Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Senior Kody Cook of Fort Dodge gets some help from his teammates against Ankeny at Dodger Stadium on Friday night. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

A historic night inside Dodger Stadium didn’t distract the Fort Dodge Rugby Club from the task at hand.

The Stags came to win.

Head coach Tom McClimon’s squad did just that, picking up victories over Urbandale and Ankeny to remain undefeated on the spring season.

An eager, enthusiastic crowd cheered on the FDRC, which was making its home debut as a program. The atmosphere and environment had already made Friday evening a success.

It also stressed the importance of putting on a memorable show.

“I thought the guys did an incredible job of performing to match the moment,” McClimon said. “Being able to play at Dodger Stadium has been a goal of ours from day one, when we didn’t even have a place to (officially) practice. So this was a very big deal for us, just being able to take the field for a home game.

“You could tell when the guys saw their buddies and family in the stands that it got them really fired up. To know they aren’t building this program alone and the community is behind it…that means a lot.

“The extra passion definitely came to the forefront.”

Fort Dodge (4-0 overall) rallied from a 5-0 deficit to edge Urbandale, 7-5. Antonio Prates scored a try and made a conversion kick.

The Stags then dominated previously-unbeaten Ankeny, 17-0. James Daniel, Matt Surles-Davis and Prates had tries, and Prates added another conversion kick.

“The rally we had in the first match really built momentum for the second,” McClimon said. “The guys were motivated and were in control for the whole 14 minutes against a solid Ankeny squad.

“They’re really playing a quality brand of rugby. We’re still getting our substitution patterns down, but the chemistry is coming along. Athletically, we match up with anyone. We’re still learning and are a work in progress when it comes to execution.”

Fort Dodge faces Waverly-Shell Rock and Cedar Falls in Waterloo this Friday.