PLEASANT HILL –Bobby Thompson always preaches being prepared, and with the state tournament just three weeks away, the Fort Dodge wrestling team will get their chance to do that at the ultra-competitive CIML Conference Meet.

Action will begin at 4 p.m. in Pleasant Hill in the Southeast Polk High School gym. The finals will start at approximately 9 p.m.

This year’s tournament boasts eight ranked squads, including eight of the Top-10 teams and four of the Top-5 in Class 3A. There will also be 11 No. 1-rated wrestlers on the mat, not including top-ranked Cullan Schriever of Mason City, who is injured.

Top-ranked Southeast Polk will host the event. Other Top-5 teams are No. 3 Valley, No. 4 Ankeny Centennial and No. 5 Waukee.

Top-10 squads are No. 6 Fort Dodge, No. 8 Mason City, No. 9 Des Moines East and 10th-rated Ankeny.

The rest of the field includes Ames, Des Moines Lincoln, Des Moines North-Hoover, Des Moines Roosevelt, Dowling, Johnston, Marshalltown, Ottumwa and Urbandale.

Fort Dodge, which hasn’t stepped on the mat in a week, had the chance to recover and heal some bumps and bruises.

“We’re ready to go,” Thompson said. “I think mentally and physically our bodies are ready to go. Now is the time to peak toward tournament time.”

The Dodgers, who have won three straight invitationals, come into the CIML Meet as the defending champions. Fort Dodge scored 243.5 points a year ago, outscoring Southeast Polk (196). Brody Teske became a four-time champion, and Damond Lockner also won a title.

Fort Dodge had 10 semifinalists and eight finalists last season and returns

Top-ranked sophomore Drake Ayala (113), third-ranked junior Carson Taylor (120) and eighth-ranked senior Triston Licht (195) were all runner-ups. Fourth-rated senior Drevon Ross (138) finished fourth last January.

“The CIML is a mini-state tournament,” Thompson said. “This is big for us, with Ankeny Centennial being a district opponent.

“We need to win some matches and close or spread some gaps in some. Other than Waverly-Shell Rock, we have four of the top five teams in the state here.”

Top-ranked wrestlers in the field are Ayala, Ankeny’s Caleb Rathjen (126), Ankeny Centennial’s Ben Monroe (132), Southeast Polk’s Nathan Marchand (138), Des Moines East’s Deville Dentis (145), Southeast Polk’s Lance Runyon (152), Southeast Polk’s Cade DeVoss (160), waukee’s Anthony Zach (170), Southeast Polk’s Gabe Christenson (195), Dowling’s Greg Hagen (220) and Valley’s Beau Lombardi (285).

Valley’s Nick Oldham (126), Ankeny Centennial’s Logan Neils (170), Zach (170), Christenson (195) and Hagen (220) are all looking to repeat as champions.

2018 Results

106 pound hampionship –Cullan Schriever, MC dec. Drake Ayala, FD, 8-5.

113 pound championship — Nick Oldham, Valley tech fall, Carson Taylor, FD, 15-0.

120 pound championship — Kyle Biscoglia, Waukee major dec. Kobey Pritchard, SEP, 15-7.

126 pound championship — Brody Teske, FD pinned Brock Espalin, DME, 4:21.

132 pound championship — Zach Price Johnston dec. Drew Bennett, FD, 10-9.

138 pound championship — Conner Dalton, DML SV dec. Deville Dentis, DME, 7-2.

145 pound championship –Damond Lockner, FD SV dec. Cade Devos, SEP, 3-1.

152 pound championship — Grant Stotts, Valley UTB Cayd Lara, FD, 2-1.

160 pound championship — Logan Neils, AC dec. Levi Egli, FD, 3-0.

170 pound championship — Anthony Zach, Waukee dec. Thaddeus Breitspreker, SEP, 4-1.

182 pound championship — Joel Shapiro, Valley dec. Brandon Tessau, Waukee, 6-0.

195 pound championship — Gabe Christenson, SEP pinned Triston Licht, FD, 1:40.

220 pound championship — Greg Hagan, Dowling dec. Beau Lombardi, 5-2.

285 pound championship — Jake Ryan, Johnston UTB Nathan McDonald, Waukee, 3-2.

