LAST YEAR — Webster City escaped with a 21-14 win, thanks in part to a tipped pass caught in the end zone by a Lynx receiver. Avery Fuhs passed for only 46 yards, but the Lynx ran for 324 yards on 59 carries. Gavin Dinsdale had 142 yards on 31 rushes and Fuhs 78 yards on 13 carries. Perry was 10-of-15 for 177 yards in the air, with Ryan Rathje 6-of-9 for 135 yards and a touchdown. The Bluejays ran 30 times for 108 yards, with the defense led in tackles by Joe Olvera (11), Eli Saemisch (9), Adan Medina (8) and Tyler Soll (7).
ABOUT THE LYNX — Ranked fifth in the RadioIowa poll, Webster City is second in Class 3A with 2,224 rushing yards, which has generated 25 TDs. Among foes both teams have played, the Lynx own wins of 42-19 against Gilbert, of 35-26 at Carroll, of 42-13 against Algona and of 36-34 at Greene County.
Avery Fuhs is 32-62-2 for 621 yards and 7 TDs passing, with all seven scores going to Alec Fuhs, who has 19 catches for 449 yards. No other receiver has caught five or more passes.
The Lynx use an old-style offense, the single wing. The quarterback, or “spinner back” often turns his back to the line of scrimmage after a snap. There are multiple looks and movements, all designed to disguise who has the ball and where it is going. Unless a defensive line can get into the legs of the offensive linemen and slow the trapping, pulling style of blocking, the offense can generate big numbers.
Senior tailback Dinsdale is 6-1 and 235 pounds and while not possessed of great speed is a load carrying the ball and often has a head of steam built up before linebackers or much smaller defensive backs are even aware he has the ball. He has carried 191 times for 908 yards and 15 TDs so far, with Avery Fuhs having 626 yards and three TDs on 88 carries while Payton Kannuan has 5 TDs and 615 yards on 73 rushes.
Victor Jergens has 58.5 tackles to lead the defense, numbers which include four sacks and seven tackles for loss. The team has recovered five fumbles and made nine interceptions and have three scores on punt returns — two of which have come from blocked punts.
ABOUT THE BLUEJAYS — Winless Perry faces their toughest task of the year, but an upset would make the season, and considering that the team played a host Webster City team tough last year gives reason for optimism.
The defense has yielded 230 points in seven games, but much of that is a factor of simply being on the field too often, as the offense has been unable to mount sustained drives.
Perry has scored just five offensive touchdowns this year and has rushed for a 3A-low 481 yards. Saemisch (60-245), Taviar Lucas (34-150, 1 TD) and Gage Welch (36-150) have provided almost all the yardage; the team total reflects yards lost to quarterback sacks.
Rathje is 74-131-5 for 558 yards and three TDs, two of them to Lucas and one to Medina. Reserve Wyatt Halling’s last-second, tipped 50-yard TD to Lucas is the other aerial score.
Lucas has caught 37 passes for 287 yards, but most have been on short swing routes, as a 7.8 average per catch attests. Marcus Meri (11-134), Jacob Thompson (9-87), Medina (7-49) and Saemisch (8-31) have also been involved.
While the overall numbers are low, they do represent an upward trend, as the offense had shown signs of clicking before last week’s loss to Greene County, the third time the Jays have been shut out this season.
Sophomore linebacker Mark Campos leads the team with 45 tackles, with Solomon Pierce adding 42.5 tackles, Olvera 36 stops, Saemisch 33 and Kade VanKirk 31. Saemisch has eight tackles for negative yardage and Pierce seven.
The defense has come away with six interceptions and made four fumble recoveries, returning one of each for scores.
PROBABLE STARTERS
PERRY Offense WEBSTER CITY Defense
No. Pos. Name Yr. Ht. Wt. No. Pos. Name Yr. Ht. Wt.
72 LT Joe Olvera 12 6-2 270 99 DE Cole Briese 11 6-1 180
67 LG Tyler Soll 11 6-0 265 51 DT Cooper Lawson 10 6-2 250
79 C Gil Garcia 12 5-8 245 60 NG James Cherry 10 5-10 210
71 RG Alonzo Zarate 12 5-8 210 35 DE Gavin Dinsdale 12 6-1 235
66 RT J.R. McCord 12 6-0 255 52 LB Victor Jergens 12 6-2 235
84 TE Marcus Meri 12 6-1 180 11 LB Ryan Ferrari 12 5-9 175
4 QB Ryan Rathje 12 6-4 170 1 LB James Van Diest 11 5-11 160
35 FB Adan Medina 11 6-1 185 4 CB Alec Fuhs 12 5-10 150
27 TB Eli Saemisch 12 6-0 190 87 CB Landon Daniels 12 6-1 165
22 WR Jacob Thompson 12 5-10 160 22 SS Jordan Moen 12 6-2 180
13 WR Tavier Lucas 12 5-10 190 17 FS Sean Vogelbacher 12 6-1 180
8 PK Ivan Garcia 12 5-5 145 13 P Cole Reigelsberger 12 5-10 220
PERRY Defense WEBSTER CITY Offense
No. Pos. Name Yr. Ht. Wt. No. Pos. Name Yr. Ht. Wt.
83 DE Solomon Pierce 12 6-3 190 52 T Victor Jergens 12 6-2 235
72 DT Joe Olvera 12 6-2 270 51 G Cooper Lawson 10 6-2 250
67 DT Tyler Soll 11 6-0 265 58 C Dalton Draeger 12 5-11 265
53 DE Tanner Darr 12 5-11 185 65 G Ashton High 11 5-11 215
26 OLB Nic Fellom 11 5-8 150 55 T Zac Lucero 11 5-10 235
35 MLB Adan Medina 11 6-1 185 24 QB Avery Fuhs 12 5-10 150
27 OLB Eli Saemisch 12 6-0 190 17 FB Sean Vogelbacher 12 6-1 180
22 CB Jacob Thompson 12 5-10 160 35 TB Gavin Dinsdale 12 6-1 235
15 FS Brandon Juarez 11 5-9 155 13 TE Cole Reigelsberger 12 5-10 220
2 SS Kade VanKirk 12 5-8 140 4 SE Alec Fuhs 12 5-10 150
8 CB Ivan Garcia 12 5-5 145 31 WB Payton Kannuan 11 5-7 140
22 P Jacob Thompson 12 5-10 160 87 PK Landon Daniels 12 6-1 165
DISTRICT 2
| District | Overall | Point Diff Avg |
|||||
| Win | Loss | Tie | Win | Loss | Tie | ||
| Webster City | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 9.25 |
| Carroll | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 7.50 |
| Boone | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Algona | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | -0.60 |
| Humboldt | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | -0.60 |
| Greene County | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | -2.25 |
| Perry | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | -13.00 |
Friday’s Games
Webster City at Perry
Boone at Greene County
Carroll at Algona
Forest City at Humboldt (ND)
