Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: The Fort Dodge wrestling team receives its third-place Class 3A trophy at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

DES MOINES — One took the tournament by storm, canceling the victory lap of a senior star who was a win away from becoming a rare four-time state champion.

One showed a rare blend of skill and athleticism that wowed the crowd and kept blue-blood collegiate programs chomping at the bit.

One completed a more traditional four-year rise from qualifier, to placewinner, to runner-up, to gold medalist.

One picked himself up, made the lonely walk to the backside of the bracket and took care of business, setting the tone for the day despite the lingering effects from a stinging semifinal loss.

Koy Davidson. Dreshaun Ross. Damarion Ross. Dru Ayala. Four placewinners. Five matches on Saturday at state wrestling. Five victories.

Fort Dodge was able to secure a team trophy for the first time since 2020 with its late surge of success, placing third ahead of Ankeny Centennial, Waverly-Shell Rock and Waukee Northwest. The idea of finishing in the Top-3 seemed like a long shot on Thursday, when the Dodgers were a distant fifth. Or Friday, when seniors Cal Hartman and Kane Butrick and sophomore Luke Fierke all lost heartbreaking matches, one step away from the medal round.

The state wrestling tournament isn’t about being perfect, though. It’s about survival and persistence. Handling pressure and adversity. Having a short memory.

The Dodgers have now earned seven team trophies and 17 individual titles since 2015 alone. Yes, Fort Dodge is a traditional wrestling power. Yes, the program often shines on the state stage. Consider this, though: it took FDSH 47 years to accumulate the previous seven team trophies prior to 2015, and 53 seasons to produce 17 individual champs before the recent stretch.

This 10-year run has been unprecedented. The names have changed, but the culture and commitment to family — cultivated under the direction of head coach Bobby Thompson and his staff — are still the team’s core tenets.

You see pieces of former Dodgers in Davidson, Ross, Ross and Ayala, along with all of their teammates. The stories of commitment, sacrifice, achievement and even failure have been told by other Fort Dodge wrestlers in similar fashion before.

Last week’s results were a big deal at that particular moment. Wins seem like they’ll last forever. Losses feel like they’ll hurt forever. Life goes on either way, though. And in the grand scheme of things, their brotherhood is what matters most.

A quote from Thompson back in 2017 always sticks with me. He said at the time, “Win or lose, what happens this week is such a small part of what these guys will experience with each other. There’s a whole lifetime of memories ahead, where it’s not just about wrestling, but growing up and growing old as friends and brothers. And when I see our younger kids, our soon-to-be Dodgers, following them around and being exposed to all of that — the future here is in good hands.

“Tradition isn’t built on championships alone. And I wouldn’t trade this for all the trophies in the world.”

Fort Dodge became the talk of the tournament on championship Saturday thanks to their place-winning hammers. It was only the final in-season chapter, though, in a 2023-24 book filled with road trips, practices, meals, team-bonding sessions and other memories the kids and coaches shared when no one was around to see.

Ask Sam Cook, Triston Lara, Brody Teske, Drew Bennett, Cayd Lara, Drake Ayala, Carson Taylor or any other former Dodger — from the ex-champions on down — what they remember most about their time in the room. Fans naturally identify their names with outcomes, crystalized in either the present or the past. The kids? Their futures await. They move forward, move on or even move away.

Fort Dodge wrestling will forever be their home base, though. That bond is something they’ll always share. There are no requirements or prerequisites. Credentials don’t matter — only the connections and relationships they’ve built through years of working together.

Celebrate these kids for what they have done, or offer support where they need it. Overall, it was another special week for Fort Dodge wrestling. But in the big picture, the 2023-24 Dodgers are just getting started.

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