and Brandt Anderson (285) will all start.

The Dodger lineup is slightly green from that point on with a handful of inexperienced wrestlers making the start. Sophomores Reid Russell (112), Nate Lentsch (125), Shea Springer (152) and Ben Schnurr (189) will be in the lineup as well as freshmen Duke Egli (125) and Kyle Johnson (215).

"Our younger guys obviously don't have varsity experience, but they do have a lot of wrestling experience to make up for it," said Thompson.

Ankney will feature four ranked wrestlers in Anderson, junior Seth Clark (119), seniors Matt Fontana (130) and Erik Rasmussen (189).

Contact Brady Johnson at (515) 573-2141 or by e-mail at sports@messengernews.net