Le Mars prevails in thriller vs. Dodgers
Late TD, defensive stand allow Bulldogs to escape FDSH
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LE MARS - The Le Mars football team got the last score, the last stop and the last laugh in a dramatic 24-21 victory over Fort Dodge here on Friday night.
A touchdown with four minutes left in regulation capped the go-ahead 84-yard drive for the Bulldogs (4-4 overall) in a back-and-forth Class 4A, District 1 tussle. The Dodgers (5-3) tried to answer one last time, but the Le Mars defense bowed up when it mattered most and stuffed Fort Dodge on a 4th-and-short at the Bulldog 35-yard line to seal the win.
Senior quarterback Tru McBride threw for 146 of his 231 yards in the second half as the Dodgers rallied from a 14-7 halftime deficit to take the lead at 21-17 with 10 minutes remaining in regulation. Fort Dodge then got a big stop on defense and took over in Le Mars territory three minutes later, but the Bulldogs forced a three-and-out to set up what ultimately proved to be the deciding possession.
McBride hit senior Zak Jorgensen for 10 yards and freshman Jerry Crockett for 11 to quickly get the ball on the Le Mars side of the field with a little over two minutes to go. A 2nd-and-4 from the Bulldog 37 went south with an incomplete pass and a one-yard reception, though.
Junior Reggie Pederson, who had two big catches for 81 yards and two long kick returns, got the ball on a double-reverse play after a timeout with the game on the line. Le Mars sniffed it out and stuffed Pederson well short of the first-down yardage, however, to take over on downs at the 1:21 mark and end it.
Sophomore quarterback Jordan Kopperud gave the Dodgers fits, going 15 of 24 for 229 yards. The Bulldogs had seven pass plays go for 17 yards or more, including a 21-yarder to senior Colin Murphy and a 42-yarder to senior Cristofer Sanchez on the winning possession.
Le Mars sold out to stop Will McElroy and the FDSH rush attack, and it worked. McElroy was held to a season-low 66 yards on 23 carries, and the Dodgers managed only 80 total yards on 30 rush attempts.
McBride found Pederson for a 58-yard scoring strike to get Fort Dodge on the board with 5:46 left in the first quarter, but the Dodgers' next three drives stalled out as the Bulldogs took control.
Senior Alex Beekman had a pair of sacks for FDSH and junior Cael Adams added one as well.
McElroy (44 yards) and senior Kyree Rochon (38) had clutch catches to spearhead the Dodgers' drive in the third period that knotted the score at 14.
Fort Dodge was whistled for 13 penalties that spanned 111 yards. There were no turnovers in the contest.
The Dodgers close the regular season with a home tilt against Sioux City West (4-4) on Friday. Fort Dodge is now a long shot to earn a third consecutive postseason berth, even if it defeats the Wolverines on Senior Night.