Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Grant Williams of Fort Dodge makes a catch for a touchdown against Webster City on Friday inside Dodger Stadium.

There are nights when a coach simply tips his cap to the opposition and goes right back to work with his team.

Fort Dodge’s Nik Moser was in that kind of mood following his squad’s 62-23 loss to Webster City on a misty evening inside Dodger Stadium Friday.

Junior bulldozer Jaxon Cherry had 27 carries for 245 yards and six touchdowns as the Lynx (3-2 overall, 1-0 in Class 4A, District 1) methodically and efficiently took care of business with their trademark spin offense attack. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Cherry was simply too much for the Dodgers (2-3, 0-1) to handle a week after he tore apart Mason City to the tune of 247 yards and four scores.

“They’re very good,” Moser said. “Physical. Aggressive. Cherry is the real deal. And for as impressive as they were offensively, their defense fires to the ball with basically the same cast of characters. It’s just a really solid all-around football team…I think they’re better than they were a year ago (when the Lynx went 7-2 and captured the district title).

“This was a tough matchup and a tough night. The bottom line is Webster City took it to us and we’re a 2-3 ballclub that needs to rally around each other instead of sulking or pointing fingers. It’s on me and it’s on us to learn from this, flush it and get better.”

Cherry was flanked by standout backfield mates CJ Hisler and Ty McKinney — both seniors and three-year starters who also ripped off large chunks of yardage almost at will. The 195-pound Hisler had 14 carries for 204 yards; the 180-pound McKinney contributed 19 for 186 and three scores of his own.

The three-headed monster either galloped or walloped their way down the field, depending on the circumstance; the offensive line was dominant, but Cherry, Hisler and McKinney also shed defenders with stellar speed or brute strength.

The Lynx attempted only two passes — relatively common for them, but also, conducive to the dreary, wet weather. Sixty five of their offensive snaps were rushes, and 20 went for a run of 15 or more yards — though none for more than 50. Webster City amassed 32 first downs and 649 total yards on the ground alone.

Somewhat lost in the shuffle was just how good the visitors were defensively as well. All-state quarterback Connor Carver did throw for exactly 200 yards, but it took him 39 attempts in a persistent drizzle to get there. The Lynx allowed only nine total rushing yards from scrimmage, with Cherry and many of the same names turning around and leading the charge on the other side of the ball.

“We had a hard time protecting Connor and our receivers struggled to gain separation and get open,” Moser said. “We have to be better and more consistent with our execution. I don’t want to take anything away from Webster City, but we still have a lot of things we need to clean up in a short period of time. We aren’t getting any free passes in our district. We have Spencer next, and they’re another strong, physical program. We have to match both the physical and mental intensity of our opponents the rest of the way in order to stay on the right track.”

Junior Grant Williams caught a pair of 41-yard touchdown passes from Carver, and senior Javion Jondle returned a kickoff 96 yards for a score in the third quarter. It was Jondle’s second kickoff return for a TD of the season and fourth in his career.

“We had some positive moments,” Moser said. “There are a lot of opportunities in front of us, but it all depends on how we respond and stick together.”

The Dodgers visit the Tigers (4-1, 1-0) on Friday. Spencer doubled up Denison-Schleswig last night, 28-14.

Webster City, meanwhile, heads to Le Mars (4-1, 1-0). The Tigers smashed Storm Lake, 49-10.

FD WC

First Downs 11 32

Rushes-Yards 11-9 65-649

Passing Yards 200 13

Comp-Att-Int 14-39-1 1-2-0

Total Offense 209 662

Punts 5-33.0 0-0

Fumbles-Lost 1-0 1-0

Penalties-Yards 1-15 6-45

Webster City 7 20 29 6 — 62

Fort Dodge 0 8 15 0 — 23

Scoring Summary

Webster City — Jaxon Cherry (4-yard run), 1:52 left first quarter. Ty McKinney kick.

Webster City — McKinney (3-yard run), 10:06 left second. Kick failed.

Webster City — McKinney (9-yard run), 6:11 left second. McKinney run.

Fort Dodge — Gavin Williams (41-yard pass from Connor Carver), 4:00 left second. Javion Jondle run.

Webster City — Cherry (7-yard run), 1:25 left second. Kick failed.

Webster City — Cherry (2-yard run), 7:24 left third. McKinney run.

Fort Dodge — Jondle (96-yard kickoff return), 7:08 left third. Parker Schillerstrom kick.

Webster City — McKinney (7-yard run), 3:49 left third. Kick failed.

Webster City — Cherry (23-yard run), 2:42 left third. McKinney run.

Fort Dodge — Williams (41-yard pass from Carver), 1:59 left third. Jondle pass from Carver.

Webster City — Cherry (22-yard run), 4:08 left fourth. Kick failed.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Fort Dodge: Orion Larson-Trott 3-7, Connor Carver 7-3, Javion Jondle 1-(minus-1). Webster City: Jaxon Cherry 27-245, CJ Hisler 14-204, Ty McKinney 19-186, Cael Nixon 2-21, Jayden Weinzetl 1-2, Camden Schultz 1-1, Team 1-(minus-8).

PASSING — Fort Dodge: Connor Carver 14-39-1-200. Webster City: Ty McKinney 1-2-0-13, Camden Schultz 0-0-0-0.

RECEIVING — Fort Dodge: Grant Williams 3-98, Nate Opande 4-48, Javion Jondle 4-28, Ty Adams 3-24. Webster City: Keegan Hisler 1-13.