WEBSTER CITY – A school-record 11 wins, just one loss, a district championship and a spot in the Class 3A state quarterfinals – those team successes were all any of Webster City’s football players cared about during a 21?2-month journey that they won’t soon forget.

Still, individual achievements are pretty nice, too.

And on that front, the Lynx cleaned up.

Four Webster City players landed on the Iowa Newspaper Association’s Class 3A all-state teams, which were announced today, including three on the coveted first team. Only Pella, the winners of back-to-back state championships, had more first-team players with four.

Senior running back Gavin Dinsdale, senior linebacker Victor Jergens and senior defensive back Landon Daniels earned the first-team slots. Sophomore offensive lineman Cooper Lawson was named to the second team.

WCHS head coach Bob Howard touted the skills and achievements of his players throughout the season, and to have them now earn the recognition, well, it put a smile on his face.

“I think it’s really great for all of those guys,” Howard said. “Being named all-state is always recognition for a lot of hard work and it’s also a reflection of team success. You don’t get four on the all-state teams if you’re 1-8.

“For those kids individually, especially for those three seniors, that’s four years of a lot of hard work.”

No player, maybe in the entire state, came out of nowhere quite like Daniels, who was a part-time starter in the secondary as a junior. But hard work and intelligence propelled him into the conversation as one of the best cover corners in the class.

“Nobody would have looked at (Daniels) four years ago and said that’s an all-state player,” Howard said. “He made himself into that. He made himself into a great football player, one of the best defensive backs I’ve ever coached.”

Never the fastest or most athletic player on the field, the 6-foot-1, 170-pound defensive back very rarely was out of position, and his technique led to nine interceptions – tops in 3A. Locked in one-on-one coverage on the outside, he continually rose to the occasion and, eventually, teams got the hint and quit throwing his way.

“I thought he was going to be an awfully good defensive back for us, but that’s beyond what I would have imagined,” Howard said of Daniels, who also made 26 solo tackles this fall. “People kept throwing at him and, really, they shouldn’t have.”

Dinsdale, the Lynx behemoth 6-2, 235-pound tailback, thrived in spite of the heavy weight of expectations – sometimes unfair expectations – that he carried on his back into each and every game.

Staring at one overloaded defense after another, Dinsdale simply put his head down and went to work. And when it was over, he had accumulated 1,958 yards rushing and 29 touchdowns on the season. He will leave WCHS with career records for yards rushing (3,634) and rushing touchdowns (55).

Not bad for a kid that had carried the ball a whopping three times prior to the start of his junior season.

“Everybody knew he was going to be good and when you have those kind of expectations, sometimes it’s hard to become a team-first person, but he absolutely did,” Howard said. “Gavin became an excellent leader for us … he had a fantastic year and a fantastic football career.”

Dinsdale rushed for more than 100 yards in the final 11 games of the season, twice surpassing the 200-yard mark. He was at his best in the Lynx three playoff games where he went off for 150, 191 and 274 yards with three touchdowns in each.

As good as Daniels and Dinsdale were all season, a strong case could be made for Jergens as the team’s most valuable player. A returning starter at defensive end, the 6-3, 240-pounder made the shift to middle linebacker for his senior season and was nothing short of spectacular.

Game after game, Jergens proved he was the best defender on the field with his speed and instincts, and was a big reason why the Lynx defense surrendered fewer than 20 points per game.

“I thought he could be pretty good (at linebacker) because of how big and fast he was, but I sure didn’t think he’d pick up reading guards and things like that as fast as he did,” Howard said. “He has great football instincts.

“I’m really glad to see he (was named all-state) because he sure deserved it. He just had a fantastic year.”

Jergens finished the season with 85 solo tackles, the third-highest total in 3A, and 981?2 tackles in all. He was the Lynx leader in tackles nearly every week and piled up double-digit totals in three consecutive games against Carroll, Algona and Greene County in the middle of the season. He also led the team in sacks with 10.

Lawson was one of just six sophomores to be named to the 3A all-state teams – an indication of his talent and sky-is-the-limit potential. He acted as the Lynx primary pulling guard on the majority of the team’s runs to the outside with Dinsdale and wingback Payton Kannuan, who also surpassed 1,000 yards on the season.

At times, Lawson was nothing short of punishing, as his blocks created a stir in the stands from the fans.

WCHS averaged 343 yards rushing per game and eclipsed 400 yards on four occasions. Lawson’s speed and explosiveness up front was a big reason for the ground success.

“As we did our highlight tapes and the more and more I watched, it became apparent just how good Cooper was,” Howard said. “He did a really good job of getting around the corner and it was play after play after play.

“He can be the best offensive lineman I’ve coached and that’s a pretty big statement. He has a very bright future if he takes advantage of his opportunities.”

In addition to the all-state teams, the INA also named captains in all six classes. They include Shaun Beyer of Cedar Rapids Kennedy (4A), Noah Clayberg of Pella (3A), Logan Backhaus of Spirit Lake (2A), Carson Lensing of South Winneshiek (1A), Colton Dinsdale of Gladbrook-Reinbeck (A) and Ben Specht of MMC (8-man).