Submitted photo by Allyson Schwab: Dreshaun Ross of Fort Dodge secured the 16U Fargo Nationals freestyle championship at 195 pounds on Wednesday in Fargo, N.D.

FARGO, N.D. — Fort Dodge’s Dreshaun Ross left no stone unturned in his quest to become a repeat Fargo Nationals champion.

Ross dominated the 16U freestyle bracket at 195 pounds, putting the finishing touches on his second title here in as many years with a technical fall victory over Jake Conroy of Pennsylvania in the finals.

The 15-year-old Ross toyed with Conroy, prevailing 16-4 in a little over two minutes. In the semifinals, Ross scored a 38-second tech fall.

“My emotions going into the day and (championship) match were focused on staying calm and having fun,” Ross said. “Getting my hand raised brought back the same feeling as my first title here, knowing the work I put in had paid off. That’s always a great feeling.

“Overall, I’d say I performed well — especially with having to wear a mask for my mouth injury (Ross had his front teeth knocked out last month during a match against Oklahoma’s Payton Thomas).”

Fort Dodge’s sophomore-to-be becomes the community’s first repeat Fargo Nationals gold medalist. Current University of Iowa team member Drake Ayala was a Fargo champ in 2017, 2019 and 2021. Joe Zuspann (1974) is the only other Dodger to come out on top at the prestigious event.

“It’s an honor to be the first back-to-back Fargo champ from Fort Dodge,” Ross said. “There’s always room to do more, though. That’s the plan. So hopefully, I can come back next year and do the same thing.”

The 6-foot-3 Ross became the first freshman ever at 170 pounds or bigger in the state’s largest class to capture an Iowa high school championship this past February when he took the 195-pound crown. Ross then became a national folkstyle winner and a Cadet World Championships team member on the Greco side in the spring.

The U17 World Championships are July 31-Aug. 6 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Ross, the nation’s top-ranked overall prospect for the Class of 2026 according to MatScouts, is a six-time AAU state champ, a six-time Tulsa Nationals gold medalist and a five-time Trinity Award honoree.

Wrestling isn’t the only sport catching the attention of both Ross and his followers. Six Div. I football programs — Iowa, Iowa State, Nebraska, Missouri, Purdue and Minnesota — have already offered full-ride scholarships to the Dodgers’ linebacker.

FDSH senior-to-be Dru Ayala reached the semifinal round at 113 pounds in the Junior Freestyle bracket for a second consecutive summer. Ayala, a two-time Iowa high school state runner-up, was edged by Pennsylvania star Aaron Seidel, 7-4.

Ayala placed sixth overall after losing 8-3 to Jake Knight of Bettendorf in the consolation championship round.