But as I sit here and contemplate this phenomenon, another idea strikes a nerve. We love sports for hundreds of reasons, of course, but at the crux of it all, at least for me, is the amazement.

To this day, I remember sitting in my great aunt’s tiny living room just days before my 10th birthday captivated as I watched Michael Jordan put up 63 points on the Boston Celtics in the spring of 1986. The day after my wedding and just hours before my wife and I left on our honeymoon, I vividly recall not wanting to blink for fear I would miss one second of Tiger Woods’ historical Sunday march around Pebble Beach on his way to a record-setting 15-stroke victory at the 2000 U.S. Open.

I could list these magical moments in sports history for days.

So what does any of this have to do with Webster City, you may ask? Whether or not you realize it, we’ve all been present for amazing feats over the last three years. That’s perhaps hyperbole, maybe even corny, but if that’s how I’m branded for writing this then so be it.

Three Glenwood defenders converge on Payton Kannuan during a Class 3A state semifinal game inside the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls last November. Kannuan, a WCHS senior, has been selected to play in the Shrine Bowl. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

I’m talking about you, Payton Kannuan.

Here’s the part where I tell you the reason for this diatribe. I explain how Kannuan, a Webster City senior and three-year varsity contributor in the Lynx backfield, has deservedly been selected to play in the 2017 Shrine Bowl this summer where he’ll suit up for the North Squad and head coach Greg Thomas of Humboldt. While that may be surprising to some, it’s not in the least bit to me and, honestly, it shouldn’t be to you either. The Shrine Bowl recognizes the state’s best and brightest prep football players and that’s Kannuan.

Of course, I have to mention for what has to be the 478th time (give or take a few hundred) that Kannuan is all of 5 feet, 5 inches tall and maybe — maybe — 145 pounds. He’s probably tired of it being mentioned (quit rolling your eyes Payton), but it is and will always be a central theme to his story.

As WCHS head football coach Bob Howard always says, Kannuan is short. He’s not small — have you seen his chiseled arms and legs? — and he’s certainly not weak.

“He’s probably the most outstanding little player I’ve had and I know that’s not the right word to use,” Howard, who has now sent five Lynx players to the Shrine Bowl in his decade at the helm, said. “I’ve had some awfully good wingbacks through the years and I think he’s arguably at the top. Payton has it all; he can obviously run, but he blocks, he catches and he can throw.”

DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Here’s why the size factor does have to enter the conversation: Just how many 5-5, 145-pound football players can match up to what Kannuan has accomplished? I sure as heck can’t think of many (or any) and I’ve watched a lot of Iowa high school football over the years.

His speed. His elusiveness. His power. His intelligence. His versatility. He, as much as anyone, was instrumental in the Lynx ascension to the Class 3A state championship game last fall and he, perhaps more than anyone, will be the toughest to replace in a few months.

“He makes just a huge hole,” Howard conceded. “We’re graduating other guys, but for who is going to be the hardest to replace, it will be Payton. Guys like Gavin Dinsdale, Keagan Parks, Boone Myers, (current Lynx junior) Cooper Lawson could be in that group … those types of athletes don’t come along very often and Payton absolutely belongs in that group.”

This past fall, Kannuan was one of 444 players in six classes to be named all-state by the Iowa Newspaper Association. None of the other 443 honorees were shorter and only four carried less weight. Let that sink in for a minute.

If you watched enough Lynx football, you can close your eyes and conjure up memories of Kannuan’s wow moments. The plays he darted past the defense. The moments when an unsuspecting linebacker or safety waited for the small kid wearing No. 31, only to be run over before they could blink.

I don’t need to rehash those stories. But there are many memories I have of him with the ball that make me smile.

Speaking of Kannuan with the ball, try to process this: He leaves WCHS as the No. 7 rusher all-time with 2,726 yards and he averaged 8.7 yards per tote over his career.

Some of the “yeah, but” people will point to the Lynx run-dominant offense and single-wing scheme to explain his yardage haul. They’ll also offer up that Kannuan played alongside two first-team all-state tailbacks in Dinsdale and Robert Frederiksen. Those people aren’t wrong, but I’d counter with no one averages nearly nine yards a carry in 3A football unless they’re supremely talented.

He had 13 performances where he rushed for at least 100 yards, including seven straight to close his junior season in 2015. His single-game career-best output of 200 yards came against none other than Humboldt and his Shrine Bowl coach in the 2015 playoffs.

But Kannuan’s rushing yards aren’t what amaze me the most.

As a passer, he made good on 80 percent of his throws — OK, he was only 4 of 5, but go with it here — and averaged 35 yards per completion.

As a receiver, he averaged 16.3 yards per catch.

On punts, he averaged 10.3 yards per return and twice took it to the house.

On kickoffs, he averaged 22.7 yards per return.

All totaled — rushing, throwing, receiving and returns — Kannuan piled up 3,979 yards in his career. And here’s the most impressive number I’ve got: The Lynx averaged — averaged, I say — 10.3 yards per play when he touched the ball. That is utterly mind-boggling.

Whether or not any of this impresses Kannuan himself is the big unknown. Quiet, shy and never one to gush about himself, he took his entire career in stride. He never made a big deal about his size, so why should any of us?

“It was just hard work, dedication and commitment every morning,” Kannuan said.

And to be one of the select few chosen for the Shrine Bowl? That means plenty.

“I was super surprised, but it’s just a great honor to represent Webster City and the children of the Shriners Hospital,” he said. “I’m going to have a good time and hopefully play a great game.”

I’ll end this with a plea, and it goes out to Greg Thomas. Kannuan let it slip that he’s likely to play defense, either at cornerback or safety, in his final game in a Lynx helmet on July 29 inside the UNI-Dome. You’ve got to put him in the backfield and give him the ball at least once, Coach Thomas. Let the entire statewide audience see what he can do.

No doubt, they’ll all be amazed, too.

SHRINE BOWLNOTES

When, Where: The 45th annual Iowa Shrine Bowl will be held on Saturday, July 29, inside the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Coaches: Humboldt head coach Greg Thomas will man the North Squad, while Norwalk head coach Paul Patterson will direct the South Squad.

Recent Lynx: Payton Kannuan is the fifth WCHS player to be selected to play in the Shrine Bowl over the past decade. The others are Jake Loffredo, Jonny Davis, Boone Myers and Gavin Dinsdale.