Messenger file photo: Fort Dodge's Tru McBride hands the ball off to Dreshaun Ross during the regular season.

NEWTON — Old-school conference foes renew their rivalry for one night in the modern era on Friday, as the Fort Dodge football team squares off with Newton in a Class 4A opening-round matchup.

Kickoff at H.A. Lynn Field is set for 7 p.m.

There is a rich history between the Dodgers (8-1 overall) and Cardinals (8-1) on the gridiron, though no game has ever carried the added importance of postseason consequences since the old Big 8/9 and CIML members have gone their separate ways. Newton recently capped an undefeated district championship run, and will be hosting a playoff contest for the first time since 2007 while riding a seven-game winning streak as the No. 7 seed according to IHSAA’s RPI rankings. FDSH is 10th.

The winner advances to take on either Gilbert (9-0) or Council Bluffs Lewis Central (5-4) in the quarterfinal round.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for us that our kids have earned,” said Dodger head coach Nik Moser, a former player and himself a familiar piece in the previous chapters of the rivalry. “Both sides know what’s at stake. It’s something we’ve been talking about since day one, and I’m sure they’d say the same.

“You spend a lot of time working and fighting and grinding to get to this point, and you obviously want to leave everything on the field and make the most of it with no regrets. We’re very excited and ready to go.”

The Cardinals bring a dynamic offense to the table. They’re fourth in 4A for scoring average at over 38 points per contest, and have been impressive both running (2,248 yards and 33 touchdowns at 7.6 yards per carry) and throwing (1,405 yards and 15 scores) the ball.

“They’ve got some really impressive pieces,” Moser said. “They run their offense with confidence and skill. They’re deceptive and explosive. The quarterback, (Caden) Klein, is a 200-meter state (track) champion. The (Isaiah) Hansen kid is a 10.9 100 (meter dash) athlete (in the backfield). They have two excellent receivers in (Finn) Martin (833 yards) and (Qhjuan) Coley.

“We’ll have to be fundamentally sound, tackling well and trying to limit their big plays, because that’s a big part of what makes them go.”

Klein has nearly 2,000 yards from scrimmage between throwing and running, with 28 total touchdowns to his credit. Hansen has rushed for 1,107 yards and 16 scores at 8.6 yards per carry.

Fort Dodge has plenty of offensive options in its own right. Junior Will McElroy (870 yards) and senior Dreshaun Ross (737) have over 1,600 yards rushing combined, with junior quarterback Tru McBride at 1,144 passing yards and 8 TDs. McBride also has nine scores on the ground.

The Dodgers have been anchored by their defense, which is allowing only 12.1 points and less than 200 yards per contest. Ross is the 4A leader in sacks (13) and tackles for loss (33) by a wide margin. Both are already single-season school records.

Junior Sam Moser, junior Jayce Skow, Ross and senior Jesse Egli all have at least 49.5 tackles for Fort Dodge.

Six-foot-3, 220-pound standout Nick Milburn anchors the Cardinal defense. The junior linebacker is 4A’s most productive tackler at 97.

Newton’s offense has produced 42 or more points on five separate occasions. The Dodger defense has surrendered six points or less the same number of times.

“We have three points of emphasis for every game and this one’s no different: limit explosive plays and have more of those (offensively) than the opponent, win the turnover battle, and avoid missed tackles,” Moser said. “We’ve really enjoyed working with the kids and spending time together (in preparation for this). No one is happy to just be here. Everyone on the field (Friday) wants to take that next step.”

Newton’s signature wins were over playoff qualifiers Indianola (5A, 48-21) and Pella (4A, 35-33). The Dodgers own victories over postseason entrants Waterloo West (5A, 35-14) and Le Mars (4A, 9-3).

The Cardinals’ lone loss was to defending 4A state champion North Polk in Week 2 by a final of 16-13.

Fort Dodge, which had just its fourth eight-win regular season since 1946 this year, is making its 17th playoff appearance in the modern format (since 1978). The Dodgers advanced last fall as well after a 7-2 regular season and a co-district title. They were eliminated by North Polk.

Newton, which is making its fourth straight playoff appearance, bowed out in the opening round at Decorah last year, 15-14.

FDSH and the Cardinals first met on the gridiron in 1968, when Newton was included in the Big 6’s expansion to the Big 8. That partnership lasted until 1974.

In 1991, the Dodgers renewed their rivalry with the Cardinals, and by the next year, both were members of the Central Iowa Metro League. Fort Dodge and Newton played annually from ’91 until 2005, with the Dodgers’ lone victory during that stretch coming in the same season as their quarterfinal run in 1994.

From 2008-17, the programs split four more non-conference matchups. Fort Dodge prevailed in 2009 (23-20) and 2016 (43-21).

In 2017, the Dodgers and Cardinals had one of the more entertaining contests in large-class football history. Newton escaped on its home field, 71-70, in the second-highest scoring 4A regular-season game ever.

Fort Dodge’s 15 wins since the start of last year has tied the 2009 and ’10 Dodger squads for the program’s most in back-to-back seasons since World War II.