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Cole Clarken is on the path of vindication, and on Saturday, he again etched his name into the school's record book.

Clarken, a three time state qualifier from Fort Dodge, turned heads at the 36th annual Don Miller Fort Dodge Invitational on Saturday.

Council Bluffs Lewis Central (190.5) edged Bettendorf (188.5) for the title, while Sioux City East (163.5) was third.

The youthful Dodgers (150), who were fourth, had a tumultuous day in the talent-packed field, but a couple of indivduals continued to shine and earn a solid base to work upon for the Christmas Break.

"This was definitely an eye-opener for us,'' said FDSH head coach Bobby Thompson. "We knew it would be rough, and we'll just use this as a measuring stick."

Clarken, who qualified for state as a junior but couldn't compete after beaing hospitalized the night before state, became only the third Dodger to win three FDSH Invite golds and the first since Mark Rial from 1993 to '95. Thompson won all four as a prep competitor.

"I just want to prove to everyone that I can come out of my shell and be more aggressive,'' Clarken said. "It's a big deal to win three titles in a program and meet with tradition like this.''

Thompson agreed with the award winner.

"Cole is very deserving,'' Thompson said. "He was in the toughest weight class.''

Clarken, the third-ranked Dodger senior, also won the Tim Ascherl Outstanding Wrestler of the Meet Award. Ascherl is a former Dodger state champion. Clarken is the first to earn the award since Cody Marsh in 2006.

''It's a great honor,'' Clarken said. "I hope I can achieve what he and the guys here in the '80s did.''

Clarken earned the top seed, then had two falls and a decision on his way to the 145-pound championship. He beat 10th-ranked Luke Swalla of Ames in the semifinals and pinned No. 7 Rulin Pederson of Sioux City East in the finals for his 11th straight victory this season.

Fort Dodge's fourth-ranked junior, Matt Birnbaum (10-1), lost to Drake Swarm of Bettendorf 6-3 in the 103-pound championship. Birnbaum had two falls under a minute in his first two matches.

"Matt had a tough kid in the finals,'' Thompson said. "He just needs to find a spark that will get him to the elite level.''

Freshman Reed Russell (9-3 at 112) earned the Dodgers only third place finish by knocking off Sioux City East's Dan Adair 9-6 for third place. Russell's only loss was to eventual champion and eight-ranked Jake Agnitsch of Ames.

Fort Dodge's Chase Grove (130), Ben Schnurr (189) and Brant Anderson (285) placed fourth. Monty Arends (119), Keegan Nelson (135), Cody Anderson (140) and David Rogers (160) all placed fifth. Duke Egli (125), Shea Springer (152) and Chuck Riley II (215) were sixth.

"Schnurr and Anderson had very solid days and are improving every time out,'' Thompson said. "Russell was strong again as well.''

Webster City's two-time bronze medalist Tyler Patten (125) earned his second consecutive title in his third trip to the finals, Patten, who is rated third in Class 2A, pinned Davenport West's Garrett Riley in 2:38.

Patten had two falls and a technical fall on his way to the championship. In the finals, Patten pinned Riley in a strong move from his back.

"It was a good day for Tyler,'' said Webster City head coach Ted Larson. "His knee didn't bother him and he was aggressive all day long.''

The Lynx 10th-ranked Tyler Raygor (119) lost to Lewis Central's Tyler Feller in the championship match. Royce Nessa (130) finished third for Webster City.

"Raygor (who suffered his first loss) has had a good first half of the season,'' Larson said. "We just want to focus our guys on mental toughness.''

Emmetsburg came away with two championships and a runner-up finish.

Manson Northwest Webster transfer Skyler Rice (No. 1) grabbed the 135-pound championship for Emmetsburg, by defeating Jarrod Delp of Davenport West 9-7 in the finals.

Seventh-ranked Jacob Morris cruised to the 189-pound title, pinning Nathan Lubinus of Ames in 16 seconds.

Fourth-ranked Joey Naig (160) lost an 11-6 decision to second-ranked Joey Trizzino (152) in the 160 pound championship.

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