Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Fort Dodge's Lucy Porter returns for her junior season this year.

GRIMES — It will be a busy first week for the Fort Dodge girls wrestling team, as they compete four times in a seven day stretch beginning here on on Tuesday.

In the second year of sanctioned wrestling under the IGHSAU, the Dodgers head to Dallas Center-Grimes for a double dual with Waverly-Shell Rock and the Mustangs.

Fort Dodge will compete against the Go-Hawks at 5:30 p.m. Junior varsity action will be next, followed by a matchup with Dallas Center-Grimes.

“The girls have been practicing hard for two weeks,” said FDSH head coach Jon Koenig. “We have three girls back who made it to state last year and we are working hard to get back there and with as many new ones as we can.”

The Dodgers had four state qualifiers in 2022-23. Gone is state runner up Alexis Ross.

Senior Macy Brown and Maddie Pulis — along with sophomore Mariah Benedict — are fighting to get back to the big stage.

Brown, in her first season of wrestling, compiled a 19-17 record a year ago. Pulis was 18-8 and was a Super Regional champion, along with earning a bronze medal at the Dan Gable Donnybrook. Benedict finished 29-16.

The Dodgers have 11 varsity wrestlers in all this season.

“I’m happy with where we are at,” Koenig said. “We have a pretty busy week right away with four meets, and then we have Thanksgiving break. So we kind of have it broken up into segments.

“We maybe won’t go out there and make a huge splash with team points, but we need to do what we can, keep improving and be as competitive as possible.”

The first two weeks have been focused on conditioning with a more experienced squad, according to Koenig.

“I’ve tried to do my best in getting them ready (for live action),” Koenig said. “In all honesty, everyone on the team wrestled last year and the season before, so by and large, we don’t have to teach the basics as much.

“This first week, we will have one practice day to correct things before the next meet. One day to fix problems and make weight.”

PROBABLE DODGER LINEUP

105 — Alejandra Manzanilla, so.; 110 — Kaitlynn Van Demark fr.; 115 — Araya Fellers, sr.; 130 — Macy Brown, sr.; 135 — Mariaha Benedict, so.; 140 — Delaney O’Connor, jr.; 145 — Lucy Porter, jr.; 155 — Kate Feltz, so. 170 — Maddie Pulis, sr.