PERFECTION
No. 7 Lynx pile up 10 TDs, run Boone off the field early
Jaxon Cherry (24), Devon Stoakes (16) and CJ Hisler (back) celebrate following Hisler’s 26-yard interception return for a touchdown during the second quarter against Boone on Friday. No. 7-ranked Webster City crushed the Toreadors, 69-14, to wrap up the program’s 17th undefeated regular season all-time. DFJ photo/Troy Banning
WEBSTER CITY — This was the plan all along. Even back in June and July, when it looked like there might not be a season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the goal posts never moved.
Unbeaten. Blemish-free. Perfect.
Pick whichever you want. They all describe the Webster City football team.
The party could have began following a pair of pick-6s in a span of five minutes of the second quarter Friday night, but the seventh-ranked Lynx waited until they were tucked inside the shed that sits next to the field to celebrate following their 69-14 spanking of Class 3A District 2 rival Boone.
WCHS (7-0, 5-0) wrapped up the 17th undefeated regular season in the 124-year history of the program in dominant fashion. Six different players accounted for the team’s 10 touchdowns, and the Lynx gouged Boone (0-7, 0-5) for 423 rushing yards.
WCHS tailback Trey Mathis (32) breaks free for a 59-yard touchdown run during the first quarter against Boone on Friday. He rushed for 158 yards and four touchdowns in a 69-14 Lynx win. DFJ photo/Troy Banning
It was never close.
“This entire COVID, no matter what, we were in the weight room, at speed training, putting in the work and this is what it was for,” WCHS senior offensive lineman Trey Shannon said. “We’re 7-0 and district champs.”
It’s the 12th unbeaten regular season in the 44th-year career of head coach Bob Howard and his second with the Lynx. And he’s cherished every single one of them.
“I’m very proud because it ain’t easy,” Howard said. “It’s special and I feel very blessed for the kids that I’ve been able to coach. It’s been a lot of good kids.”
WCHS all-state tailback Trey Mathis rushed for 158 yards and four touchdowns on just 13 carries. He moved into eighth place on the Lynx all-time rushing leaderboard — he has accrued 2,476 yards since he took over the starting role in 2019 — and his 39 rushing TDs has him tied for sixth all-time.
WCHS cornerback Ty McKinney (10) breaks up a pass intended for Boone’s Marcus McPartland late in the first half on Friday at Lynx Field. DFJ photo/Troy Banning
Mathis added a fifth score on a 41-yard interception return to the house with 4:17 left in the first half that increased the Lynx lead to 34-0. Just five minutes earlier, CJ Hisler picked off Boone quarterback Morgan Smith, cut all the way across the field and went 26-yards to the end zone.
Mathis has scored 12 — TWELVE! — TDs in the last two weeks. And WCHS is averaging 55 points per game over the last three weeks.
“It feels amazing, but it doesn’t matter if it’s me or CJ or Chase (Rattenborg), a touchdown is a touchdown and we’re just getting them,” Mathis, who scored on rushes of 1, 59, 8 and 20 yards, said. “This keeps the momentum and every week we just keep getting better and better.”
The 69 points scored were the most by WCHS since a 69-28 win over Iowa Falls-Alden on Sept. 2, 2011. It was also the Lynx 10th consecutive victory over Boone.
The win and district crown, the third for the Lynx under Howard and first since 2016, set up a first-round postseason bye. Gilbert and Mason City — two teams WCHS beat earlier this season by a combined score of 96-20 — will meet on Friday with the winner advancing to face the Lynx on Oct. 23.
WCHS spinback Austin Mason is tackled after crossing the goal line on a 15-yard touchdown run during the fourth quarter against Boone on Friday. The Lynx rushed for 423 yards in a 69-14 rout. DFJ photo/Troy Banning
But don’t expect WCHS to sit back and relax during its off week.
“You can’t treat it like a bye week,” Tyler Olson, an all-state senior free safety who also had an interception against Boone, said. “You’ve got to treat it like you’re playing a game on Friday.”
Ten different ball carriers got in on the fun against the Toreadors. Freshman Jaxon Cherry got just one carry, but he made the most of it — a 65-yard burst over the right side for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. Earlier in the period, Ty McKinney burst through the middle and went 27 yards to the end zone. And with just 1:07 remaining, Austin Mason — the third spinback of the evening for the Lynx — went off tackle to the right and scored from 15 yards out.
Starting spinback Chase Rattenborg lugged the ball just four times, but chewed up 51 yards. He also caught the Toreadors napping and hit Olson with a 21-yard touchdown pass over the middle less than two minutes into the second quarter.
Connor Hanson took over for Mathis at tailback early in the third quarter and picked up 55 yards on six totes. McKinney finished with 39 yards.
Ryan Zuetlau with the QB sack on Friday. DFJ photo/Troy Banning
The five WCHS rushers with at least four carries — Mathis, Hanson, Rattenborg, McKinney and CJ Hisler — combined to average 9.6 yards per tote.
The final 26 minutes, 35 seconds of game time were played under a running clock.
The Lynx led 41-0 at half. With the margin at 48 points in the third, Olson showed mercy when he picked off Toreadors’ back-up quarterback Cole Burge. Wide open real estate awaited Olson, but instead of racing down field, he simply stepped out of bounds.
“There might have been a lot of green, but I didn’t even look,” Olson said. “Up 48-0, I don’t think you should try to run it back.”
