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-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla

The Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex grounds crew works to get the fields ready for this week’s state softball tournament action.

The state softball tournament arrives on Fort Dodge’s doorstep for the 55th consecutive year beginning Monday at Rogers Sports Complex.

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

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

Fort Dodge is the fifth seed in Class 4A and will take on Adel-ADM in a quarterfinal rematch on Monday at 5:15 pm Head coach Andi Adams’s squad, which has a 236-53 record since 2018, has participated in nine of the last 10 state tours. The Dodgers reached the finals three consecutive times from 2020 to 2022.

St. Edmond is the No. 4 seed in 1A and faces Collins-Maxwell on Tuesday at 5:15 pm Head coach Bill Shirbroun’s ballclub hasn’t dropped a single game to an opponent from their class this year, and captured their second consecutive North Central Conference title as the league’s only remaining 1A program.

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

The local storylines aren’t the only ones our sports staff will track in the days to come. More than 500 players and around 20,000 spectators are in town this week, and we will do our best to make them all feel right at home.

Williamsburg (3A) is the only defending champion to reach the state field in 2024, proving just how hard it is to even advance this far. No. 1 West Des Moines Valley (5A), North Polk (4A), Benton (3A), Van Meter (2A) and Martensdale-St. Marys (1A) all avoided being bit by the upset bug and reached the quarterfinals as the top seeds in their respective classes.

Davenport Assumption is back at Rogers Park for the ninth straight time, tying a modern-day state record held by Central Springs (2015-23), Akron-Westfield (2003-11) and Woodward-Granger (1991-99). Lisbon also matched the Dodgers this year with lucky No. 7 in a row — a feat only reached 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 will be first-timers this week. On the other hand, many traditional powers 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 state at least 15 previous times.

This is our community’s crown jewel. That goes without saying. Countless workers and volunteers from the Fort Dodge area will join the dedicated Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union staff members in an effort to make this tournament one to remember for the players, coaches and fans.

Iowa Central Community College is home base for at least 30 of the qualifying schools. Their role in the process is invaluable. Local restaurants, hotels and stores will put their best feet forward to keep thousands of people fed and entertained. Please approach any of us with questions, ideas or suggestions. We are here to make your tournament experience better.

The Messenger’s award-winning sports staff will be with you from the first pitch through the last. Game stories, pictures, 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 location for the duration.

Best of luck to all of you this week. We hope our coverage makes you feel like Fort Dodge is your own back yard. The all-time state softball attendance number in Fort Dodge will clear 950,000 very soon, and we’re still on pace to cross the 1 million threshold sometime in either 2026 or ’27. Let’s get there together!

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