Those final 18 seconds of the 160-pound championship bout, when Webster City junior Brady Jessen was able to capitalize on a double-leg takedown for the winning two points in a 5-4 triumph over Estherville-Lincoln Central’s Zackary Anderson, tipped the scales in the Lynx favor at a Class 2A sectional tournament inside the E-LC High School gymnasium.

Need proof? Ask only senior Evan Estlund, who followed Jessen’s lead by winning the 170-pound crown with a 4-3 win over Clarion-Goldfield-Dows’ Mack Seaba minutes later.

“When Brady won that, instant chills,” Estlund said. “It got me really fired up and I was ready to go.”

Locked in a back-and-forth battle with CGD all day, WCHS went a perfect 7-0 in the finals to sprint past the Cowboys and win the team championship with 229 points. The Cowboys, who took a six-point edge (161-155) into the finals, settled for second with 200.

No. 1-ranked 120-pounder Cam Phetxoumphone (front), a Webster City senior, gets in a scramble situation against No. 5 Tate Slagle, an Algona freshman, during Saturday’s championship round at a Class 2A sectional tournament in Estherville. Phetxoumphone won by major decision, 9-1. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

WCHS was a sizable favorite in five of its seven finals bouts, but the coin-flip wins by Jessen and Estlund shoved all of the momentum toward the Lynx. All 14 grapplers won at least one match too, which had head coach Chad Hisler equally excited afterward.

“It was a total team effort and it’s something to keep building on because we’ve only got three seniors on this team,” Hisler said. “So I think the future is bright with this group.”

The sectional crown automatically qualified the 15th-ranked Lynx for Tuesday’s regional duals. They’ll head to Osage where they’ll face 26th-ranked West Marshall in a semifinal at 6 p.m. No. 2-ranked Osage will meet the winner at 8 p.m. for the right to advance to the state duals.

Fifth-ranked Carson Doolittle (113), top-ranked Cam Phetxoumphone (120), Austin Mason (145), ninth-ranked CJ Hisler (195) and ninth-ranked Jaxon Cherry (220) also won individual sectional titles. Jordan Vankham (152) got himself into a wrestleback to advance to districts, but fell to 10th-ranked Brandon Harris of Algona.

Jessen’s first-ever varsity tournament title couldn’t have come at a better time. After giving up a two-point near fall to lag behind 4-2 early in the third, Jessen was able to close the gap with an escape and then connected on the takedown near the edge of the mat. He kept Anderson flat on the canvas over the waning moments.

WCHS senior 170-pounder Evan Estlund (front) elevates Estherville-Lincoln Central’s Eli Hanson for the only takedown of their semifinal match on Saturday. Estlund won, 2-0, and went on to win one of the Lynx seven individual titles at the Class 2A sectional tournament in Estherville. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

“It just feels good to be a sectional champion,” Jessen said. “Coach Hisler was yelling at me that I was one point away, so I just took my shot.”

Estlund avenged a loss to Seaba earlier this season courtesy of a throw-by takedown near the edge of the mat that broke a 2-all tie midway through the third period.

“I wanted it so bad and I knew all week I was going to have him in the finals,” Estlund said. “It feels great to finally beat him.”

WCHS went 3-0 against the Cowboys in the finals. Mason rolled up three takedowns and turned Kale Kirstein three times for a 15-4 major decision in the 145-pound gold medal bout, and CJ Hisler wasted little time in decking Erick Perez in 1:32 at 195.

“It’s awesome for all of these guys to experience this together,” Chad Hisler said.

WCHS 160-pounder Brady Jessen (front) looks to break free from the grasp of Estherville-Lincoln Central’s Zackary Anderson during the Class 2A sectional finals on Saturday in Estherville. Jessen scored a late takedown to win the match, 5-4, and claim one of the Lynx seven individual sectional titles. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Phetxoumphone, a two-time state champion, became just the second WCHS wrestler to ever reach 150 career wins with a semifinal pin over Pocahontas Area’s John Ackerman in 54 seconds. In the finals, he was pushed to six minutes for just the second time this season by Algona’s fifth-ranked Tate Slagle, but the WCHS senior was in complete control for a 9-1 major decision win. Phetxoumphone had a first-period takedown, hit a two-point tilt in the second, and tacked on a pair of third period takedowns.

“(Slagle) was long and funky, but I liked it because it was a different feel and it shows me what I need to fix,” Phetxoumphone, now 151-7 in his career and 111-1 over the past three seasons, said. “Overall it was a good match and I could have scored more points, but I was just feeling him out.”

Phetxoumphone wasn’t overly impressed with his latest milestone, but Chad Hisler says it’s an important one nonetheless.

“(Winning 150 matches) is a big deal,” he said. “He’s lost once on a locked hands call in the last three years.”

