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-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla

The grounds crew at the Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex is busy getting the fields ready for this week’s state softball tournament.

The state softball tournament is in its 55th consecutive year in Fort Dodge, starting Monday at the Rogers Sports Complex.

Forty of Iowa’s top high school teams visit our community in a tradition that dates back to 1970. At the time, the event was only 13 years old and only eight schools from all grades made the trip. Now, there are eight teams in each of the five championship brackets.

For the fourth time ever — but the second in as many seasons — Fort Dodge and St. Edmond will serve as de facto co-hosts of the tournament. The Dodgers advanced for the seventh straight year — something only 11 other programs have accomplished in the modern era. The Gaels qualified in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history.

Fort Dodge, the fifth seed in Class 4A, will face Adel-ADM in a quarterfinal rematch on Monday at 5:15 p.m. Head coach Andi Adams’ team, which has a 236-53 record since 2018, has appeared in nine of the last 10 state tournaments. The Dodgers reached the finals three times in a row from 2020-2022.

St. Edmond is the fourth-seeded team in 1A and will play Collins-Maxwell on Tuesday at 5:15 p.m. Head coach Bill Shirbroun’s club has yet to lose a game to an opponent in its class this year and won its second straight North Central Conference title as the league’s only remaining 1A program.

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla The main area between the fields is at the Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex, home to the state softball tournament since 1970.

Local stories aren’t the only ones our sports staff will be following over the next few days. Over 500 players and around 20,000 spectators are in town this week and we’ll be doing our best to make them all feel at home.

Williamsburg (3A) is the only reigning champion to reach the 2024 state field, proving just how hard it is to even get that far. No. 1 West Des Moines Valley (5A), North Polk (4A), Benton (3A), Van Meter (2A) and Martensdale-St. Marys (1A) all escaped the surprise bug and reached the quarterfinals as the top favorites in their respective classes.

Davenport Assumption returns to Rogers Park for the ninth straight season, tying a modern-day state record held by Central Springs (2015-23), Akron-Westfield (2003-11) and Woodward-Granger (1991-99). Lisbon also tied the Dodgers’ seventh consecutive season this year — a feat accomplished only by West Des Moines Valley (8, from 2013-20), Cedar Rapids Jefferson (8, from 2002-09), Southeast Warren (8, from 1961-68), Johnston (7, from 2013-19), Carlisle (7, from 2008-14), Martensdale-St. Marys (7, from 2008-14) and Clear Creek-Amana (7, from 1996-2002).

Audubon, West Fork and Prairie City-Monroe are making their debuts this week. On the other hand, many traditional powerhouses are on the board with history on their side; Fort Dodge, Ankeny, Benton, Carlisle, West Des Moines Valley, Muscatine, North Polk, Urbandale, Waukee, North Scott and Southeast Warren have all been to the state at least 15 times before.

This is the crown jewel of our community. That goes without saying. Countless employees and volunteers from the Fort Dodge area will join the dedicated staff of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union to make this tournament unforgettable for the players, coaches and fans.

Iowa Central Community College is home to at least 30 of the qualifying schools. Their role in the process is invaluable. Local restaurants, hotels and shops will be doing their best to feed and entertain thousands of people. Contact us with any questions, ideas or suggestions. We are here to enhance your tournament experience.

The Messenger’s award-winning sports staff is here for you from the first pitch to the last. Game stories, photos, brackets, features and social media updates are all on our to-do list. We also have a page on our website dedicated to coverage — under the “State Softball” tab at www.messengernews.net — and a 36-page tournament preview edition in Monday’s paper. Chris Johnson, Dana Becker, John McBride, Britt Kudla and I will be on-site for the duration.

Good luck to everyone this week. We hope our coverage makes you feel like Fort Dodge is your own backyard. State softball attendance in Fort Dodge will soon surpass 950,000 and we are still on track to surpass 1 million, sometime in 2026 or ’27. Let’s get there together!

Eric Pratt is the sports editor at The Messenger. Contact him via email at [email protected], or on Twitter @ByEricPratt