Dodgers focus on moving forward
Frustrating loss at Le Mars filled with missed opportunities
Trending
LE MARS - Head coach Nik Moser knows his Fort Dodge football team was a play here or a break there away from taking a completely different conclusion away from their long road trip to Le Mars.
Instead, the Dodgers must work on crafting a new narrative this week.
The Bulldogs escaped with a 24-21 victory over Fort Dodge last Friday on a chilly evening that staged a Class 4A, District 1 thriller. Moser's squad, which fell to 5-3 overall and 1-3 in league play this season, had the lead and the ball in plus territory with under eight minutes left in regulation, but couldn't put Le Mars (4-4, 2-2) away and then failed to finish one last rally with the game on the line late.
"We played well enough to win, but didn't play well enough to win, if that makes sense," Moser said. "There were stretches and possessions where we executed and did what we needed to do, but they'd either come up with a bigger gain or a bigger stop to answer us. So at the end of the day, you have to give them credit. They both caught a few more breaks and made a few more breaks for themselves than we did.
"I think if you were just a fan watching with no vested interest, it was probably a really entertaining one to watch. A lot happened. It was back and forth and up in the air until the end. But for us, it was obviously frustrating. A play here or a bounce there and it's a different outcome. That's why football is (a game of inches)."
Tru McBride had eight of his 10 completions and 146 of his 231 yards passing after halftime. The Dodgers struggled on the ground, though, producing only 80 rushing yards from their 30 carries.
"They sold out to stop the run, which created some big opportunities for us (throwing) - just not quite enough," Moser said. "I thought we were much better overall in the second half, but we couldn't get off the field on third down (in the first two quarters) and didn't convert enough first downs in third-down situations when we were on offense."
McBride hit Reggie Pederson for a 58-yard touchdown strike to put Fort Dodge up 7-0 midway through the first quarter, but the Bulldogs were in control for the rest of the half and led 14-7 at the intermission.
From there, the lead changed hands three different times.
Moser pointed to a critical possession early in the fourth quarter. The Dodgers had gained the upper hand at 21-17 and forced a three-and-out, giving them the ball at the Le Mars 45.
"We didn't do anything with that drive and had to punt it back to them," Moser said. "That ended up being the last turning point with momentum. We needed to get points there and we didn't."
The Bulldogs responded by putting an 84-yard scoring drive together and hitting paydirt for the go-ahead touchdown with four minutes to go.
Fort Dodge did drive back into the plus side of the field in the waning moments, but Le Mars sealed the victory by stuffing Pederson on a double reverse with a little over a minute remaining on 4th-and-3 at the 36-yard line.
Moser noted the efforts of Bulldog sophomore quarterback Jordan Kopperud, who threw for 235 yards after averaging less than half of that per game before Friday, as well as senior receiver Colin Murphy, who had only 12 catches all season the first seven weeks. Murphy hauled in seven receptions for 103 yards against the Dodgers.
"I think their quarterback played his best game by far and so did (Murphy), based on what I'd seen from them on film," Moser said. "They made the plays when they needed to, time after time."
The last three contests in this growing district rivalry have now been decided by six points or less, with the home team prevailing each time.
All hope is not lost for Fort Dodge, which will be trying to win its sixth game of the year this Friday on Senior Night versus Sioux City West (4-4, 1-3). The last time the Dodgers had three consecutive seasons of at least six victories in football was 1948, 1949 and 1950.
"We don't have control over our (playoff fate), but we just need to take care of business on the field first and then see what happens," Moser said of FDSH's dim postseason chances. "There are a lot of teams out there that would sign up for six wins without hesitation. I don't want to lose perspective on what this senior class has the chance to accomplish (with a win over the Wolverines) - something that hasn't happened here in almost 80 years and only three times ever. A chance to be 21-8 (since 2024).
"We're obviously disappointed we're not sitting here at 6-2 or even 7-1, but it is what it is and doesn't diminish the importance of Friday."