Jake Erickson

The Fort Dodge football team is off to a perfect start and has earned a Top-10 ranking for their efforts on the young season.

As far as Jake Erickson is concerned, though, the Dodgers head to Marshalltown this week with a record of 0-0.

The senior co-captain doesn’t want Fort Dodge to buy into the attention generated by a successful first few weeks, which has head coach Nik Moser’s squad rated seventh in Class 4A after convincing wins over Mason City, Ames and Waterloo East.

“I just always make sure I play my best game to date (every Friday), and our team goal is to win the week and move on to the next,” said Erickson, a returning all-district safety and currently FDSH’s leading tackler. “We want to (ultimately) make a deep run in the postseason.

“The important thing is to stay humble. Keep proving people wrong.”

Erickson is a back-end stopper on the defensive side of the ball, and he also rushed for a touchdown in the season opener as an occasional hard-nosed fill-in tailback. He’s taken his role as a captain seriously, saying, “I just try to make sure that everyone is on the same page and have the same mindset throughout the year. Making sure that if they ever need anything, (they know) I’m here for them.”

Erickson, also a track standout who competed in two different state-medal sprint relays last spring, picked off a pass in a 36-6 win over Waterloo East last Friday night.

“Being from Fort Dodge, you always have a chip on your shoulder,” Erickson said. “Which I like, because it pushes me to be a better person and improve our community.

“There is no better community than Fort Dodge. You go out there (every day) and show them what it means to be a Dodger.”

Erickson plans on playing football in college at a school to be determined.

TIMEOUT WITH JAKE ERICKSON

Vacation destination: Hawaii.

People I would like to have dinner with: Donald Trump and Megan Fox.

It would surprise people that I: like to hunt and fish.

My sports role model:

Ray Lewis.

My everyday role model: my parents.

I can’t go a day without: talking with the boys.

Nickname: Snakes.

Superstition: wear the same underwear for every game.

Most heated rivalry:

Des Moines Roosevelt or Ames.

Favorite road trip: going to Tennessee with my family.

What are you listening to right now? Heat Waves.

Favorites…

Team: Dallas Cowboys.

Class: Outdoor Recreation.

Movie: The Hangover.

Book: Chop Wood Carry Water.

Phone app: Snapchat.