The Webster City Lynx football team returns to action on Friday night, as they host the Clear Lake Lions in each team’s Class 3A, District 2 opener at Lynx Field in Webster City. The Lynx enter ranked #7 after losing on the road to West Delaware 42-13 in Week 4, while Clear Lake enters ranked #5 and 4-0, following holding off Waverly-Shell Rock by a final of 28-25.
Clear Lake enters Friday night with their first 4-0 record since 2019 following a win against Waverly-Shell Rock, where the Lions had to fend off a late Go-Hawks rally. The Lions offense is as balanced as you’ll find in District 2, led by senior Cael Stephany, who’s completed 28-of-46 passes for 527 yards, 6 touchdowns, 2 interceptions and a rushing touchdown. Stephany is complemented with a talented backfield, led by junior Titan Schmitt, who’s run for nearly 600 yards and 9 touchdowns, while backup Sam Dodge has run for 215 yards and 2 touchdowns as a capable backup. Through the air, Stephany’s favorite target has been junior tight end Thomas Meyer, as the highly-touted DI recruit has caught 15 balls for 244 yards and 4 touchdowns. Sam Dodge has also done damage through the air, catching 4 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown. The offensive line does need to work on consistency, allowing only 4 sacks, but numerous TFL’s in the first 4 weeks.
Defensively, the heartbeat of the Lions defense is the defensive line unit, which has produced at a high-level throughout the non-district slate. Defensive end Jake Trenary leads the room with 17.5 tackles, a sack and 6 tackles for loss, while fellow defensive end Thomas Meyer has 2 sacks and 3 tackles for loss. The linebacker core has been a stable one, led by senior Aidan Hartl, who has a team high 20.5 tackles, with 2 sacks and 2 tackles for loss, as well as an interception. Fellow senior linebacker Caden Cavett also has 10.5 tackles, but with 4 tackles for loss. The defensive backfield is spearheaded by safety Sam Dodge, who has 12 tackles from his safety spot, while cornerback Tyler LeFevre has a unit-high 13 tackles.
Webster City will try to get the offense back on track following a mistake-filled performance against West Delaware, where bad or mishandled snaps doomed several drives throughout the night. Jaxon Cherry continues to lead the way with 852 yards and 11 touchdowns, along with 29.5 tackles, 2 sacks and 8 tackles for loss. Junior wingback Cael Nixon did find some running room against the Hawks as well, rushing for 93 yards and a late touchdown. Josh Stansfield leads the Lynx defensive line with 2 sacks and 2 tackles for loss and 3 fumble recoveries, while Jayden Weinzetl continues to be a good pair with Jaxon Cherry at linebacker, with 22 tackles and 6 tackles for loss.
Webster City and Clear Lake kickoff at 7 PM from Lynx Field at Webster City High School, the game can be heard on 92.9/1570 KZWC and on kqradio.com.