Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Connor Carver of Fort Dodge competes in the shot put at the Dodger Relays.

Where others may see adversity, Connor Carver identifies opportunities.

Last week, on a rainy evening in Waukee, Carver battled the elements to pull off a rare, almost unprecedented feat: qualifying for the state track meet in four different individual events, split between two on the running side and two on the field.

The accomplishment didn’t come easy, or even without a little controversy. Carver had his shot-put session cut short when officials determined — thanks to some persistent complaints from the cheap seats — that the Fort Dodge senior hadn’t properly checked out in the flurry of bouncing back and forth between events in different areas of the complex.

With the weather waning and the critics winning, Carver didn’t make any excuses and turned his attention — and frustration — to the 400 hurdles. Showing a renewed sense of energy and determination, Carver dominated the field with a personal-best time of 55.62 out of Lane 7 — nearly two seconds better than his previous low — to defeat competitors from West Des Moines Valley, Waukee and Waukee Northwest.

Carver’s bread-and-butter event is the 100 hurdles, where he will be a Top-10 seed with a realistic chance at earning a medal in Des Moines later this week. Counting Carver out of anything, though, has proven to be an exercise in futility — especially lately.

If you question him, he’ll gladly answer you and then some.

Fort Dodge has seen its fair share of elite athletes through the years. Different sports, styles and talents. Occasionally, a kid comes along who is college-ready physically by the time he’s a senior, but still has a full year of high-school ball to dominate.

Carver has been that athlete all season long. He’s a solid 6-foot-3 and weighs over 200 pounds. The Dodger played at an all-state level as a quarterback last fall, and even spent time torturing opposing offenses as a plug-and-play rush end. That momentum carried into the spring, where Carver has blossomed from a relative unknown in the discus and shot — events he’d never given more than a passing thought to before — into a bona fide state qualifier.

Carver’s rugby experience followed a similar pattern in 2023. Raw but growing and improving by the day, Carver again embraced the bright lights and turned in an all-state performance last weekend as the Fort Dodge Stags brought home a trophy for the first time in program history with a bronze finish.

A Fort Dodge fan asked me this past fall who I would compare Carver to from years past. I immediately thought back to former Dodger all-stater and Iowa Hawkeye quarterback Randy Reiners. The physical comparisons are obvious — size, skill and raw athleticism — but the confidence, attitude and swagger are all a part of Carver’s package in a similar vein to Reiners. He competes on a different playing field than most, and if you doubt him, he’ll be more than happy to reverse the narrative just to shut you up.

Speaking as a former teammate of Reiners from some thirty years ago, I always marveled at his ability to just be that good at almost anything he tried. Carver has similar temerity in ways very few athletes do. That makes him a real wild card at state, where Carver will be able to again embrace the opportunity to make a name for himself among “better” athletes with “better” resumes.

The Bemidji State University football program is getting a good one. Carver’s time as as a high school athlete isn’t done quite yet, though. He’ll go down to state later this week and embrace the underdog role one more time with that trademark chip on his shoulder.

After all, that’s what Dodgers do.

Eric Pratt is Sports Editor at The Messenger. Contact him via email at sports@messengernews.net, or on Twitter @ByEricPratt