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Dodgers face unbeaten foe

NEWTON — The District 4 road doesn’t get any smoother for the Fort Dodge football team here on Friday, as the Dodgers take on unbeaten Newton in the program’s first trip to H.A. Lynn Stadium since 2009.

The Cardinals (5-0 overall, 1-0 district) have the top-ranked scoring offense in Class 4A so far at 50.8 points per game. Newton has steamrolled Ottumwa, Waterloo East, Des Moines North, Burlington and Marshalltown by a combined point differential of 254-89, and it has done so almost exclusively on the ground, rushing for 2,034 yards and 29 touchdowns at eight yards per carry.

”They like to grind and wear you down and then hit you big with a throw over the top — kind of the way it’s always been with Newton,” FDSH head coach Matt Miller said. ”Coach (Ed) Ergenbright has done a great job of taking what (former) Coach (John) Jenkins built and believed and extended it into today’s game.

”They’re a tough team that’s obviously playing with a lot of confidence at 5-0, so we have to get off to a good start and go from there — especially being on the road. And the turnover battle is going to tell a lot.”

The Dodgers dropped a 59-14 decision to third-ranked West Des Moines Valley in their district opener last week. The Cardinals thumped the Bobcats, 49-28, marking the fifth consecutive contest they’ve scored at least six touchdowns.

Newton’s balanced stable of backs has included quarterback Garrett Sturtz (532 rushing yards), Jaron Roush (410), Josh Miller (370) and Josh Miravallis (327). Sturtz, Roush and Miller all saw extensive playing time in a 43-21 loss to FDSH a year ago, as did leading receiver Trevor Ergenbright.

”They have a lot of kids back, and they’re playing with a swagger,” Miller said. ”They’ll hit some big plays. We just need to limit them as much as possible; last year, we gave up a lot of rushing yards against them, but always came up with a big stop when we needed it.”

The Dodgers finished with 530 yards of offense — 265 both on the ground and in the air — in bumping the Cardinals from the ranks of the unbeaten last fall. Fort Dodge out-scored Newton 22-8 in the second half to pull away.

”I’m really hoping we get after it and play with the kind of emotion and energy needed for a big game like this one,” Miller said. ”We have two important weeks coming up (with Homecoming against Marshalltown next Friday), and our guys have really been focused in practice this week. They’re looking forward to the challenge. We have a lot of respect for Newton’s program.”

Dodger junior Drake Miller has thrown for 1,231 yards and 16 touchdowns while only being intercepted once. Freshman tailback Dayson Clayton (67 carries, 436 yards, five TDs) and senior receivers Trey Mosley (36 catches, 446 yards, 5 TDs) and Tyrnan Lara (19-307-5) are the other offensive leaders, while seniors Damond Lockner, Luke Jacobson, Mitch Glass and junior Mason Bodholdt are the squad’s top tacklers.

Newton holds a 16-9 edge in the all-time series, which included a brief Big 8 rivalry before the Cardinals left for the Central Iowa Conference in 1975. NHS won 12 in a row during an intermittent run from 1995 through 2008, but the Dodgers have prevailed in their last two meetings.

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