The Webster City Lynx football team returns to action on Friday night, as they take on North Central Conference rivals Hampton-Dumont-CAL in Class 3A, District 2 action at HD-CAL High School. Webster City enters at 3-2 and and 0-1 in district play, while the Bulldogs enter at 4-1 and 0-1 in district play, following their loss to Humboldt.
Hampton-Dumont-CAL enters Friday’s game following their first loss of the season in a 14-7 defensive struggle with Humboldt. In the game against the Wildcats, the Bulldogs were held to a season-low 181 yards rushing as a team, as Brody Walton ran for 116 yards and a touchdown as the Bulldogs top player offensively in the loss. Walton makes up half of a dynamic rushing duo between him and quarterback Gavin Meader, as Walton has run for 590 yards and 5 touchdowns, while Meader has 408 yards on the ground and 9 touchdowns. Meader has also gotten it done through the air, with 450 yards and 6 touchdowns, completing just over 53% of his passes. His favorite target has been senior receiver Tucker Heeren, who has 16 catches for 254 yards and 3 touchdowns, while tight end Scott Harr 8 receptions for 93 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Bulldogs also posses a veteran offensive line, returning all 5 starters from last year’s squad.
Defensively, the production starts up front for the Bulldogs, who may posses the most talented defensive line in the district. Scott Harr is the bellcow at defensive end, with 15 tackles, 7 tackles for loss and 4 sacks, while junior Austin Hanson has had a breakout season at defensive tackle with 7 tackles for loss and a team-high 6 sacks. Fellow defensive lineman Cael Burmester has a team-high 9 tackles for loss and 5 sacks on the season as well. Sophomore linebacker Taylor Mahler leads the unit with 21 tackles, 7 tackles for loss and 2 sacks on the season, while Brody Walton and Colin Bird have accumulated 12 and 13 tackles with 3 tackles for loss each. The defensive backfield is a hard-hitting one, as sophomore Brody Strother leads the Bulldogs in tackles with 22, including a sack and tackle for loss. Carson Hisler has added 9 tackles, while Gavin Meader has added 14.5 tackles from his safety spot.
Webster City will try to re-ignite a rushing attack that was one of the most prolific in Iowa in the first 3 weeks, but has been held to 190 yards and 148 yards the last 2 weeks. Jaxon Cherry is just a few yards off the 1,000-yard mark on the season, but played lights out defensively against Clear Lake last week, with 9 tackles, 3 tackles for loss and 2 sacks against the Lions. The big question for Webster City will be whether there will be the emergence of 2nd go-to back to compliment Cherry or if the passing attack can find some rhythm against the Bulldogs.
Kickoff is slated for 7 PM from Hampton-Dumont-CAL High School in Hampton on Friday night. The game can be heard on 92.9/1570 KZWC and online at kqradio.com.