Falls were the norm at the 10th annual Dick Kennedy Memorial Duals. Some were fast, others took time, but eventually the slap of the mat echoed off the four walls.

Webster City was on the celebratory end of 13 pins, but the Lynx allowed 22 on a day that saw them win one of three duals and place third amongst the four teams in attendance.

Top-ranked (Class 3A) Southeast Polk was its usual dominant self, as the Rams bullied their way to a fourth consecutive Kennedy Duals title in a landslide. They lost just six total matches and outscored runner-up Clear Lake, WCHS and fourth-place finisher Woodward-Granger by a combined count of 193-32.

Ranked 14th nationally by Intermat, Southeast Polk has never lost a dual, or even come close to falling for that matter, at the Webster City tournament.

WCHS senior Alex Wolfgram shouts out encouragement during Saturday’s Kennedy Duals. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

“Southeast Polk is Southeast Polk. They’re No.1 for a reason,” WCHS head coach Chad Hisler said after the Rams thumped his team, 71-11, in the final round. “We told our kids we just wanted them to compete and I thought they did that. I was proud of their effort.”

What had Hisler grimacing somewhat were the number of pins allowed. WCHS gave up five in a 48-33 win over Woodward-Granger, six in a 46-31 loss to Clear Lake and 11 in the setback against Southeast Polk.

Senior and second-ranked (2A) 120-pounder Drake Doolittle, who was one of just two Lynx grapplers to get through the day unscathed, said it comes down to fighting through adversity.

“Late in matches, we can’t be giving up those falls because those are valuable team points,” he said. “We’ve got to fight for the entire match and when you go on your back you better fight off your back like crazy.”

Of the 41 matches in which WCHS was involved, only four when six minutes. In addition to the smorgasbord of pins, there were also two tech falls, one for and one against.

Webster City sophomore 126-pounder Chase Rattenborg waits to hear the slap of the mat against Woodward-Granger’s Corbyn Atwell during the opening round of the Dick Kennedy Memorial Duals on Saturday. Rattenborg earned the fall in 1:25 and went 2-1 on the day with two bonus points wins. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Freshman 10th-ranked 106-pounder Camron Phetxoumphone joined Doolittle with three wins. He spent just 42 and 35 seconds, respectively, on the mat in his first two bouts and then put on a show for the fans with a 17-1 tech fall in 4:04 over Southeast Polk’s Kale Anderson. Phetxoumphone notched a pair of takedowns and turned Anderson four times for 11 near-fall points using an array of skills. The performance came just two days after he suffered his first and only prep loss at Indianola and he says he used that disappointment as fuel.

“Winning, you don’t really know what you need to work on, but losing, that teaches you to know what to work on,” Phetxoumphone said. “I had a short period of time to get somewhat better, so I went in the (practice) room, worked on it for a day and then came out and used it.”

Doolittle was every bit the hammer his coaches and teammates have come to expect. None of his three opponents made it out of the first period, as he moved to 11-0 with 11 pins on the season. He also took several steps closer to three significant records, all of which could be his by this time next week. He now sits just two wins, two pins and five team points away from tying the WCHS career records.

“I just go out there and try to put as many team points on the board as I can and give us the best chance to win a dual,” Doolittle said of the pins.

A potential spotlight match of the day never came to fruition. Joel Jesuroga, Southeast Polk’s fourth-ranked 120-pounder, didn’t compete.

WCHS heavyweight Malachi Montes grimaces as he attempts to free himself from the clutches of Clear Lake’s Jake Keith on Saturday. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

“I’m always looking for those good matches, but apparently he’s hurt,” Doolittle said. “You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to take care of your body because it’s a long season.”

Chase Rattenborg (126), Michael Gilbert (182) and sixth-ranked Caleb Olson (195) all went 2-1 and combined for four falls for WCHS.

Olson suffered his first loss of the season at the hands of top-ranked Gabe Christensen of Southeast Polk. Christensen, who placed fourth at state a season ago, rattled off six takedowns in a 20-5 tech fall win.

With Hunter Collicott, the Lynx 220-pounder, sitting out the final dual, Olson could have bumped up a weight and avoided Christensen. However, the WCHS senior welcomed the challenge.

“It’s good for me to get beat up a little bit,” Olson said. “I’m not looking to dodge anyone. I just wanted to wrestle and get better.”

Lynx 138-pounder Nick Gasca (right) fights off a single-leg takedown attempt against Southeast Polk’s Nathan Marchand on Saturday. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

It was the loss Hisler was happiest about.

“Caleb wanted to wrestle (Christensen) and that’s great. It shows he’s not afraid of anyone,” Hisler said. “Caleb’s having a great senior year and he’s a great leader for us.”

