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Fort Dodge set to entertain Little Cyclones

Points probably won’t be at a premium as the Fort Dodge football team squares off with Ames here on Friday.

Kickoff inside Dodger Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m.

Fort Dodge (2-1 overall) and the Little Cyclones (2-1) both rank in Class 4A’s Top-10 for scoring so far this season, and both squads put up impressive offensive numbers a week ago. While the Dodgers were beating Mason City, 47-6, Ames was trouncing Iowa City High, 56-33.

”They’re a good ballclub,” FDSH head coach Matt Miller said of the Little Cyclones. ”They were impressive against City High, with over 500 yards of total offense. They have a veteran quarterback in (three-year starter Joe) Evans, who is a legitimate threat to run or pass on every down.

”I hope we’re up for the challenge. We’re going to have to put some points on the board. Even though we’re still not in the district portion of our schedule, I’d say this is an important test to see how we’re measuring up against an opponent that will be a significant step up from what we’ve seen the last two weeks (when the Dodgers drubbed Sioux City North and the Mohawks by a combined point differential of 103-6).”

Fort Dodge racked up 353 rushing yards against Mason City, a week after topping 400 passing yards versus North. Ames has displayed similar balance; Evans threw for 304 yards and four scores on City High, while tailback Martrell Davis and Evans combined to run for 232 more.

The Dodgers are hoping for a repeat performance from a year ago, when they knocked off the Little Cyclones in their Homecoming game, 28-21. Quarterback Drake Miller had 345 yards and four touchdowns for FDSH, which raced ahead 28-7 early in the third quarter and hung on from there.

Miller has 637 yards and eight TDs so far this season, completing 63 percent of his passes without being intercepted. Freshman tailback Dayson Clayton, who had 200 yards and four scores at Mason City, is the Dodgers’ top ground threat, and senior Trey Mosley has 14 catches for 243 yards and three touchdowns.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Evans racked up 1,276 passing yards and 17 scores as a sophomore, and 1,580 yards and 13 TDs during his junior campaign. In three games this year, Evans — who is also the Little Cyclones’ leading tackler as a linebacker — has accumulated well over 800 yards from scrimmage.

”They run a lot of quarterback powers and draws, but he’s also very capable through the air,” Miller said. ”Our defense is going to have to be on its game.”

Fort Dodge is limping into Friday’s contest after losing defensive lineman Triston Licht, offensive lineman Chase Tepfer, and linebacker/punter Aidan Simonson to injuries. Licht and Tepfer are lost for the season; Simonson is out indefinitely.

”We’re dealing with a lot of injury and illness right now,” Miller said, referring to a bout of strep throat that also worked its way through the locker room. ”We’ve had good practices this week, but between the heat and being short-handed, we’ve had to cut down on the time and be smarter and more efficient about what we’re working on.”

Steamy temperatures at game time are expected to be in the mid-80s, with strong southerly winds accompanying the heat.

Ames holds a lead in the all-time series, 33-27-1. The programs first squared off in 1913, and played every year from 1968 through 2013.

After losing 14 consecutive times to the Little Cyclones from 1995-2008, the Dodgers have prevailed in four of the last six meetings.

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