1st Round: November 3, 2008 vs. Carroll

Webster City falls to Carroll, 41-26, in 1st Round game

Despite falling behind 21-0, Lynx rally and fight to the very end

(Carroll)  It was a perfect night for a Iowa high school playoff game when the Webster City Lynx (7-4) took the field against the #8-ranked Carroll Tigers (11-0). While the Lynx were making their first appearance in the 3A playoffs since 1996, the Tigers have qualified the past three seasons and the game pitted Carroll’s passing attack, led by quarterback Blake Haluska, versus the Lynx’s running game featuring 1,300 yard running back John Hill.

On paper, this was going to be a great game.

However, as we all know, games aren’t played on paper and before either Lynx players or fans could blink, the score was 21-0 in favor of Carroll as the Tigers opened up the game with a 71-touchdown reception followed by 21-and 33-yard touchdown strikes; included in the mix was a Carroll onside kick (recovered by the Tigers) and a 3-and-out drive by the Lynx. However, as they have all season, the Lynx didn’t fold and although they were facing the potential of being down by four touchdowns, the Lynx defense stepped up and at the end of the 1st quarter, DB Nate Treibel made the first of his three interceptions of the night to give the offense great field position. Several plays later and only :03 seconds into the 2nd quarter, Hill scored from 4-yards out to narrow the deficit 21-7. Seemingly, it was go-time.

“In my 30-plus years of coaching,” commented Lynx head coach Bob Howard, “I haven’t seen very many other teams as fast on offense as Carroll. Nothing against our kids, but you can’t simulate that in practice just as I’m sure they can’t simulate our rushing attack—but the bottom line is in the playoffs, you can’t spot someone three touchdowns and then expect to win. Our kids fought to the end and I’m very proud of them as six weeks ago we probably would have folded and lost 50-0 but these players have invested too much time into the season and it showed. I thought we did an excellent job of coming back and making a game of it—heck, we even had two chances to tie and take the lead in the second half.”

Howard was referring to the fact that after the Lynx’s initial touchdown, both the Lynx and Tigers then traded scores on their next four possessions which included a Carroll 70-yard touchdown reception which was countered by a 19-yard touchdown throw from QB Brent Nelson to WB Kevin Kannuan. The Tigers then scored again on a 10-yard throw which was then matched by the Lynx on the next possession when Nelson hooked up to WR Karl Peterson on a 14-yard strike to make the score 35-20 with less then two minutes remaining in the 1st half. The ensuing onside kick was then recovered by Webster City and immediately Nelson again hooked up with Kannuan with a 18-yard pass to put the Lynx n Carroll’s 22-yard line with only :07 seconds left in the half However, Nelson’s pass to Peterson in the endzone as time ran out was intercepted at the goal line.

“Brent played a good game tonight and well all season, “ said Howard of his spinback who has started for the Webster City the past three seasons, “he’s come a long way from where he was last year and helped his team not only make the playoffs, but lead them to a 7-4 record.” Nelson finished the night with 8 completions out 17 attempts for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

In the 2nd half Webster City took the opening kickoff and drove 60-yards inside Carroll’s 20-yard line in 7 ½ minutes before a 4th-and-2 pass from Nelson to Treibel was dropped. “That was certainly a momentum stopper,” said Howard, “because had we converted and then scored, we would have only been down by a touchdown with a little over a quarter left; we used up a lot of the clock and moved the ball well but came up short on the drive.” On their next series Carroll was driving the ball before Treibel again intercepted Halsuka and although the Lynx again drove inside the Red Zone, were unable to convert. Treibel then snagged his final interception of the game—notable because coming into the game Haluska had only thrown 4 interceptions the entire season—and returned it to Carroll’s 6-yard line to set up Webster City’s final score of the game when Hill plowed across the goal line from 2-yards out to make the score 35-26.

Unfortunately, that would be as close as the Lynx would get and their last drive stalled inside their own 30-yard line on 4th-and-18 when Nelson’s final pass to Treibel fell incomplete; with less than a minute left, Carroll then scored on an 8-yard touchdown run to seal the deal, 41-26.

“We had our chances,” said Howard, “and I credit our kids for fighting until the end but penalties killed us on both sides of the ball.” Howard was referencing to the fact that the Lynx were flagged 11 times for 90 total yards and added, “Kids don’t make penalties on purpose and for a team that was picked by the ‘experts’ to finish seventh out of eight teams in our District—well, I would say we did pretty well this season for being a bunch of ‘nobodies’.”

Offensively, Hill led the Lynx on the ground with 124 yards on 23 carries and finished his senior year with 1,424 yards and 17 touchdowns; Hill’s rushing totals place him as Webster City’s No. 6 all-time single-season rushing leader and his total touchdowns place him No. 8 among five other former Lynx running backs. Career-wise, Hill rushed for 1,546 yards and 19 total touchdowns and the former places him No. 11 among statistical leaders just behind former Lynx (and current coach) Don Burton who ran for 1,630 yards from 1950-53. For the latter category, Hill is tied at No. 14 with former All-State and Simpson All-American running back Guy Leman. “He’s a great back,” said Howard, “but he also had a great line and he—along with everyone else—knows that. These senior and this entire team were very unselfish and that is one major reason why we were successful this year.”

Senior RB Ross Haren added 56 yards for the Lynx who rushed for a total of 208 yards while Peterson and Treibel both had 3 receptions for 95 total yards. Defensively, Webster City was led by OLB Tyler Mosbach (9 tackles), DB Alex Davis (6.5 tackles), LB Ben Rasmussen (5.5 tackles), Treibel (5 tackles, 3 interceptions), and OLB Bret Hilpipre (4 tackles).

Howard summarized the loss by saying, “It’s never fun to lose and in the playoffs—unless you win state—15 teams end the season with a loss. I will say that I gave a standing invitation to the current seniors because if I live long enough—eight or nine more years—I truly believe Webster City will be playing in the UNI-Dome and because these seniors are the class that got it turned around in just 11 months, they are welcome to come to the locker room when we do make it to the Dome.”

Most certainly if Lynx players follow Howard’s lead, Webster City won’t have to wait another 12 years to celebrate a season like 2008.