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Ross, Cowell brothers will medal for Fort Dodge

Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Drevon Ross of Fort Dodge grabs Southeast Polk’s Nathan Marchand at 138 pounds on Friday in consolation action in Des Moines. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

DES MOINES — For three Fort Dodge wrestlers, Friday didn’t begin how they had hoped.

The Dodger trio quickly turned things around inside Wells Fargo Arena, though, as they all solidified spots on the podium.

Sophomore Lane Cowell (106), junior Brooks Cowell (126) and senior Drevon Ross (138) all lost quarterfinal matches, but combined to win their next six bouts and secure no less than a sixth-place finish at their respective weights.

“That was huge to have a round like that,” said FDSH head coach Bobby Thompson. “Those were tough matches, especially after fighting through the blood round.

“Drevon took out a top seed and got a fall, and Brooks beat a guy that pinned him as a freshman. Lane beat a solid opponent from Indianola. We were definitely wrestling above our seeds.”

After guaranteeing themselves medals, the Dodgers went 3-0 in the consolation semifinal round and saw Drake Ayala (113) and Carson Taylor (120) lock up semifinal victories.

With five medalists, the defending state champions moved into third place in the team race. Waverly-Shell Rock (126) is the frontrunner. Southeast Polk is second with 108 points.

Fort Dodge has 81.5, while Ankeny Centennial (78) is fourth.

In any tournament, backside points are huge — especially at the end of a long, grueling day. The Dodgers finished strong and will be adding to their recent medal haul, which is up to 34 in the last five seasons counting this year’s five.

“Our schedule has us ready for tournaments like this,” Thompson said. “Not only the tough competition, but the time away from home that we spend together on the road. We build a family atmosphere, and the kids are comfortable (in a multi-day tournament environment).

“The coaches are the last faces they see before they go to bed and the first they see when they wake up in the morning.”

Sophomore Kody Cook (145) suffered a quarterfinal loss, and then was knocked out on the consolation side.

Lane Cowell (36-9) lost his 106-pound quarterfinal match to No. 2 seed Aiden Riggins of Waverly-Shell Rock by fall, but the eighth-ranked junior reeled off an 11-4 decision over 10th-ranked Lewis Central’s Tanner Wink and a 4-2 decision over No. 7 Ryder Downey of Indianola.

Lane Cowell will meet fourth-seed Dustin Bohren (38-9) of Bettendorf in the consolation semifinals.

Ninth-ranked Brooks Cowell (34-13) lost to West Des Moines Valley’s second-rated Nick Oldham (33-3) by a 11-1 count in the quarterfinals. The junior then rebounded to pin Bettendorf’s Kohler Ruggles in 2:44, and picked up a sudden-victory triumph over West Des Moines Dowling’s Carson Murray.

Brooks Cowell will face fourth-seed Matthew Jordan (30-6) of Des Moines East in the consolation semifinals.

Fourth-seed Drevon Ross (30-7) lost to top-ranked and No. 5 seed Colby Schriever (33-7) of Mason City, 8-4. The senior then earned a fall over Des Moines Abraham Lincoln’s Leo Blawou (1:34) and Southeast Polk’s fifth-ranked Nathan Marchand (4:37).

Ross’ next opponent will be sixth-seeded Dreven Strief of North Scott (36-12).

Cook (25-18) fell to third-ranked Caleb Corbin of Valley, 5-1, then lost by fall to Mount Pleasant’s 10th-ranked Nathan Wallace (:57).

Sophomore Dreyzon Phillips (31-19) was eliminated from the 132-pound tournament, losing by fall to Cedar Rapids Prairie’s second-ranked Conrad Braswell (3:08).

“Kody pinned the state finalist (Eric Owens of Ankeny Centennial) in a dual and had him pinned at districts,” Thompson said. “Dreyzon had a big win and was beating the No. 2 kid in the state before getting wrapped up.

“These young guys really stepped up. We really apprecaited their efforts. The future looks bright for both of them.”

The medal round begins today at 10 a.m. and runs through 2:15 p.m. inside Wells Fargo Arena.

The Grand march and finals for all classes will begin at 6 p.m.

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