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Doolittle, Phetxoumphone qualify for freestyle nationals

PLEASANT HILL — Webster City wrestlers Carson Doolittle and Cam Phetxoumphone are headed to Fargo later this summer.

The duo qualified for the USA Wrestling Junior and 16U Nationals in Fargo, N.D., on Saturday by placing in the top four in their brackets at the Iowa/USA State Freestyle Championship at Southeast Polk High School.

Doolittle, a freshman, placed second in the 16U 106-pound division, while Phetxoumphone was third in the Junior 120-pound bracket.

The top four in each bracket advanced to nationals.

Doolittle, the No. 3 seed, handled Maximus Brady, 13-5, in the quarters and then knocked off second-seeded Bowen Downey, 11-2, in the semifinals. Downey, out of Indianola, placed third in Class 3A at the state tournament in February.

Wunderkind and top-seeded Jake Knight topped Doolittle in the finals, 10-4. Knight, a seventh grader out of Bettendorf, is the son of four-time state champion and Bettendorf head wrestling coach Dan Knight.

Phetxoumphone went 3-1 to earn his spot in nationals. He defeated Trace Gephart twice, as well as Khyler Carstarphen, 10-0. His lone loss came at the hands of eventual runner-up Garrett Rinken of Nashua-Plainfield, 16-6, in the semifinals. The two clashed in the finals at folkstyle nationals last month with Phetxoumphone winning the crown by fall in sudden-victory.

Phetxoumphone is a two-time state champion for WCHS and will attempt to become only the second Lynx grappler to claim three crowns next winter. Doolittle finished third at 106 in 2A this past winter.

WCHS sophomore Jordan Vankham also competed on Saturday and went 2-2 in the Junior 152-pound division.

The three younger Phetxoumphone brothers — Kendrick, Adrian, and Linden — were all second in their respective divisions. Kendrick went 3-1 in the 10U 56-pound division. Adrian was also 3-1 in the 12U 92-pound division, while Linden went 2-1 in the 14U 97-pound bracket.

Only the 16U and Junior divisions advanced to nationals.

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