Submitted photo: Gavin Doebel of Spencer celebrates with his father, Dave, after his semifinal match on Saturday during a district meet in the Dodger gym. The Doebel family lived in Fort Dodge until last spring.

Even though Gavin Doebel wasn’t wrestling in his own gym at districts, it felt like home.

Doebel, a senior at Spencer High School, was back in the Dodger Fieldhouse on Saturday — a place where he got his start and a spot he remembers well.

Doebel earned a state tournament bid — and landed in his father’s arms — after advancing as a 138-pound runner-up in Class 3A.

“Sharing that moment with my dad is something I’ll never forget,” Doebel said. “I could just feel the energy and pride coming off of him after my big win.

“Describing that feeling is impossible to put into words.”

Doebel moved to Fort Dodge in fourth grade, and wrestled for the Dodgers his freshman and sophomore year of high school.

“It was a great experience,” Doebel said. “I enjoyed coming back to Fort Dodge and wrestling in my former home gym.”

Doebel’s parents were a part of the Fort Dodge Community School District. His mother, Kirsten, held a number of positions with the district, with her last being secondary curriculum director.

Gavin’s father, Dave, was a juvenile court liaison and ended as a student/teacher support behavior first response specialist for eighth and ninth grade.

Dave Doebel was also an assistant coach for five years at FDSH with the seventh grade football program, and an assistant boys swim coach for two. When Gavin was on the Dodger wrestling squad, Dave was a volunteer coach as well.

The move to Spencer came when Kirsten was hired as the district’s high school principal last spring. Dave works in the IT department and is the assistant wrestling coach with the Tigers.

The family’s wrestling gene comes from Dave, who was a four-time state qualifier for Clear Lake. Dave was a state champion and runner up.

Gavin Doebel’s day began with a fall in 1:18 over Waukee’s Ethan Fitch. In the semifinals, Doebel gutted out an 8-6 SV-1 victory over Eli Cox of Indianola.

“Wrestling in the Dodger gym felt like a homecoming of sorts,” Dave said. “During his semifinal match against Indianola, both Spencer and Fort Dodge crowds were cheering Gavin on. He talked about it a lot. He had Fort Dodge friends who showed up to watch his matches.

“A lot of his former teammates came up and congratulated him. Damarion Ross in particular was very kind to him in the wrestling room.”

The victory over Cox put Gavin in the finals and clinched a state spot.

Doebel (20-11) lost in the finals to Dodger standout Koy Davidson.

“After my close match with my Indianola opponent, I felt like the Fort Dodge crowd was still cheering me on and having my back,” Gavin said. “Talking to my old teammates and friends was nice, and catching up with them was one of the best parts of my day.

“It definitely brought me back and made me reminisce about the times I spent in a Fort Dodge singlet.”

The Doebel family heard from the community before, during and after Gavin’s tournament.

“Kirsten and I have received more text messages and calls than we can count from his former teachers and friends from Fort Dodge,” Dave said. “It was another great memory made in The Dodge.”