Photo by Chris Zoeller/Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier: Fort Dodge senior Noah Daniel reaches to make a tackle last Friday against Waterloo West at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.

The Class 4A, District 1 championship won’t be decided on Friday, but the winner of the ranked football showdown between Fort Dodge and Sergeant Bluff-Luton will certainly have an inside track with a month left in the regular season.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. inside Dodger Stadium.

Fort Dodge (4-0 overall) looks to become just the 15th team in the program’s 114-year history to open the year with five consecutive victories. The Dodgers — currently third in the Class 4A Bound power rankings — will have to clear their highest hurdle yet, as the Warriors (3-1) are sixth in the same poll and a consensus Top-7 squad themselves.

“They’re just a really solid group top to bottom,” FDSH head coach Nik Moser said of SB-L. “They’re tough on defense and very confident in their offensive approach. They’ll give you a lot of different looks with plenty of options and directions in their (ground game).

“This is a huge game for us. We’re really excited to have a ranked matchup at Dodger Stadium in front of our fans, and we’re hoping for a big crowd. I think the fans are pumped up, and I know our kids are, too.”

Fort Dodge put together its best second half of the season to date in pulling away from Waterloo West at the UNI-Dome last Friday, 35-14. The Dodgers scored 28 unanswered points with a balanced, methodical offense and an unrelenting defense.

“We played good complementary football,” Moser said. “I thought in all phases, we were much better and more consistent in that 24 minutes than we had been all year. The goal now is to get to that level of consistency and stay there.”

Senior Dreshaun Ross had 121 rushing yards on only nine carries and 4.5 tackles for loss on defense. Junior Will McElroy ran for 161 yards, and classmate Tru McBride threw for 176 while accounting for three touchdowns.

Junior Sam Moser and senior Taevon Feeley led the way in tackles.

“We cut down on penalties (in the second half) and forced a couple of turnovers,” Coach Moser said. “We’re still not where we want to be, but we’re headed in the right direction.

“We did our part (in the non-district portion of the schedule) by going 4-0. Now the intensity and the stakes increase.”

McElroy has 524 yards and four consecutive 100-yard efforts on the ground. McBride has thrown for 498 yards and been intercepted only once.

Ross has 244 yards and three TDs in limited action out of the backfield, and leads 4A with 13 tackles for loss. Senior Dalton Eckley has 123 receiving yards and a pair of scores.

Moser and junior Jayce Skow are the top tacklers.

The Warriors have won three consecutive games since a 14-6 season-opening loss to Top-10 (3A) opponent Sioux City Heelan. SB-L defeated perennial power Council Bluffs Lewis Central (30-27), before routing Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson, 62-14.

Last week, the Warriors took a Top-10 clash from Glenwood, 14-10.

SB-L has a Top-5 rushing attack in 4A, and it offers plenty of balance. Junior Beckett Veros (29 carries, 377 yards, 5 touchdowns), junior Ryan Husen (40 for 292) and senior Joe Hardy (28 for 194) lead the way on the ground.

As a team, the Warriors average 7.3 yards per rush attempt. They have 159 carries compared to only 39 pass attempts.

“They’re good up front on both sides of the ball,” Moser said. “They use a lot of different formations (on offense) and have plenty of guys who can do damage.

“Hardy is a (University of) South Dakota recruit. He’s a big kid at 6-4 and 230. Veros and Husen are really good. And (senior Isaiah) Jervik does a nice job of running the offense (at quarterback) as a two-year starter.”

SB-L was undefeated in 2024 and reached the 3A semifinal round before being edged by eventual state champion Dubuque Wahlert (17-16) at the UNI-Dome.

The Warriors, under head coach Justin Smith, have won at least 10 games five times since 2015, reaching the UNI-Dome in 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2024. Smith is 90-37 overall in 13 years at the SB-L helm.

On the injury front, Dodger junior offensive lineman Korben Davis (ankle) is out. All-state senior Noah Daniel, who had to miss the second half of last week’s contest with a hip injury, is expected to return.

Senior receiver Tytrell Mosley, who has been sidelined for two weeks by an arm injury, is also slated to be back on Friday.

Only four Dodger football teams since 1945 have started 5-0: in 1978, 1984, 2005 and 2015.

The Fort Dodge “spirit walk” will be at 5:25 p.m., with food and music to entertain tailgaters and the pregame crowd leading up to kickoff.

Temperatures are expected to be in the 70s with clear skies and light and variable winds.