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Dodgers pushed at ‘Beat The Streets’

FD wrestling team faces three teams in the Top-15 nationally

Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Drake Ayala of Fort Dodge went 4-0 on Saturday to stay unbeaten on the year at 120 pounds.

OAK PARK, Ill. — Fort Dodge knew it was in for an uphill climb at Saturday’s “Beat The Streets Brawl.”

The third-ranked (Class 3A) Dodgers dropped all four of their duals, including their first three to national Top-15 squads. It was Fort Dodge’s final setback — a 35-31 decision against host Oak Park River Forest — that left head coach Bobby Thompson feeling frustrated at the end of the day, though.

“I don’t think we should have lost that one,” Thompson said. “We were a little overwhelmed in our other matches, but the (OPRF) dual was there for the taking.

“We lost a couple of matches that we shouldn’t have, because frankly, we got out-worked and out-wrestled. But when you’re facing elite competition like this, all of your bad habits or bad technique will get exposed. This was definitely a learning experience for us.”

Fort Dodge’s Drake Ayala, a top-ranked 120-pounder who is one of the most highly-sought after wrestlers in the nation from the Class of 2021, did his part with four victories in improving to 28-0 on the year. Ayala had two pins and two major decisions.

No. 2 Carson Taylor was also impressive again at 126, going 3-1 overall with two falls and a decision victory. Taylor (25-2) suffered a 6-2 loss to Jake Rundell, who is ranked in the Top-10 nationally and a Purdue University recruit.

“Drake and Carson looked great,” Thompson said. “Drake just dominated, even against kids who have been state champions. And Carson was right there with Rundell, who is a high-end Div. I guy. It was a tight match. He proved he belonged.

“They’re both performing at the level you’d expect from champions as we get closer to late January.”

Junior Dreyzon Phillips (23-6) was 2-2 with a pin and a decision win, as was Lane Cowell (21-5) at 113.

“Dreyzon really battled,” Thompson said. “It’s OK if you get beat, as long as you give it your all. Dreyzon did that against some Div. I level opponents.

“Both the Cowells (Lane and Brooks, who went 1-3) fought hard and got beat by some tough guys. They looked good and got better.

Max Bishop (106), Brooks Cowell (132), Brandon Mills (145), Savion Wheat (160), Dylan Zimmermann (170), Austin Lee (182) and Kaden Lynch (195) all recorded one victory a piece for FDSH, which lost to sixth-ranked (InterMat) Lake Highland Prep (Fla.), 54-10; No. 7 Bergen Catholic (N.J.), 58-13; and 14th-rated Tuttle (Okla.), 48-21.

The Dodgers are 43rd nationally.

“I have to say this: you look at the week Kody Cook just had (at 152),” Thompson said. “He loses to a ranked Waukee kid on Thursday, then takes on four high-end guys here and goes 0-4. But he wrestled his butt off. That’s what I want to see. Sure, his record took a hit, but this should make him better in the long run. Same goes for a lot of our wrestlers.

“This was a whole new level of competition. It definitely would’ve helped to have Levi (Egli, the Dodgers’ second-ranked 195-pounder who is sidelined for four weeks with a broken bone in his hand), but we had some strong individual performances and now we’ll get back to the CIML tougher and wiser. And we have film to study where we made our mistakes and what needs to be corrected.”

Fort Dodge returns to action on Thursday at Marshalltown.

(Saturday’s results, at Oak Park, Ill.)

LAKE HIGHLAND PREP 54, FORT DODGE 10

106 – Ethan Rivera (Lake Highland Prep School) over Max Bishop (Fort Dodge) Maj 12-2; 113 – Eligh Rivera (Lake Highland Prep School) over Lane Cowell (Fort Dodge) Maj 10-2; 120 – Drake Ayala (Fort Dodge) over Danny Nini (Lake Highland Prep School) Maj 11-3; 126 – Carson Taylor (Fort Dodge) over Preston Walls (Lake Highland Prep School) Dec 9-3; 132 – Chris Rivera (Lake Highland Prep School) over Brooks Cowell (Fort Dodge) Fall 4:25; 138 – Justin Rivera (Lake Highland Prep School) over Dreyzon Phillips (Fort Dodge) Maj 15-5; 145 – Brandon Mills (Fort Dodge) over Garrett Hughes (Lake Highland Prep School) Dec 8-5; 152 – Noah Castillo (Lake Highland Prep School) over Kody Cook (Fort Dodge) Maj 12-4; 160 – Dominic Isola (Lake Highland Prep School) over Savion Wheat (Fort Dodge) TF 20-5; 170 – Bailey Flanagan (Lake Highland Prep School) over Dylan Zimmerman (Fort Dodge) Fall 1:16; 182 – Hunter Brinkman (Lake Highland Prep School) over Austin Lee (Fort Dodge) Fall 1:37; 195 – Easton Tobia (Lake Highland Prep School) over Kaden Lynch (Fort Dodge) Fall; 220 – Francisco Tobar (Lake Highland Prep School) over Sawyer Springer (Fort Dodge) Dec 3-1; 285 – Matt Kaplan (Lake Highland Prep School) over Colten Munter (Fort Dodge) Fall 1:59.

