CARTER MICKELSON makes a touchdown-saving tackle against Gilbert on Friday at Lynx Field. (DFJ photo by David Borer)

One would be hard-pressed to find a more battle-tested group coming out of non-district play than the Webster City football squad.

The Lynx finished that portion of their schedule here Friday night, dropping a tough 34-21 decision to No. 6 (Class 4A) Gilbert.

Kaleb Hansen and Jaxon Griffith both rushed for over 100 yards, while Aiden Hrnicek scored two touchdowns to lead Webster City (1-3 overall).

Hansen went for 111 yards on just 14 carries with a 57-yard score, Griffith had 110 yards rushing and 33 yards receiving, and Hrnicek ran for 86 yards while completing two passes.

“All of our backs — Aiden, Kaleb and Jaxon — had nice games, which means our offensive line played well,” WCHS head coach Andy Brim said. “Rushing for 300 yards against a top-tier 4A team like Gilbert that had only allowed 380 yards rushing in the first three weeks (combined) is a big step in the right direction for our offense.”

Coyce Bertran and Carter Mickelson led the defense with six tackles each. Hrnicek had 4.5 stops and Grant Arends was in on three.

Israel Torres forced a fumble and made all three of his extra-point attempts.

“Defensively, we played well most of the time,” Brim said, “but when you play a well-coached offense like Gilbert, the two or three plays you don’t play well, you will pay for it.”

Cole Nohrenberg had two pancake blocks, and Boston Farley recorded one.

Webster City played Gilbert (4-0) even over the final 24 minutes after falling behind 20-7 at the break. Along with playing the Tigers, the Lynx have also squared off with No. 2 (3A) Clear Lake and fifth-ranked (4A) Fort Dodge since an opening week win over Iowa Falls-Alden.

Now is the start of district play, as Webster City heads to Humboldt in a meeting of North Central Conference rivals on Friday night. The game starts at 7 p.m. from Mason Maach Field.

“We’ve played a tough non-district schedule,” Brim said. “Hopefully that prepares us for what I’m sure is going to be one of the top 3A districts in the state.”