Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Noah Daniel of Fort Dodge catches a pass from Tru McBride for a first down against North Polk on Friday in Alleman. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

ALLEMAN — It would be easy for Fort Dodge football fans to turn the page and begin looking to 2025 after Friday’s Class 4A opening-round playoff loss to top-ranked North Polk.

The Dodgers (7-3 overall) were a relatively young team this season, and despite the 36-6 setback last night, there were plenty of encouraging signs moving forward with a group that is now slated to return as many as 17 starters next fall.

FDSH head coach Nik Moser made sure the postgame scene – the trophy ceremony, his speech to the squad and the individual conversations that followed — was strictly about his seniors, though. Moser has been around the game long enough to know that even though his Dodgers may have a promising future, all the respect and recognition after the finale needed to stay in this moment.

“I owe those kids a lot. We (collectively) owe them a lot,” Moser said, giving a nod to his 12th-grade class. “There aren’t a ton of them, but those kids gave their all and really helped build the foundation for what might be still to come.

“They did things the right way. They worked hard and showed what it took to support and trust each other. They expanded on what the (2023 seniors) did to improve our (collective) culture and commitment. This is about them. And I want to thank them for being a huge part of this and helping us get this far.”

The Comets (10-0) remained unbeaten with a punishing ground attack and a physical defensive performance. The Dodgers hung around for as long as they could, but the dam finally broke as North Polk scored twice in the final 6:26 thanks to a number of back-breaking runs.

“We fought hard,” Moser said. “Defensively, we were on the field a ton and did what we could for as long as possible. They’re tough and controlled both the line of scrimmage and the clock. We just weren’t able to sustain enough drives.”

Senior tailback BJ Tate had 227 yards on 34 carries. Tate’s efforts were a microcosm of how the evening went; after being relatively contained through three periods, he had 104 yards on just seven fourth-quarter carries. Two of his three touchdowns came in the final six-plus minutes.

All-stater Nathan Feldmann – 4A’s leader in total offense and touchdowns – added 109 rushing yards, though only 56 came after his opening 53-yard run in the first quarter. The quarterback did score twice in the first half, but was bottled up for the most part and completed just 7 of 18 passes for 119 yards.

Two plays didn’t necessarily change the outcome, but may have kept the final score more respectable than it wound up being. Trailing 15-0 with the ball at midfield, FDSH punter Albert Myrvold was tackled on a kick attempt that should have been a personal foul and an automatic first down. The officials let it go, and the Comets took over at their own 7-yard line. North Polk then marched 93 yards for a score to go up 22-0.

After the Dodgers finally broke the ice on a 17-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Tru McBride to junior Dalton Eckley on the ensuing possession, they were in position to pull within two touchdowns again when McBride hit Cal Pederson for what looked like a 26-yard TD strike. The play was wiped out by a holding flag that came well after McBride had thrown the ball.

Fort Dodge couldn’t get out of its own way in the second half especially. The Dodgers, who had cut down on their penalties significantly in recent weeks, committed seven infractions in the last 24 minutes alone.

FDSH had five different trips into North Polk terrirory overall that ended without points.

“We were our own worst enemy at times, but they did what they had to do (to earn the win and advance),” Moser said. “We’ll grow and learn from it.”

McBride threw for 180 yards, finding seven different Dodger receivers. Standout tailback Jamarius Green was held in check, though, as the Comets keyed on him and allowed only 34 yards from his 15 carries.

North Polk out-gained Fort Dodge on the ground, 366-53.

Senior Jonathan Brown intercepted a pass for the Dodgers, with junior Jesse Egli, senior Jesus Gutierrez and sophomore Jayon Preston-Grady recording big tackles for loss.

The Comets had eight plays of 20 yards or more, compared to just three for Fort Dodge: a 27-yard pass from McBride to Noah Daniel, a 30-yarder to senior Royce Pederson, and a 41-yard completion to Green.

North Polk, for all intents and purposes an Ankeny bedroom community whose enrollment has tripled in the last 20 years, was a 4A state semifinalist last year. The Comets advance to take on Cedar Rapids Xavier in a quarterfinal this Friday.

The Dodgers will graduate senior starters Green, Brown, Pederson, Gutierrez, Gavin Pederson, Jackson McQuillen, Hunter Richardson and Albert Myrvold. TyReese Hill, Kaden Froisland, Quantaze Jordan, Nathan Taylor, Brayden Reimers and Collin Tornabane were the other seniors.

“They will be missed,” Moser said. “They helped us clinch a (co-District 1 title), and we were back in the playoffs (for the first time since 2021). We worked well together, and it’s hard to come to grips with the fact that it’s over. This was a close group, and they were a lot of fun to coach.

“Losing hurts. It sucks. Endings are hard. Only one team gets to walk off the football field at the end of a season with a victory, so it’s just a fact of life and something that gives you both apprecation and perspective. When we get some time and distance from this, I think the kids will take a ton of pride away from how far they came Week 1 to Week 10. I know the coaches and the community are very proud of them.”

A large contingent of Dodger fans filled the visiting side of the bleachers on this brisk but beautiful November night.

FD NP

First Downs 12 22

Rushes-Yards 20-53 49-366

Passing 17-33-1 8-18-1

Passing Yards 182 119

Total Offense 235 485

Punts-Avg. 6-34.5 3-42.0

Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0

Penalties-Yards 9-75 3-30

Fort Dodge 0 0 0 6 – 6

North Polk 8 7 7 14 – 36

Scoring Summary

North Polk – Nathan Feldmann (9-yard run), 7:07 left first quarter. BJ Tate run.

North Polk – Feldmann (6-yard run), 7:02 left second. Liam Triplett kick.

North Polk – Tate (2-yard run), 1:07 left third. Triplett kick.

Fort Dodge – Dalton Eckley (17-yard pass from Tru McBride), 11:18 left fourth. Kick failed.

North Polk – Tate (18-yard run), 6:36 left fourth. Triplett kick.

North Polk – Tate (18-yard run), 2:24 left fourth. Triplett kick.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing – Fort Dodge: Jamarius Green 15-34, Tru McBride 4-17, Noah Daniel 1-2. North Polk: BJ Tate 34-227, Nathan Feldmann 10-109, Henry Christensen 5-30.

Passing – Fort Dodge: Tru McBride 16-32-1-180, Noah Daniel 1-1-0-2. North Polk: Nathan Feldmann 8-18-1-119, James Armstrong 0-0-0-0.

Receiving – Fort Dodge: Jamarius Green 4-52, Royce Pederson 2-35, Dalton Eckley 2-32, Noah Daniel 2-29, Tytrell Mosley 5-23, Cal Pederson 1-6, Kyree Rochon 1-5. North Polk: Jakob Phillips 5-77, Jake Hout 1-21, Henry Christensen 1-16, Carter Van Brocklin 1-5.