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Webster City7 6 8 0-21

Waverly-Shell Rock0 7 7 0-14

First Quarter

WC-Kannuan 53 run (Keane kick), 2:23

Second Quarter

WC-Treibel 24 pass from Nelson (kick failed), 5:12

WSR-Reinhardt 32 pass from Steggall (Johnson kick), 11:30

Third Quarter

WSR-Steggall 1 run (Johnson kick), 2:36

WC-Treibel 79 punt return (Roberts pass from Nelson), 7:50

WCWSR

First downs921

Rushes-yards36-20944-224

Passing yards56139

Return yards108N/A

Comp-Att4-6-011-14-1

Sacked-Yards Lost0-00-0

Punts5-37N/A

Fumbles-lost1-02-2

Penalties-yards4-354-30

Time of Possession21:5126:09

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING-Webster City: John Hill 19-110, Kevin Kannuan 7-76, Ross Haren 5-7, Brent Nelson 5-6. Waverly-Shell Rock: Andrew Wright 28-108, Brandon Steggall 8-76, Keelan Moore 4-15, Franklin Bristol 3-13, Sam Burrow 1-12.

PASSING-Webster City: Nelson 4-6-0 56. Waverly-Shell Rock: Steggall 11-14-1 139.

RECEIVING-Webster City: Nate Treibel 1-24, Karl Peterson 2-21, Haren 1-11. Waverly-Shell Rock: Jacob Reinhardt 4-67, Clayton Werkman 3-51, Wright 2-13, Blake Bishop 1-6, Moore 1-2.

TACKLES (Leaders)-Webster City: Tyler Mosbach 11, Treibel 9, Ben Rasmussen 8, Alex Davis 6, Nate Sego 6, Ross Haren 5, Bret Hilpipre 5, Alex Anderson 4.

WAVERLY - Bob Howard has been involved in plenty of big games and he's got the - count 'em -three state championship rings to prove it. So when he says things like this, well, you best pay attention.

"In 33 years of head coaching, I think that's one of the top five wins I've been associated with," Howard said just minutes after his Webster City squad captured a thrilling 21-14 victory over Waverly-Shell Rock in Class 3A District 2 play on Friday. "Not necessarily the biggest stakes, but for our program at this time to come in to Waverly and win, it's just huge. The kids should really be excited and proud."

Huge doesn't begin to describe it.

The Lynx (4-2, 3-1 District 2) not only grabbed a signature road win against a Waverly-Shell Rock (1-5, 1-3 District 2) team that Howard called "one of the best 1-5 teams in the state," but they did it in comeback fashion to remain in second-place alongside Charles City in the district standings.

Up 13-0 early only to give up the lead and momentum in the third quarter, Webster City relied on its playmaker to turn the tide for good. And he delivered.

Nate Treibel returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown with 4 minutes 10 seconds remaining in the third quarter, and Branden Roberts tacked on the two-point conversion on a pass from Brent Nelson to push Webster City to the 21-14 cushion. The game and maybe even the season were saved in those 15 seconds or so that it took Treibel to dance his way out of trouble near the sideline and then out-run the Go-Hawks to the end zone.

And to think, Treibel was a split-second away from stopping himself.

"I thought I was going to call for a fair catch, but at the last second I just decided to go for it," Treibel, who has returned two punts for touchdowns this season, said. "(W-SR) had all the momentum. We were down and needed something real big and I guess that was it."

Treibel would never have reached the end zone had it not been for the hustle of Eric Sletten, who came out of nowhere to take out two Go-Hawk defenders with a punishing block 30 yards from the goal line. It allowed Treibel to stroll the remainder of the way down the field.

"That's a kid who has busted his hind-end and done everything we've asked," Howard said of Sletten. "You know, I read something last week about how team is everybody getting to play all the time. Team is having a role, busting your butt, being committed, being thrilled when the team wins and you had a part in it, and that's Eric Sletten."

Webster City's defense, which looked shaky on back-to-back Go-Hawk scoring drives at the end of the second quarter and beginning of the third quarter, came to life following Treibel's exploits. Free safety Alex Davis came up with his fourth interception of the season on W-SR's ensuing possession and then the Lynx forced a punt with 3:45 left in regulation on what turned out to be the Go-Hawks final chance to put points on the board.

The Lynx were able to chew the remaining time off the clock, keyed by a fourth-and-one conversion at the W-SR 42 on a sneak up the middle by Nelson with a little over two minutes to go.

Howard says it's a good thing he listened to his players.

"I was absolutely going to punt, but the kids wanted to go for it and, by god, it's those kids' season and that's the attitude we want," he said.

W-SR amassed 463 yards of total offense to Webster-City's 265 and the Go-Hawks moved the chains with much more frequency, 21-9. But the Lynx forced three turnovers, including a fumble when W-SR was knocking at the door at their 2-yard line early in the second quarter.

"The defense hung in there pretty well and we didn't really break," Howard said.

A slew of players stepped up defensively for the Lynx, but maybe none bigger than senior lineman Nate Sego. His job was to stuff the Go-Hawks' bread-and-butter fullback trap and he won more battles than he lost. W-SR fullback Andrew Wright finished with 108 yards, but he needed 28 carries to get there.

"Sego did a great job and he hadn't played defensive line before (this year), so he's learning on the job," Howard said.

Sego finished with five tackles. Tyler Mosbach led the unit with 11, Treibel had nine and Ben Rasmussen collected eight.

The Go-Hawks also muffed a punt at their own 24-yard line in the second quarter and Webster City's Clayton Nessa fell on top of it. One play later Nelson hooked up with Treibel on a 24-yard TD pass to give the Lynx a 13-0 edge.

Kevin Kannuan put Webster City on the scoreboard early, courtesy of a 53-yard scamper around the right end and to the house with 9:37 left in the first quarter. The senior wingback carried the ball seven times for 76 yards in the game.

"It was an inside handoff and there was just a huge hole there because the linemen did their job," Kannuan said. "I just followed them."

Lynx tailback John Hill pounded out 110 ground yards on 19 totes - his fourth straight 100-yard game. But he left the game with 8 minutes left after taking a vicious hit to the head as he rolled out looking to throw a halfback pass.

Nelson completed 4 of 6 throws for 56 yards.

W-SR quarterback Brandon Steggall accounted for both of his team's touchdowns. He moved the Go-Hawks 81 yards in just 57 seconds - completing 4 of 5 passes for 68 yards along the way - late in the first half to cut Webster City's lead to 13-7 at intermission. He connected with Jacob Reinhardt on a 32-yard TD toss.

Steggall dove into the end zone from 1 yard out early in the third quarter. He completed 11 of 14 passes for 139 yards and ran for another 76 on the night.

Webster City now goes from one big game to another. Howard's crew will load up for the long road trip to Charles City (5-1, 3-1 District 2) on Friday where sole possession of second-place in the district will be on the line.

"All the doors are still open for us," Howard said.