SENIOR LUKE ESTLUND OF WEBSTER CITY controls his opponent on Saturday during a Class 2A district meet. (DFJ photo by David Borer)

Luke Estlund received the diagnosis and quickly did the math in his head.

It was early October, and doctors had confirmed the Webster City senior’s injury was the one athletes fear most: a fully torn anterior cruciate ligament, along with a torn medial and lateral meniscus.

Anticipated recovery time stood at approximately nine months, which would take Estlund through graduation. His high school football career was over. Wrestling seemed to be nothing more than a dream. Even track was highly unlikely.

Estlund knew the odds and the risks of defying both conventional wisdom and doctor’s orders. That didn’t stop him from creating a new timeline in his mind — one that would ultimately allow him to compete at a Class 2A district wrestling tournament in his home gym less than four full months after his surgery date.

“I remember when he first tore his ACL, he was determined to wrestle for his senior season. But the doctor basically told him that wasn’t an option,” Webster City head coach Drake Doolittle said. “I was thinking there was no shot he’d be able to do it, but he was adamant that he would get the surgery done and be ready (by the posteason).”

Competing at a weight 10 pounds lighter than a year ago and using a large wrap to protect his left knee, Estlund punched his unlikely state ticket last Saturday by winning two matches and taking runner-up honors at 165 pounds. A 10-8 semifinal victory over Ryan Busch of BCLUW/SH proved to be the clincher for Estlund, who lost in the finals but secured a state spot when Busch prevailed in his next match.

“We sat in the coaches’ chairs and I remember with about 15 seconds left in the third-place match (Busch’s 7-1 win), I started bumping into him and telling him he did it,” Doolittle said. “It was an awesome moment. Although he didn’t have the season he wanted (because of the injury), I knew he had the goal of making it back to the state tournament as a senior. He did it despite one of the biggest setbacks you can have (with a torn ACL).

“Luke is a tough dude. There aren’t many individuals who could do what he did. It takes a lot of heart and determination to stay as focused and driven as he has been, knowing he may not even be able to wrestle at all.”

Estlund, Webster City’s starting spinback this past season, initially tweaked his knee in a football game at Clear Lake at the end of September. After scoring a pair of first-quarter touchdowns in a victory over Hampton-Dumont/CAL the next week, he suffered the injury.

“I didn’t think anything of it and practiced the next week without any issues,” Estlund said of the period after the Clear Lake game. “But I felt it completely tear (at home against the Bulldogs) in Week 6.

“From the day I got hurt, I had a mindset of making it back for (wrestling) districts. That was the goal. It was always something I was thinking about.”

Estlund diligently followed his rehabilitation schedule after the Oct. 30 surgery date in Ames.

“I was going to physical therapy three times a week in Ames, and I still go twice a week now,” said Estlund, a two-way starter and all-district performer on the gridiron who also qualified for state track last spring. “I was committed to doing the exercises I needed (to expedite the process) outside of physical therapy as well.”

The work has been far from easy, and Estlund — a 2024 state qualifier — still feels like a shell of his former self in many ways. He initially tried to return for the North Central Conference meet at the end of last month, but was forced to injury default.

“He quickly figured out he wasn’t quite ready, and from that point on, the focus was getting one last shot at districts,” Doolittle said. “You could see from his first match (last) Saturday that he was going to do whatever it took to get the job done.

“I know there are a lot of people who are super proud of what he has been able to accomplish already, so it will be exciting to see what he can do at the Well.”

Estlund will square off with 12th-ranked Cooper Hird of Mount Vernon in an opening-round match at 165 on Wednesday evening in Des Moines. The winner faces No. 1 Bo Koedam of Sergeant Bluff-Luton.

“I’m still not in the wrestling condition that I would have been if I didn’t have the injury,” Estlund said. “Mentally, the hope of making it back (to state) after qualifying last year kept me motivated.

“I was prepared (at districts) to leave it all on the mat. I was relieved that all the hard work I put in to get back had paid off. Like I said, it was always a goal in my mind. My coaches, teammates and family encouraged and supported me throughout my recovery process.”

Estlund’s teammate, Cody Elliott, will join him in the 2A competition on Wednesday. Elliott (26-8), a junior, takes on Ballard’s Jackson Wacha at 215 pounds. The winner meets No. 2 seed Henry Christensen of North Polk.