LUKE ESTLUND OF WEBSTER CITY won a district championship on Saturday inside the high school gym. (DFJ photo by David Borer)

There is no such thing as a perfect day when it comes to district wrestling.

Webster City had a productive Class 2A meet on Saturday in its own gym, punching five individual state tournament tickets. Senior Carson Doolittle and sophomore Linden Phetxoumphone secured return trips to Wells Fargo Arena as district champions, with junior Luke Estlund also earning gold as a first-time qualifier.

Senior Landon Griffin and junior Carson Bertran advanced after taking runner-up honors. Like Estlund, Griffin and Bertran will make their maiden voyage to Des Moines.

First-year head coach Drake Doolittle was ecstatic for his successful quintet, which will mix veteran state experience with fresh sets of eyes. Disappointment is also a part of the district experience, though, and the Webster City program leader couldn’t help but wonder what might have been for a pair of Lynx grapplers who had to settle for bronze.

“It went about like we figured, though I still think we could have had a sixth or even seventh guy break through,” said Doolittle, a former state champion and four-time state qualifier at WCHS. “We had a few right on the edge. You win some and lose some…that’s the name of the game on (district day).

“I’m proud of the guys who made it, and crushed for the ones who didn’t. Thankfully, the two that got third (junior Tristan Mason and sophomore Gavin Wynkoop) will be back next year and more motivated than ever.”

Carson Doolittle (39-0), ranked third at 126, recorded a pair of falls to easily advance to state for the fourth time in as many seasons. The No. 2 Phetxoumphone (33-1) had a pin in the 113-pound semifinals and then edged seventh-rated Jon Gonzalez of West Marshall for the district title, 5-3.

“It was a business trip for Carson and Linden,” said Drake Doolittle — Carson’s older brother. “They know what to expect from districts. They know what to expect at state. They did what they needed to do.

“They looked solid. You just want to take care of this day and move forward when your expectations are as high as theirs are.”

Estlund (30-12) pinned both of his 175-pound district opponents after an opening-round bye.

“Luke’s always been on the doorstep (of state),” Doolittle said. “He’s been in and out of the rankings all year. I know he has high hopes, and I’m excited for him to get this opportunity as a junior (to experience the Wells Fargo Arena trip).”

Griffin (29-7) made the most of his final opportunity on the mat. The 10th-rated senior suffered a 3-1 setback in the finals at heavyweight against No. 9 Trent Cakerice of Aplington-Parkersburg/Grundy Center.

“Landon has a great story,” Doolittle said. “He was a newcomer to the sport in middle school, and just kept building up to this moment. He put a ton of time in behind the scenes to get here, and it was great to see him break through as a senior. He’s earned this.”

Bertran (20-20) also advanced to the finals before suffering his first setback. His silver showing was enough to push the 190-pounder through.

“He just keeps getting better,” Bertran said. “If the Carson Bertran of today faced the (December) version of himself, he would probably win by fall. He’s an entirely different wrestler who works his butt off.”

Mason (28-17) bounced back from a 3-2 semifinal setback with a pair of wins at 150 pounds, but he wasn’t able to wrestle back due to the earlier loss versus Eagle Grove’s Hayden Schafer. Wynkoop (22-20) nearly fought his way back from a quarterfinal hiccup before being pinned in the true second match at 138.

“Tristan and Gavin both wrestled well and took care of what they could,” Doolittle said. “Tristan was so close in that semifinal match. And Gavin showed a lot of heart. I know both of them are incredibly frustrated, but they’ll be back. They’ll flip the script (in 2025).”

Sophomore Eli Estlund (15-18) took fourth place at 215.

The state wrestling meet is this Wednesday through Saturday in Des Moines.