Okoboji freshman Tyce Hanson upset ninth-ranked Jacob Zabka of Algona in the 113 semifinal round, but he had no chance in the finals against Doolittle. The WCHS sophomore and 2021 state bronze medalist scored on a pair of quick takedowns and then whipped Hanson to his back for the fall in 1:09. Doolittle also had a first-period pin in the semifinals.

WCHS 113-pounder Carson Doolittle (back) finishes off CGD’s Dietrich Woodley by fall in the sectional semifinals on Saturday. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Cherry capped the 7 for 7 round with a fall over Okoboji’s Sam Pas in 2:59. Leading 5-0 after one period, Cherry chose the top position to start the second and quickly had Pas staring at the lights.

Addison Scott (106), Cole Reiling (132) and Dylan Burnette-Bingham (182) all won quarterfinal-round bouts and placed fourth. Tristan Mason (126), Luke Estlund (138) and Landon Griffin (285) fell in the quarters, but all three rebounded with pins in fifth-place matches that followed the finals to extend the Lynx team margin.

The Lynx seven district qualifiers led the six-team field. CGD advanced six and Okoboji was next with five. No team besides WCHS had more than two individual champions.

WCHS will host the district tournament this Saturday. Wrestling will get started at 11 a.m.

Class 2A Sectional 13

Lynx 145-pounder Austin Mason (back) returns CGD’s Cale Kirstein to the mat during the championship round on Saturday. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Saturday at Estherville

Team Standings

(Number of district qualifiers)

1. Webster City (7) 229; 2. Clarion-Goldfield-Dows (6) 200; 3. Okoboji (5) 159; 4. Pocahontas Area (2) 148 1/2; 5. Algona (4) 146; 6. Estherville-Lincoln Central (4) 126.

Championship Matches

106 — Isaac Wilson (AL) dec Austin Hansen (E-LC), 9-3. 113 — Carson Doolittle (WC) pinned Tyce Hanson (OK), 1:09. 120 — Cam Phetxoumphone (WC) maj dec Tate Slagle (AL), 9-1. 126 — Ethan Traub (CGD) pinned Caleb Jones (OK), 1:56. 132 — Tyce Ruffridge (PA) pinned Parker Duitsman (E-LC), 1:40. 138 — Hayden Thompson (AL) pinned Will Martin (E-LC), 2:17. 145 — Austin Mason (WC) maj dec Cale Kirstein (CGD), 15-4. 152 — Garrett Seaba (CGD) maj dec Brandon Harris (AL), 13-5. 160 — Brady Jessen (WC) dec Zackary Anderson (E-LC), 5-4. 170 — Evan Estlund (WC) dec Mack Seaba (CGD), 4-3. 182 — Deontez Williams (PA) dec Nash Lienemann (CGD), 5-4. 195 — CJ Hisler (WC) pinned Erick Perez (CGD), 1:32. 220 — Jaxon Cherry (WC) pinned Sam Pas (OK), 2:59. 285 — Nick Bronstad (OK) pinned Daniel Chavez (CGD), 2:54.

Wrestlebacks

126 — Caleb Jones (OK) pinned Ian Fehr (AL), 1:39. 152 — Brandon Harris (AL) pinned Jordan Vankham (WC), 3:13. 170 — Mack Seaba (CGD) dec Eli Hanson (E-LC), 8-3. 182 — James Gellerman (OK) dec Nash Lienemann (CGD), 4-0.

District Matches

Webster City Results

106 — Addison Scott 1-2, 4th. 113 — Carson Doolittle 2-0, 1st. 120 — Cam Phetxoumphone 2-0, 1st. 126 — Tristan Mason 1-1, 5th. 132 — Cole Reiling 1-2, 4th. 138 — Luke Estlund 1-1, 5th. 145 — Austin Mason 2-0, 1st. 152 — Jordan Vankham 1-2, 3rd. 160 — Brady Jessen 2-0, 1st. 170 — Evan Estlund 2-0, 1st. 182 — Dylan Burnette-Bingham 1-2, 4th. 195 — CJ Hisler 2-0, 1st. 220 — Jaxon Cherry 2-0, 1st. 285 — Landon Griffin 1-1, 5th.

District Semifinal Matches

113 — No. 5 Carson Doolittle (31-3), Webster City vs. Andon Barrick (22-7), IF-Alden.

120 — No. 1 Cam Phetxoumphone (34-0), Webster City vs. Charlie Showalter (29-14), H-D/CAL.

145 — Austin Mason (27-10), Webster City vs. Jakyb Kapp (27-9), H-D-CAL.

160 — Brady Jessen (27-11), Webster City vs. No. 1 Nick Fox (44-3), Osage.

170 — Evan Estlund (25-11), Webster City vs. Jacob Hasler (21-22), GHV.

195 — No. 9 CJ Hisler (24-4), Webster City vs. Isaac Heilskov (29-13), H-D/CAL.

220 — No. 9 Jaxon Cherry (31-3), Webster City vs. Gabe Hadwiger (21-3), IF-Alden.