—Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Fort DodgE’s Drake Ayala has been named a second team high school All-American by Amateur Wrestling News.

Two-time defending state champion Drake Ayala of Fort Dodge has been named a second team high school All-American by Amateur Wrestling News, the publication announced this week.

The University of Iowa commit, who has won 91 consecutive matches as a Dodger, was the only student-athlete in the state on the first or second team. There were 28 wrestlers on the top two squads: 18 seniors, nine juniors and one sophomore.

Ayala is 136-2 in his career at FDSH. The junior was 48-0 and captured the Class 3A crown at 120 pounds last February, earning him Dan Gable Mr. Wrestler of the Year honors.

In March, Ayala picked the Hawkeyes over Ohio State, Michigan, Iowa State, North Carolina, Minnesota and a host of other schools.

Ayala is the top-ranked 120-pounder in the nation for the Class of 2021, and the nation’s No. 6 overall junior recruit according to FloWrestling. He is the eighth repeat state titleist in FDSH history, a two-time Fargo Nationals champion, a USA Wrestling Folkstyle gold medalist, and a Super 32 Challenge national runner-up.

Ayala is also a two-time first team academic all-state selection by The Predicament. He carries a cumulative grade point average of over 3.9.

The Dodgers have placed third or higher at the traditional state tournament in six consecutive seasons. With Ayala in the lineup, Fort Dodge took second in 2018, won the title in 2019, and grabbed bronze this past year.

Cael Happel of Lisbon, a senior University of Northern Iowa recruit and four-time state champ, was on the Amateur Wrestling News third team. Greg Diakomihalis, a senior from Hilton (N.Y.) who is headed to Cornell University, made the first team ahead of Ayala at 120 pounds.

According to AWN — “America’s oldest and most respected wrestling publication — more than 10,000 high schools across the country offer wrestling, and over a quarter of a million student-athletes participate in the sport.

For more information on Amateur Wrestling News, visit: https://amateurwrestlingnews.com