Picking up one win, all of them by fall, for WCHS were Nick Gasca (138), Sean Godfredsen (152), Carter Bedford (160) and Alex Wolfgram (170).

Hisler knew the loss to Southeast Polk was inevitable, but he felt the setback against Clear Lake was avoidable. The two teams will meet again Thursday night in a North Central Conference dual at Clear Lake.

“There are three or four matches that I think we can turn,” Hisler said. “Well get to see them again Thursday, so we’ll be working on that.”

Algona will also join the fray in Clear Lake on Thursday. Wrestling will begin at 6 p.m.

Dick Kennedy Memorial Duals

Saturday at Webster City

Webster City 48, Wo-Granger 33

120 — Drake Doolittle (WC) pinned Matthew White, 1:50 (6-0). 126 — Chase Rattenborg (WC) pinned Corbyn Atwell, 1:25 (12-0). 132 — Colt Palmer (W-G) pinned Brady Auderer, 4:44 (12-6). 138 — Nick Gasca (WC) pinned Jayden Dorenkamp, 3:24 (18-6). 145 — Dustin Harney (W-G) pinned Daltyn Peck, 2:00 (18-12). 152 — Sean Godfredsen (WC) pinned Joebe Nevins, 1:29 (24-12). 160 — Carter Bedford (WC) pinned Jon Mckeever, 3:05 (30-12). 170 — Cale Pritchett (W-G) pinned Alex Wolfgram, 1:34 (30-18). 182 — Michael Gilbert (WC) pinned Nathaniel Rosen, 0:46 (36-18). 195 — Caleb Olson (WC) pinned Jackson Newland, 1:41 (42-18). 220 — Cody Fisher (W-G) pinned Hunter Collicott, 0:27 (42-24). 285 — Tyler Lawrenson (W-G) pinned Zach Messerly, 0:45 (42-30). 106 — Camron Phetxoumphone (WC) pinned Joel Harney, 0:42 (48-30). 113 — Aidan Honokomp (W-G) dec. Reece Sadler, 4-1 (48-33).

Clear Lake 46, Webster City 31

126 — Rattenborg (WC) major dec. Isaiah Smith, 14-6 (0-4). 132 — Eric Faught (CL) pinned Auderer, 3:01 (6-4). 138 — Brian Hillyer (CL) pinned Gasca, 4:40 (12-4). 145 — Max Soto (CL) pinned Peck, 1:39 (18-4). 152 — Braxton Doebel (CL) pinned Godfredsen, 0:38 (24-4). 160 — Thomas Gansen (CL) pinned Bedford, 1:36 (30-4). 170 — Wolfgram (WC) pinned Chance Poley, 3:03 (30-10). 182 — Gilbert (WC) pinned Connor O’Tool, 1:44 (30-16). 195 — Olson (WC) dec. Dylan Kruckenberg, 14-11 (30-19). 220 — Kade Hambly (CL) pinned Collicott, 1:59 (36-19). 285 — Jake Keith (CL) pinned Malachi Montes, 5:00 (42-19). 106 — Phetxoumphone (WC) pinned Gavin Rich, 0:35 (42-25). 113 — Sam Nelson (CL) major dec. Sadler, 12-1 (46-25). 120 — Doolittle (WC) pinned Conner Morey, 0:32 (46-31).

SE Polk 71, Webster City 11

132 — Carson Martinson (SEP) pinned Auderer, 1:50 (6-0). 138 — Nathan Marchand (SEP) pinned Gasca, 1:52 (12-0). 145 — Ryan Strickland (SEP) pinned Peck, 1:10 (18-0). 152 — Lance Runyon (SEP) pinned Godfredsen, 0:25 (24-0). 160 — Cade DeVos (SEP) pinned Bedford, 1:05 (30-0). 170 — Deveyon Montgomery (SEP) pinned Wolfgram, 2:25 (36-0). 182 — Justin Brindley (SEP) pinned Gilbert, 2:43 (42-0). 195 — Gabe Christensen (SEP) tech fall Olson, 20-5, 4:13 (47-0). 220 — Kalob Runyon (SEP) forfeit (53-0). 285 — Connor Brown (SEP) pinned Messerly, 1:37 (59-0). 106 — Phetxoumphone (WC) tech fall Kale Anderson, 17-1, 4:04 (59-5). 113 — Devin Harmison (SEP) pinned Sadler, 0:37 (65-5). 120 — Doolittle (WC) pinned Ayden Kingery, 0:49 (65-11). 126 — Carter Martinson (SEP) pinned Rattenborg, 1:50 (71-11).