Dodgers are on the board
Fort Dodge clears Waterloo East hurdle with ease, 50-6
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WATERLOO -- For the first two weeks of the season, the Fort Dodge football team was painfully close to tasting victory.
On Friday night against Waterloo East, the Dodgers finally had their feast.
Hungry and determined FDSH dominated the first half, scoring 44 points before the break at Memorial Stadium en route to a 50-6 dismantling of its old conference rival.
The Dodgers (1-2 overall) dropped narrow decisions to Mason City and eighth-ranked (Class 5A) Ames by a combined nine points to start the year on the wrong foot. They turned the tide in a hurry against the overwhelmed Trojans (0-3), who were picked apart by the Fort Dodge offense in the first half while accumulating only 99 total yards from scrimmage.
"We came here to get a win. That was the only thing on our minds," Dodger head coach Nik Moser said. "You never want to start 0-2, but a team that's been as close as we have will be a lot more focused and determined to get it right. That's what we were (last night). We did a lot of good things, built some confidence, and trust me, no locker room in the state will appreciate (a victory) like we are right now."
Senior Javion Jondle took the opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown, gliding down the right side of the field to paydirt. The Dodgers were off and running.
Senior Connor Carver threw for 179 yards, classmate Orion Larson-Trott ran for 88 more, and Jondle caught eight passes for 110 yards. All of those statistics were accumulated in the first half alone, as the Dodgers activated the continuous clock rule by taking a 44-6 lead on a Nate Opande touchdown catch with 1:16 left in the second quarter.
Carver had TD strikes to Jondle and Opande, while Larson-Trott added a pair of scoring jaunts. Tucker Pederson contributed a short touchdown as well.
The FDSH defense, which struggled at times against the Riverhawks and Little Cyclones, pinned their ears back and set the tone. Senior defensive end Kaleb Lynch had a sack, forced a fumble and returned another loose ball for a score and the lone points of the second half. Larson-Trott pounced on a pair of fumbles, junior Isaiah Caldwell recorded three first-half sacks, and classmate Cal Hartman intercepted a pass.
"I saw a lot of guys flying to the ball," Moser said. "Six, seven, eight (defenders) right there. That was a real positive and a confidence boost, watching our defense swarm and have fun doing it."
East had 18 carries as a team for a net total of negative-20 yards. Eleven Trojan rush attempts ended behind the line of scrimmage.
Carver, a Bemidji State University recruit, has now thrown for 623 yards and eight touchdowns in the Dodgers' first three games. Jondle has 29 receptions for 319 yards and four scores. Both seniors are returning all-staters.
Carver passed Johnny Bice and is now fourth on the program's all-time passing charts (2,968 yards). Only Drake Miller, Randy Reiners and Andrew Stover have eclipsed the 3,000-yard mark in their FDSH careers.
"I thought we had good balance again, running the ball effectively (137 yards on 26 attempts) but keeping our passing game going strong," Moser said. "We're still a long way from where we need to be. The focus has to be getting better every single day. The effort was good, the intensity was good...now it's time to be more consistent with our execution. This was a step in the right direction. It's time to really get going."
Fort Dodge has narrowed the gap of its all-time series with East - which dates back to 1932 and spans the old Big 6 and Big 8 days - to 35-29. The Dodgers have defeated the Trojans in their four meetings since 2014 by a combined total of 169-12.
With four of its final six regular-season contests at Dodger Stadium, Fort Dodge next faces Marshalltown (1-2) at home this Friday in its final pre-district tuneup. The Bobcats were edged by Newton last night, 28-21.
FD WE
First Downs 17 10
Rushes-Yards 26-137 18-(-20)
Passing 16-32-0 10-28-1
Passing Yards 179 119
Total Offense 316 99
Punts-Avg. 2-33.0 3-42.0
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 5-3
Penalties-Yards 6-50 8-62
Fort Dodge 15 29 6 0 - 50
East 0 6 0 0 - 6
Scoring Summary
Fort Dodge - Javion Jondle (89-yard kickoff return), 11:46 left first quarter. Jondle pass to Connor Carver.
Fort Dodge - Orion Larson-Trott (13-yard run), 10:13 left first. Parker Schillerstrom kick.
Fort Dodge - Safety (East snapped ball out of end zone), 10:28 left second.
Fort Dodge - Jondle (36-yard pass from Carver), 9:21 left second. Kick blocked.
Waterloo East - Jameel Montgomery (24-yard pass from Landen Sewell), 8:34 left second. Pass failed.
Fort Dodge - Tucker Pederson (1-yard run), 6:57 left second. Schillerstrom kick.
Fort Dodge - Larson-Trott (10-yard run), 3:02 left second. Schillerstrom kick.
Fort Dodge - Nate Opande (9-yard pass from Carver), 1:16 left second. Schillerstrom kick.
Fort Dodge - Kaleb Lynch (14-yard fumble recovery), 3:20 left third. Kick failed.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing - Fort Dodge: Orion Larson-Trott 9-88, Tucker Pederson 8-23, Connor Carver 4-23, Jesus Gutierrez 1-5, Javion Jondle 1-3, Jace Johnson 1-(minus-1), Jase Nekvinda 1-(minus-2), Constancio Gomez 1-(minus-2). East: Davarrion Clark 3-38, Shakur Wright 6-(minus-3), William Clark 2-(minus-6), Team 1-(minus-6), Landen Sewell 6-(minus-43).
Passing - Fort Dodge: Connor Carver 15-28-0-179, Jase Nekvinda 1-4-0-0. East: Landen Sewell 10-28-1-119.
Receiving - Fort Dodge: Javion Jondle 8-110, Grant Williams 2-28, Nate Opande 3-25, Orion Larson-Trott 1-9, Kyron Wilson 1-7, Ty Adams 1-0. East: Jameel Montgomery 4-63, Davarrion Clark 1-16, William Clark 1-15, Tariq Moore 1-12, Ahdan Muhammad 1-10, Jah'Khi Parker 1-4.