Boone notched a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes, as Burge hooked up with Marcus McPartland on long throws of 80 and 31 yards. But it was way, way … way too little, too late.
Smith and Burge combined to complete 16 of 29 passes for 297 yards. But Boone turned the ball over four times leading to 28 WCHS points. Cherry also had a strip sack and fumble recovery deep in Toreador territory in the second quarter.
Mathis was equally dominant on the defensive side of the ball. He accrued a game-high 91⁄2 tackles, including a sack and three tackles for loss. Hanson and Ryan Zuetlau joined Mathis and Cherry with a sack.
McKinney added six tackles and Skyler Scott finished with 51⁄2. Devon Stoakes had 41⁄2, Jamin Stuhr four.
“Our offense fed off our defense and our defense fed off our offense,” Mathis said. “On defense, we just made sure to keep the pressure on all game.”
SCORING SUMMARY
Boone 0 0 0 14 — 14
Webster City 14 27 7 21 — 69
First Quarter
WC — Trey Mathis 1 run (Ty McKinney kick), 10:15.
WC — Mathis 59 run (McKinney kick), 1:44.
Second Quarter
WC — Tyler Olson 21 pass from Chase Rattenborg (McKinney kick), 10:37.
WC — CJ Hisler 26 INT return (McKinney kick).
WC — Mathis 41 INT return (kick failed), 4:17.
WC — Mathis 8 run (McKinney kick), 2:35.
Third Quarter
WC — Mathis 20 run (McKinney kick), 8:36.
Fourth Quarter
BO — Marcus McPartland 80 pass from Cole Burge (run failed), 11:49.
WC — McKinney 27 run (McKinney kick), 9:41.
BO — McPartland 30 pass from Burge (Tegan Bock pass from Burge), 6:40.
WC — Jaxon Cherry 65 run (McKinney kick), 5:34.
WC — Austin Mason 15 run (McKinney kick), 1:07.
TEAM STATISTICS
BO WC
First downs 9 13
Rushing 0 10
Passing 8 1
Penalty 1 2
Rushes-yards 25-7 40-423
Passing yards 297 34
Comp-Att-INT 16-29-3 2-3-0
Return yards 124 92
Sacked-yards lost 4-23 0-0
Punts-Ave 2-35 1-39
Fumbles-lost 3-1 2-1
Penalties-yards 9-93 5-56
Time of Possession 25:50 22:10
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Webster City Lynx
RUSHING
Player Att Yds TD
Trey Mathis 13 158 4
Jaxon Cherry 1 65 1
Connor Hanson 6 55 0
Chase Rattenborg 4 51 0
Ty McKinney 4 39 1
Austin Mason 2 16 1
CJ Hisler 6 14 0
Jordan Vankham 1 11 0
Kyzer Stanley 2 9 0
Tristen Maxwell 1 5 0
PASSING
Player Com Att Yds TD
C. Rattenborg 2 3 34 1
RECEIVING
Player Rec Yds TD
Tyler Olson 1 21 1
Jack Van Diest 1 13 0
Tackles
Player So Ast Tot
Trey Mathis 8 3 91⁄2
Ty McKinney 5 2 6
Skyler Scott 5 1 51⁄2
Devon Stoakes 4 1 41⁄2
Jamin Stuhr 3 2 4
CJ Hisler 3 1 31⁄2
Connor Hanson 3 1 31⁄2
Jack Van Diest 2 1 21⁄2
Trey Lyons 2 0 2
Jaxon Cherry 1 2 2
Tyler Olson 1 1 11⁄2
Tyler Moothart 1 0 1
Austin Mason 1 0 1
Charlie Stansfield 1 0 1
Gage Rossing 1 0 1
Ryan Zuetlau 1 0 1
Boone Toreadors
RUSHING
Player Att Yds TD
Landon Davis 11 24 0
Jayden Angle 3 2 0
Seth Morris 2 1 0
Morgan Smith 6 -5 0
Cole Burge 3 -15 0
PASSING
Player Com Att Yds TD
Cole Burge 8 12 184 2
Morgan Smith 8 17 113 0
RECEIVING
Player Rec Yds TD
Marcus McPartland 4 147 2
Tegan Bock 5 52 0
Garrett McKnight 2 44 0
Cole Burge 2 29 0
Jacob Judge 3 25 0
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- Jaxon Cherry (24), Devon Stoakes (16) and CJ Hisler (back) celebrate following Hisler’s 26-yard interception return for a touchdown during the second quarter against Boone on Friday. No. 7-ranked Webster City crushed the Toreadors, 69-14, to wrap up the program’s 17th undefeated regular season all-time. DFJ photo/Troy Banning
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- WCHS spinback Austin Mason is tackled after crossing the goal line on a 15-yard touchdown run during the fourth quarter against Boone on Friday. The Lynx rushed for 423 yards in a 69-14 rout. DFJ photo/Troy Banning
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- WCHS tailback Trey Mathis (32) breaks free for a 59-yard touchdown run during the first quarter against Boone on Friday. He rushed for 158 yards and four touchdowns in a 69-14 Lynx win. DFJ photo/Troy Banning
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- WCHS cornerback Ty McKinney (10) breaks up a pass intended for Boone’s Marcus McPartland late in the first half on Friday at Lynx Field. DFJ photo/Troy Banning
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- Ryan Zuetlau with the QB sack on Friday. DFJ photo/Troy Banning