In late February, the Dodger wrestling team looked to run all over the competition at Vets Auditorium during the State-Wrestling Tournament.

Fort Dodge sent ten wrestlers to the barn out of the 14 weight classes and four placed. Riley Lindner, Grant Ruge, Devon Green and Cody McClintock reached the podium.

Linder had the Dodgers’ best finish, wrestling back for third after losing his first match.

Green finished fourth, Ruge claimed fifth, and McClintock ended his career with a fifth place finish.

Ruge, McClintock, Jacob Rosalez, Christian Abrams, Green, Lindner and Zach Mason all went as state veterans, while Ryan Halverson, Mike Mulroney and Jayson Harp made their first trip down to Vets.

All the wrestlers looked at a shot for a team championship, but after a rough second day of the tournament, those hopes faded away.

Advancing nine wrestlers from the first day of competition, the Dodgers lost its momentum, with only four of the nine wrestling on Friday.

“As a team, we did fine,” Coach Ed Birnbaum said, “we took ten wrestlers down with us, and four of them placed. We had a couple of bad rounds on Thursday, with Christian falling in overtime with only eight seconds left in the quarterfinals.

“Those eight seconds set us back from a great tournament, and a possible fourth place finish. We all expected more.”

Ruge, who probably drew one of the toughest brackets in the tournament, had to wrestle his long time rival junior Montell Marion from Valley, who defeated Ruge in an intense quarterfinal match and ended up as the state champion.

Halverson, who is only a freshman, made his state debut with a tough bracket also.

Winning his first round match, Halverson drew a tough second round match with sophomore Mark Mille from Waverly-Shell Rock, who had a regular season record of 23-3.

“Ryan had a tough bracket. He wrestled a good kid from Waverly-Shell Rock, and then wrestled back a kid who was ranked second from Lewis Central,” Birnbaum said.

“ I’m really please with they way he has wrestled this season.”

Riley Lindner won five matches in a row. Lindner lost his first round match to Nick Billups from North Scott, 6-4. He then battled back from his devastating loss by beating Warren Batiste from Dowling, eighth-ranked Adam Foreman from Fairfield, Phil Harm from Council Bluffs, and second-ranked, Ryan Lavin from Cedar Rapids Jefferson in the third-place match..

Lindner, though only a junior, is already looking forward to his next attempt of being crowned state champion next season.

“Since I have been a little kid, I have only imagined about winning a state championship,’’ Lindner said.

“After my first round loss this year, I saw my dreams fade once again. But I rallied back and got the best place finish that I could get.

“My loss this year will only motivate me for being a state champion for next season.”

Green, who wrestled his last time in a Dodger singlet in the third and fourth place match to Luke Stamp from Lewis Central 7-4 earning him a fifth place finish.

McClintock finished eighth for the Dodgers, while Rosalez, Abrams, Harp, Mulroney, Mason, made early exits during the ranked Iowa City High 43-24. The Dodgers then were run over by state tournament champions Waverly-Shell Rock 59-15, who won the state dual meet also. During the third and fourth place matches, second ranked Iowa City West topped the Dodgers 38-28 giving the Dodgers their fourth place finish.