Lynx defeat Comets 42-21

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

WEBSTER CITY — It comes down to making plays.

We’ve heard it said so often that it’s become easy to cast it off as a platitude.

But in football, especially in football, players who can make plays — especially in the game-changing variety — will always find glory on the gridiron.

During his team’s long road trip to Webster City last Friday, Charles City junior John Bruening was a play-making machine who helped keep the Comets in the game deep into the second half before the Lynx won going away 42-21.

In addition to leading the Comets’ defense with six solo tackles, Bruening — while following some well-placed blocks that gave him a lane down the left sidelines — returned a kickoff 94 yards for his team’s first KO return score of the season.

With David Garcia’s PAT kick, the Comets — who fell behind 14-0 — took a 21-20 lead over the Lynx with 6:21 left in the third quarter.

The KO return may not qualify as Bruening’s best all-out effort of the game. Earlier with the Comets down by two scores, Bruening was able to seize a loose ball spit out several times during a scrum-gone-wild scramble, snatching it just out of grasp of Weber City’s Jaxon Griffith, who was desperately trying to recover his own fumble.

The turnover gave the Comets a short field before Deacon Caspers 18-yard TD run and subsequent conversion run drew Charles City closer (14-8) before Caspers’s 22-yard TD run early in the third quarter tied it at 14-14.

Caspers had 148 yards on 26 carries. With at least two games remaining this season for the Comets, Caspers is in good position to become Charles City’s all-time leader in rushing yards in a season. With 1,220 yards through seven games, Caspers is 39 yards behind Taylor Manning’s all-time Comet season best (1,259) set in 2009.

The Lynx have some play makers, too. In particular senior running back Cael Nixon, who rushed for a personal-record 275 yards on 34 carries, including four touchdown runs.

Nixon’s 65-yard run opened the scoring with 3:00 left in the first quarter.

After the Comets took their 21-20 lead, Nixon was able to break to the outside on a third-and-long snap for a 29-yard TD that helped put the Lynx up for good (28-20) with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter.

Charles City’s defense was led by Bruener, senior Jackson Ruzicka, who led the Comets with five solo tackles and stripped Griffth of ball for the team’s other fumble recovery; and sophomore Tyler Heitz, who recorded a game-high 12.5 total tackles.

Griffith had 121 yards on 12 carries including a 20-yard TD run for the Lynx, who improved to 3-4 overall and 2-1 in Class 3A-District 2 play.

The Comets fell to 3-4 and 0-3. With a final home game against 2-5 Hampton-Dumont-CAL this Friday (Oct. 18), and a regular-season finale at Clear Lake to face the Lions (5-2), Charles City will likely have to win both games to earn a playoff berth.

WEBSTER CITY 42,
CHARLES CITY 21

Scoring By Quarters

Charles City 0 8 14 0 — 21

Webster City 7 7 14 14 — 42

Individual Scoring

WC — Cael Nixon 65-yard run (Israel Torres kick) 3:00 1st, 7-0

WC — Nixon 3-yard run (Torres kick) 6:40 2nd, 14-0

CC — Deacon Caspers 18-yard run (Caspers run) 2:58 2nd, 14-8

CC — Caspers 22-yard run (Run failed) 9:47 3rd, 14-14

WC — Jaxon Griffith 20-yard run (Run failed) 6:34 3rd, 20-14

CC — John Bruening 94-yard kickoff return (David Garcia kick) 6:21 3rd, 21-20

WC — Nixon 29-yard run (Gabriel Ruby pass from Aiden Hrnicek) :39 3rd, 28-20

WC — Hrnicek 3-yard run (Torres kick) 6:31 4th, 35-21

WC — Nixon 3-yard run (Torres kick) 2:21 4th, 42-21

RECORDS — Charles City 3-4,
Webster City 3-4

Individual Statistics

PASSING — CC, Patrick Bruening 3-14, 49 yards, 2 INTs. WC, Aiden Hrnicek 1-1, 17 yards; Jaxon Griffith 0-1.

RUSHING — CC, Deacon Caspers 26 carries, 148 yards, 2 TDs; Patrick Bruening 4 carries, 12 yards; Brayden Ellis 1 carry, 5 yards. WC, Cael Nixon 34 carries, 275 yards, 4 TDs; Jaxon Griffith 12 carries, 121 yards, TD; Aiden Hrnicek 14 carries, 74 yards, TD.

RECEIVING  — CC, Kamden Meek 1 catch, 27 yards; Kaden Littleton 2 catches, 22 yards. WC, Carter Mickelson 1 catch, 17 yards.

DEFENSE — CC, John Bruening 11.5 total tackles, 6 solo tackles, fumble recovery; Tyler Heitz 12.5 total tackles, 3 solo tackles; Jackson Ruzicka 9.5 total tackles, 5 solo tackles, fumble recovery. WC, Aiden Hrnicek 7.5 total tackles, 6 solo tackles, fumble recovery; Jaxon Griffith 6.5 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, INT; Gavin Wnykoop 5 solo tackles, tackle for loss; Jayden Weinzeti 6 total tackles, tackles for loss; Coyce Bertran INT.