WEBSTER CITY – For all of the bickering that goes on between Avery and Alec Fuhs, the Webster City seniors have no problem putting their differences aside once they step between the lines.

The verbal exchanges end and instincts take over. It is twin telepathy? Maybe and maybe not, but they sure seem to land on the same page more often than not.

“We don’t have to say anything to each other. We just know what is going on in each other’s minds,” Avery Fuhs, the Lynx spinback, said after he and his brother had starring roles in No. 8-ranked (Class 3A) Webster City’s 21-7 victory over longtime rival Clear Lake in front of an appreciative crowd Friday night at Lynx Field. “When something good happens, we walk by each other and just high five.”

“When things go bad we obviously yell at each other, but then we also try to give each other confidence,” Alec Fuhs, the Lynx leading receiver, said. “It doesn’t happen all the time, but sometimes.”

There were plenty of appreciative nods in each other’s direction during Week 2 of the regular season, as WCHS (2-0) remained one of the 18 unbeaten 3A teams while ending a 19-year and 16-game drought against Clear Lake (0-2).

As the Lions loaded up in the box to slow down the WCHS ground attack, the twins connected on touchdown passes of 70 and 33 yards on the perimeter in the first half to stake the Lynx to a lead they would not relinquish.

Avery Fuhs had arguably the best passing game of his career – five completions for 149 yards and the two touchdowns against just one interception that didn’t hurt his team. It was a welcome sight following a Week 1 performance against Gilbert that he considered sub-par.

“I definitely knew I had to be a ton better than I was (against Gilbert) because I was horrendous,” Avery Fuhs said of the 1 of 7 showing. “You can’t just be a run team. You have to be a dual threat … it was nice to get a couple of completions, that always helps with confidence.”

Alec Fuhs hauled in four of those five completions and covered 135 yards. He also made a circus grab near the WCHS sideline in the second half that went for 25 yards on a third-and-long call.

Alec Fuhs had 23 receptions without a single touchdown in 2014. He reached the end zone on each of his first three catches in 2015.

“Obviously I knew about that, but I tried not to think about it,” Alec Fuhs said. “As long as we win it doesn’t matter.”

WCHS out-gained Clear Lake 346-299, including 197-133 on the ground. Senior tailback Gavin Dinsdale bullied his way to 120 yards and a touchdown while dealing with two, three and sometimes four Lions around his ankles and on his back. Avery Fuhs also ran for 54 yards on 12 totes.

The Lynx offensive line asserted its will, particularly in the second half when WCHS owned a time of possession advantage of four minutes.

“We ran off tackle pretty well in the second half and that’s what it needs to be,” WCHS head coach Bob Howard said. “I think the offensive line wore them down. Those guys had a good week of practice and it showed.”

Dinsdale, who rushed for 1,665 yards a year ago, needs just 122 more to reach 2,000 for his career – a feat reached by just 11 other players in program history. He knew nothing would come easy this fall, but his personal achievements aren’t what motivates him.

“I knew coming into this year it would be like this,” he said of the attention he has received. “I don’t care about my stats. Winning and this team are all I care about.”

Dinsdale’s 1-yard blast over the left side put WCHS up by two touchdowns with 1:20 remaining in the third quarter and the defense took over from there.

Clear Lake was limited to five yards rushing in the second half. Quarterback Zach Lester moved the chains methodically by competing 18 of 28 passes for 166 yards, but he was also sacked three times and fumbled once.

Defensive end Cole Briese got to Lester on fourth-and-12 from the WCHS 38 in the third quarter. Linebackers Victor Jergens and Ryan Ferrari tossed him to the turf on back-to-back plays that ended a scoring opportunity inside the Lynx 30 early in the fourth.

Briese made a game-high 71?2 tackles and combined with Ferrari (61?2) to make nine sole stops.

“It was more about sticking with (defensive) keys (in the second half),” Ferrari said. “We’re just there for each other.”

Clear Lake running back Carter Garrington accumulated 88 yards on the ground, but only 25 after halftime.

“They didn’t run one midline the first week and they ran lots of them in the first half,” Howard said. “They didn’t kill us with it, but it got them some first downs and it shakes the confidence of the linebackers. But we started tightening up in the first half on the move and the (assistant) coaches did a good job of getting it straightened out.”

Clear Lake’s only touchdown came off a short field late in the first quarter. Following a botched punt by WCHS, the Lions took over at the 31 and eventually punched it in on a 1-yard sweep by Parker Pitzen.

The lead didn’t last long.

It was just three plays later when the Fuhs boys hooked up on a 70-yard bomb down the Lions’ sideline on a third-and-11 call. Alec Fuhs got behind cornerback Tanner Berger and then outran him to the house after Avery Fuhs placed the ball perfectly.

Their 33-yard pass and catch over the middle less than three minutes into second quarter staked WCHS to a 14-7 halftime lead.

“Avery threw the ball well,” Howard said.

Sean Vogelbacher put the game on ice when he intercepted Lester with 3:31 remaining. Avery Fuhs took a knee on the final two plays of the game as the crowd roared its approval.

“It’s always nice to end a game like that. No stress or anything,” Avery Fuhs said.