-Messenger photo by Britt KudlaDrake Ayala of Fort Dodge wrestles against Lucas Uliano during class 3A semi-finals on Friday

AMES — The high school wrestling season begins here in a few short weeks, but Drake Ayala appears to already be in midseason form.

The Fort Dodge Senior High sophomore picked up a 9-5 victory over Braxton Brown of Texas Saturday in the opening bout at the Agony in Ames on Saturday.

Brown is currently ranked third in the nation at 106 pounds by FloWrestling, which has Ayala rated 15th overall.

“It felt good getting my hand raised against a tough opponent like that and it’s pretty exciting,” Ayala said. “But I still have a lot to improve on.”

Ayala went 44-2 this past winter for the Dodgers, placing second and helping them to both traditional and dual team titles. He was a runner-up at the USA Folkstyle Nationals, finished third at NHSCA Nationals and was fourth at Fargo in Cadet Freestyle.

“The atmosphere was a little different than normal because there was only one mat and all eyes are on you,” Ayala said. “I started off a little slow (vs. Brown), but eventually got going and got to my ties and angles I wanted.”

This marked the second win in five matches at the event by a wrestler from FDSH. Brody Teske, a current member of the Penn State University wrestling team, scored a major decision in 2016.

Brown won a gold medal earlier this year at the Brute Nationals. He was also an individual state champion as a freshman and helped Allen win its ninth consecutive UIL state team title.

Ayala will compete this coming weekend in Greensboro, N.C. at 106 pounds at the Super 32 Challenge before settling in at 113 for the high school season.

“(The win) gives me some confidence for the season, but my toughest tournament will be (Super 32),” Ayala said. “The more I compete, the better I feel I get, so the more I wrestle the better.”

The Agony in Ames is an event to support the Cyclone Regional Training Center. This marked the third year for the event, which featured a dozen ranked wrestlers including Cullan Schriever, a two-time defending state champion from Mason City who has verbally committed to the University of Iowa.