Brian Webb loved seeing the happy faces.

The happy faces of the fans, the happy fans of the players, the happy faces of the coaching staff.

The Jefferson High School football team and its fans celebrated Friday night after the J-Hawks snapped their 24-game losing streak with a 12-7 victory over Dubuque Hempstead.

The ride home from Dubuque was a pleasure.

"It was much better," Webb said Saturday morning. "It was exciting to see the faces on the players, especially the seniors who hadn't won a game before."

The J-Hawks had not won a varsity football game since beating Dubuque Senior, 20-13, on Sept. 25, 2009, back when the current seniors were just freshmen.

Webb arrived from Carroll Kuemper this year as Jefferson's new coach and immediately began working to change the culture at Jefferson, instilling discipline and hard work as the cornerstones of his program.

The J-Hawks don't have a lot of players -- they dressed only 32 for their season opener against Prairie -- but Webb likes their attitude and determination. They began the year with losses to Prairie and Xavier and were outscored 77-7, but kept working.

"They never wavered, no matter who was the coach," said Webb. "They never wavered from Jefferson football. I told the coaches, we're going to stay the course in this program.

"From the first day I stepped on campus, I've never changed my philosophy, I've never changed my beliefs."

Jefferson trailed, 7-6, Friday night, but junior quarterback Layne Sullivan scored on a 2-yard run in the third quarter for a 12-7 lead and the J-Hawks made it stand up.

Webb was planning a post-game speech to his happy players, but he didn't get much of a chance.

"The crowd and the fans stormed the field. I got a Gatorade bath, so I didn't get a chance to talk to them a whole lot," he said.

He did manage a few heartfelt words, however. "I told them how proud I was of their efforts and that we're hoping this is just the beginning," he said.

Webb had received about 40 messages by 11 a.m. Saturday from family, friends, Jefferson alumni and members of the community, offering congratulations and words of encouragement.

"The main one was from my parents," he said. "They said they loved me and they're proud of me."

Webb enjoyed seeing the reaction of Jefferson's sophomore team Friday night after the varsity's big victory in Dubuque. The 10th graders soaked it in and loved it.

"Every single sophomore came up to me and congratulated me," he said. "I think they were more excited than the varsity. That's great to see. They're the future of our program."

Webb isn't kidding himself. He knows it was only one victory, albeit a very satisfying one. He knows he still needs to build the program, improve the feeder system, get more good athletes on the team and continue to get the Jefferson community involved with the team.

"Our biggest thing is changing the culture," he said. "Once we change the culture, the wins and losses will take care of itself."

The J-Hawks went back to work Saturday morning, reviewing Friday's victory and starting to prepare for next Friday's home game against Iowa City High.

"Our goal this year was not just to win one game," said Webb, looking ahead to the next challenge.

"We're getting there," he said. "We're not quite there yet."