Dodger Lineup

106 — Lane Cowell, so., (23-7); 113 — Drake Ayala, so., (30-0); 120 — Carson Taylor, jr., (27-4); 126 — Brooks Cowell, jr., (24-9); 132 — Drezyon Phillips, so., (22-14); 138 — Drevon Ross, sr., (19-5); 145 — Kody Cook, so., (17-12); 152 — Brandon Mills, jr., (9-6); 160 — Savion Wheat, jr., (19-13); 170 — Open; 182 — Austin Lee, jr., (13-6); 195 — Triston Licht, sr., (6-3); 220 — Open; 285 — Logan Finowski, sr., (15-16).

106 pounds

2. Trever Anderson, Ankeny (Fr)

5. Connor Kelly, Waukee (So)

7. Rhiner Stahlbaum, Johnston (So)

8. Lane Cowell, Fort Dodge (So)

113 pounds

1. Drake Ayala, Fort Dodge (So)

2. Nate Kahoe, DM Lincoln (Sr)

3. Devin Harmison, SEP (Sr)

7. Thurman Christensen, Waukee (So)

8. Cael Cox, Ankeny (So)

10. Ethan Mahoney, Dowling Catholic (Fr)

120 pounds

1. Cullan Schriever, Mason City (Jr)

3. Carson Taylor, Fort Dodge (Jr)

6. Ayden Kingery, SEP (So) or Joel Jesuroga, SEP (Fr)

7. Nick Miller, Waukee (Sr)

10. Noah Blubaugh, Ankeny Centennial (Sr)

126 pounds

1. Caleb Rathjen, Ankeny (So)

2. Nick Oldham, Valley, WDM (Sr)

3. Thomas Edwards, Johnston (Jr)

4. Matthew Jordan, DM East (Sr)

7. Carter Martinson, SEP (Fr)

8. Brooks Cowell, Fort Dodge (Jr)

9. Carson Murray, Dowling Catholic (Jr)

10. Zach Bitker, Marshalltown (Jr)

132 pounds

1. Ben Monroe, Ankeny Centennial (Jr)

5. Caleb Helgeson, Johnston (So)

6 Brock Espalin, DM East (Jr)

7. Camden Baarda, SEP (Jr)

8. Sam Kallem, Ankeny (Jr)

10. Michael Moore, DM North-Hoover (Sr)

138 pounds

1. Nathan Marchand, SEP (Sr)

3. Colby Schriever, Mason City (Jr)

4. Drevon Ross, Fort Dodge (Sr)

5. Cody Anderson, Waukee (Jr)

9. James Edwards, Johnston (Jr)

145 pounds

1. Deville Dentis, DM East (Sr)

3. Caleb Corbin, Valley, WDM (So)

4. Eric Owens, Ankeny Centennial (Sr)

5. Ryan Strickland, SEP (Sr)

152 pounds

1. Lance Runyon, SEP (Sr)

4. Mason Seifried, Waukee (Sr)

5. Cade Moss, Johnston (Sr)

8. Owen Towers, Urbandale (Sr)

160 pounds

1. Cade DeVos, SEP (Sr)

4. Shawn Brown, DM Lincoln (Sr)

6. Hayden Friedrichsen, Urbandale (Sr)

170 pounds

1. Anthony Zach, Waukee (Sr)

2. Logan Neils, Ankeny Centennial (Jr)

3. Blake Underwood, Valley, WDM (Jr)

9. Kaden Smith, Fort Dodge (Sr)

182 pounds

3. Nick Leo, Ankeny Centennial (Sr)

5. Matt Scott, DM East (Sr)

195 pounds

1. Gabe Christenson, SEP (Jr)

8. Triston Licht, Fort Dodge (Sr)

10. Cole Rathjen, Ankeny (Sr)

220 pounds

1. Greg Hagen, Dowling Catholic (Sr)

7. Kalob Runyon, SEP (So)

9. Cael Thorson, Waukee (Jr)

285 pounds

1. Beau Lombardi, Valley, WDM (Sr)

2. Jordan Anderson, Marshalltown (Jr)

3. Troy Monahan, Mason City (Sr)

9. Jake Brownlee, Ottumwa (Sr)