BERGEN CATHOLIC 58, FORT DODGE 13

285 – Esquire Boyce (Bergen Catholic) over Colten Munter (Fort Dodge) Fall 2:11; 106 – Aiden Wallace (Bergen Catholic) over Max Bishop (Fort Dodge) Dec 8-3; 113 – Joseph Cangro (Bergen Catholic) over Lane Cowell (Fort Dodge) Fall 1:38; 120 – Drake Ayala (Fort Dodge) over Nick Kayal (Bergen Catholic) Maj 12-4; 126 – Carson Taylor (Fort Dodge) over Riley Halal (Bergen Catholic) Fall 3:36; 132 – Dylan Cedeno (Bergen Catholic) over Brooks Cowell (Fort Dodge) Fall 2:21; 138 – William Grater (Bergen Catholic) over Dreyzon Phillips (Fort Dodge) Fall 3:38; 145 – Joseph Zargo (Bergen Catholic) over Brandon Mills (Fort Dodge) Fall 2:45; 152 – Alex Strashinsky (Bergen Catholic) over Kody Cook (Fort Dodge) Maj 10-1; 160 – Nate Camiscioli (Bergen Catholic) over Savion Wheat (Fort Dodge) Fall 3:39; 170 – Justin Onello (Bergen Catholic) over Dylan Zimmerman (Fort Dodge) Fall 1:39; 182 – John Fiore (Bergen Catholic) over Austin Lee (Fort Dodge) Dec 8-5; 195 – Kaden Lynch (Fort Dodge) over Malachi Mercer (Bergen Catholic) Dec 9-5; 220 – Remy Brancato (Bergen Catholic) over Sawyer Springer (Fort Dodge) Fall 1:31

TUTTLE 48, FORT DODGE 21

106 – Braden Potts (Tuttle) over Max Bishop (Fort Dodge) Dec 8-2; 113 – Lane Cowell (Fort Dodge) over Ashton Grounds (Tuttle) Dec 3-2; 120 – Drake Ayala (Fort Dodge) over Braden Hughart (Tuttle) Fall 0:32; 126 – Carson Taylor (Fort Dodge) over Reese Davis (Tuttle) Fall 1:17; 132 – Brooks Cowell (Fort Dodge) over Dalton Burdick (Tuttle) SV-1 7-5; 138 – Dreyzon Phillips (Fort Dodge) over Ryder Ramsey (Tuttle) Dec 4-3; 145 – Bryce Dauphin (Tuttle) over Tucker Pederson (Fort Dodge) Fall 1:26; 152 – Brady Dearmond (Tuttle) over Kody Cook (Fort Dodge) Fall 2:30; 160 – Gage Shetley (Tuttle) over Jake Erickson (Fort Dodge) Fall 3:44; 170 – Parrish Terry (Tuttle) over Dylan Zimmerman (Fort Dodge) Dec 3-1; 182 – Luke Surber (Tuttle) over Austin Lee (Fort Dodge) Fall 0:21; 195 – Harley Andrews (Tuttle) over Kaden Lynch (Fort Dodge) Fall 0:49; 220 – Colin Naney (Tuttle) over Reco Jolly (Fort Dodge) Fall 0:21; 285 – Korben Graham (Tuttle) over Colten Munter (Fort Dodge) Fall 1:36

OAK PARK RF 35, FORT DODGE 31

113 – Lane Cowell (Fort Dodge) over Jalen Dunson (OPRF) Maj 15-3; 120 – Drake Ayala (Fort Dodge) over Connor Nagela (OPRF) Fall 1:50; 126 – Jake Rundell (OPRF) over Carson Taylor (Fort Dodge) Dec 6-2; 132 – Nico Bolivar (OPRF) over Brooks Cowell (Fort Dodge) Maj 14-4; 138 – Dreyzon Phillips (Fort Dodge) over Malakye Rodriguez OPRF) Fall 4:14; 145 – Joshua Ogunsanya (OPRF) over Brandon Mills (Fort Dodge) Maj 17-6; 152 – Joe Chapman (OPRF) over Kody Cook (Fort Dodge) Fall 3:46; 160 – Savion Wheat (Fort Dodge) over Stephon Carr (OPRF) Dec 7-1; 170 – Dylan Zimmerman (Fort Dodge) over Adrian Palmares (Oak Park (OPRF) Dec 4-3; 182 – Austin Lee (Fort Dodge) over John Valaika (OPRF) Dec 5-2; 195 – Daemyen Middlebrooks (Oak Park (OPRF) over Kaden Lynch (Fort Dodge) Fall 1:50; 220 – Malcolm Gray (OPRF) over Reco Jolly (Fort Dodge) Fall 4:40; 285 – Fabian Gonzalez (Oak Park (OPRF) over Colten Munter (Fort Dodge) Fall 3:19; 106 – Max Bishop (Fort Dodge) over Zavien Stewart (OPRF) Fall 2:43.

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