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Dodgers rally to edge DC-G, claim Beisser Bowl travel trophy

By Eric Pratt 6 min read

Taevon Feeley looked up and saw red.

Fort Dodge's defensive back caught a tipped pass for an interception and returned it 26 yards to the end zone, capping a thrilling Dodger comeback and a 20-17 victory over Dallas Center-Grimes in the "Beisser Bowl" on Friday.

Feeley's pick-six was fitting on a night in which the defense helped Fort Dodge hang around just long enough. On third down with a little over four minutes remaining in regulation, DC-G attempted a safe throw that was deflected right into the hands of Feeley.

The junior did the rest, darting his way to paydirt to put the Dodgers (2-1 overall) ahead to stay.

"Actually if I'm being honest, when the ball got tipped my heart dropped at first," Feeley smiled. "I had the same (opportunity) last week at Mason City and I (didn't convert) the interception.

"I didn't have much time to think…I just had to make sure I made (the catch) first. Then it was all about getting to that red end zone."

Fort Dodge trailed 17-7 into the final minute of the third quarter, but the deficit could have been much bigger given three turnovers had stalled previous FDSH drives at inopportune times. The defense kept the Dodgers within an earshot, and sophomore quarterback Tru McBride found junior speedster Noah Daniel on two huge touchdown plays to give the home team a chance.

It wasn't just about the clutch scoring strikes, though. Senior defensive back Hunter Richardson -- seeing significant minutes for the first time in his varsity career this season -- made several key second-half tackles, including arguably the most important of the night to keep Fort Dodge in a position to rally.

McBride and Daniel had breathed life back into the Dodgers' chances on an 84-yard touchdown connection with 50 seconds left in the third quarter, pulling FDSH within 17-13. On the next snap from scrimmage, DC-G quarterback Tate Perrin broke free on a quarterback keeper and appeared to be headed for a quick touchdown answer.

Initially Trailing by quite a few steps in a foot race to the end zone, Richardson tracked Perrin down from behind to mitigate the damage. The gain went for 59 yards -- from the Mustangs' own 16-yard line to the Dodgers' 25 -- but Fort Dodge ended up forcing a 34-yard field goal attempt that missed later in the drive.

"Hunter is a kid who hasn't played a ton, but he was very active and had some huge plays for us," Moser said. "That's a senior stepping up and making the most of his opportunities.

"Winning football isn't just about the stuff everyone remembers. Winning football is doing the little things right. And we did enough of that to offset some of the bad. Typically, when you are a minus-three in turnovers late into the fourth quarter, you don't have much of a chance. But this group was resilient and found a way. This is one of the funnest wins we've had as a staff. DC-G got us good down there last year (in the inaugural Beisser Bowl, won by the Mustangs 35-0). It feels great to be 2-for-2 in trophy games (in 2024, including retaining the Decker Sporting Goods Trophy last week)."

McBride shook off a forced interception deep in DC-G territory and finished with 191 passing yards. Daniel did most of the damage there, zooming 56 yards to paydirt less than a minute into the contest and then running a fly route on the 84-yard bomb to give the Dodgers some much-needed momentum after they'd gone six consecutive possessions without scoring.

"I'm just trying to make plays and help the team any way I can," said Daniel, who also had three kick returns for close to 100 total yards and anchored the defense from his safety position. "A lot of us were on the field (a year ago in Grimes) and we remembered the feeling. We wanted to get that taste out of our mouth in a big (trophy) game (for both programs).

"We stuck together and didn't panic when we got down. I'm really proud of our team."

Senior Jamarius Gibbs-Green was effective on the ground to keep Fort Dodge balanced, rushing 20 times for 98 yards.

"Jamar is a man," Moser said. "He had some huge, tough runs for us to keep the chains moving and set up our passing. And our offensive line did a great job creating holes and being physical against a very good (Mustang) defense.

"Our defense kind of saved the day, though. When we went through that lull (with the empty drives), they kept us in it and really set the tone. I'm really fired up for our guys, who hung in there and found a way."

Senior Jonathan Brown and sophomore Jayce Skow had two sacks each for the Dodgers. After the Feeley interception, the defense forced the Mustangs to go three-and-out and punt. Fort Dodge then sealed the win when McBride converted a quarterback keeper for a first down on 4th-and-inches.

The Beisser Bowl was introduced when the series between the Dodgers and DC-G started with their first-ever meeting in 2023. Beisser Lumber Company, which was founded in Fort Dodge and has a main location in Grimes, supported both programs before, during and after Friday's contest.

Daniel and junior linebacker Connor Stolpe of DC-G were named players of the game. Beisser Lumber donated $1,000 to each school's athletic department in their respective names.

Retired Hall of Fame coaches and good friends Sam Moser (Fort Dodge) and Brad Heitland (Algona) served as honorary captains. Moser is Nik's dad; Heitland is the father of Mustang head coach Scott Heitland.

The Dodgers head to Waterloo East (1-2) this Friday in their final non-district assignment of the season.

FD DC-G

First Downs 15 14

Rushes-Yards 25-106 30-153

Passing Yards 191 137

Comp-Att-Int 10-19-1 15-26-1

Total Yards 297 290

Punts-Avg. 4-34.5 5-37.0

Fumbles-Lost 3-2 0-0

Penalties-Yards 7-65 13-100

DC-G 7 7 3 0 -- 17

Fort Dodge 7 0 6 7 -- 20

Scoring Summary

Fort Dodge -- Noah Daniel (56-yard pass from Tru McBride), 11:06 left first quarter. Albert Myrvold kick.

DC-G -- Wyatt Valenta (20-yard pass from Chase Engel), 8:02 left first. Dylan Lackland kick.

DC-G -- Tate Perrin (15-yard run), 1:40 left second. Lackland kick.

DC-G -- Lackland (23-yard field goal), 3:46 left third.

Fort Dodge -- Daniel (84-yard pass from McBride), 0:50 left third. Kick blocked.

Fort Dodge -- Taevon Feeley (26-yard interception return), 4:05 left fourth. Myrvold kick.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing -- Fort Dodge: Jamarius Gibbs-Green 20-98, Tru McBride 3-11, Will McElroy 1-3, Team 1-(minus-6). DC-G: Tate Perrin 10-94, Landen Morton 12-44, Osborn Grimm 7-12, Hudson Heidgerken 1-3.

Passing -- Fort Dodge: Tru McBride 10-19-1-191. DC-G: Tate Perrin 10-19-1-101, Chase Engel 5-7-0-36.

Receiving -- Fort Dodge: Noah Daniel 4-143, Tytrell Mosley 2-25, Dalton Eckley 1-12, Kyree Rochon 1-8, Jamarius Gibbs-Green 1-3, Cal Pederson 1-0. DC-G: Wyatt Valenta 6-64, Osborn Grimm 2-38, Alec Isenhart 3-28, Chase Heitland 2-7, Hudson Heidgerken 2-6.

Starting at /week.