Despite qualifying wrestlers in all 14 weight classes at the Class 3 state tournament Feb. 28-March 1 in Columbia, Hillsboro had to settle for second place behind a school that had never competed in Class 3 before.
St. Pius X of Kansas City, the Class 1 state champion in 2024, moved up to Class 3 this year under the competitive-balance formula of the Missouri State High School Activities Association. The Warriors’ enrollment is 326, almost 500 less than Hillsboro (816). But St. Pius had nine medalists, including five champions, to score 201.5 points, well ahead of the Hawks with 154.5. It’s the second straight year Hillsboro was the runner-up and the Hawks’ fifth in a row taking home a state trophy (top-four finish).
Whitfield of St. Louis County finished third with 110.5 points and Platte County had 103.5 for fourth.
Seven Hawks earned medals, led by senior Jackson Tucker, Hillsboro’s first three-time state champion. He’s won at three weights (132, 138 and this time at 144) and was a finalist at 126 as a freshman. He missed half of this season recovering from surgery and finished 20-0.
Hillsboro head coach Matt Mitchell said St. Pius showed they belonged in Class 3.
“They’re a great team,” Mitchell said. “They had nine medalists and we had seven and that’s about right. With Jackson’s win, we eclipsed 150 team points, and that’s a lot. We did all the right things this year – the extra workouts and running and anything I asked them to do.
“They battled adversity through sickness and injury. Lost a whole week in the middle of the year because of snow. They trusted in what we do as a program and we saw a lot of kids do well.”
Tucker pinned Whitfield junior Jackson Bassett (46-5) at 3:17 of the final. Tucker’s closest match at state was in the semifinals in a 4-2 decision over Bolivar senior Cooper Moore, who finished third. It was Moore’s only loss in 32 matches this season.
After the referee raised Tucker’s arm, the history-making Hawk spread his arms and acknowledged the large Hillsboro crowd, which roared in approval. Then after hugs and congratulations, the moment started to sink in.
“The crowd’s amazing through the whole tournament and keeps you going,” Tucker said. “They’re constantly cheering our guys on, win or lose. It’s more than just family. I almost can’t put it into words. I love those guys so much. Now all I want to do is put on a show and make some history.”
“I’m excited for Jackson and his family,” Mitchell said. “To finish as a three-time champ and four-time finalist, that stuff doesn’t even matter. It’s all the stuff he’s done for the program over the years with his leadership that has been so great for our program.”
Tucker said he never had any doubt he’d come back to wrestle this year, his last in a Hawk uniform.
“Absolutely not. We have the best coaches in the state. The best training facilities. As soon as I was cleared to go, I was going to skyrocket with that.”
Tucker, who will continue his mat career at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, took Bassett down three times before pinning him.
“The plan was not worrying about winning, just getting in there and getting in scoring positions,” Tucker said.
Junior Carter Wallis (42-3), a state champion at 106 and 120 his first two years, was seeking to match Tucker with a third title, this time at 126. Wallis won by fall in under a minute in his first two matches before beating Warrenton senior Manny McCauley (42-3) 6-2 in the semifinals. But Farmington junior Aidan Hahn (44-3), third in the state at 106 last year, scored a takedown and four back points in the final minute of the championship bout to take an 11-3 major decision over Wallis.
Freshman Carter Pryor (38-7) advanced to the final at 106 after two pins and a tech fall. Across the mat stood St. Michael the Archangel junior Landon Lane (41-6). Lane scored the match’s only takedown in the first period and won 4-0.
“I know both (Wallis and Pryor) will get right back into the room and back to work,” Mitchell said. “This will fuel them for next year.”
The other Hillsboro medalists were junior Evan Litzsinger (third, 113), senior Jordan Penick (sixth, 132), senior Wyatt Hendrix (fifth, 150) and junior Griffin Morris (third, 285).
A state “bubble round” casualty in 2024, Morris (29-6) pinned Fort Zumwalt South senior Junior Rudd (46-5) for third place. St. Pius sophomore Kyler Kuhn (44-3) beat Morris 3-0 in the semifinals and went on to win the title.
Morris beat Rudd 11-3 in his first tournament back after sustaining an arm injury at the KC Stampede in December. He’s been wrestling in pain and is scheduled for surgery this week.
“I prayed to God and he gives me the strength and I toughed through it,” he said.
It’s the second year in a row Litzsinger finished third at 113.
“I scored a lot of points in my first match,” Litzsinger said. “In my second match, I was up 7-1 with a minute left, trying to hang on, and it cost me and I got caught. (On) day two I wrestled back and beat two kids who beat me earlier this year.
“We put up more points this weekend than we did last year (132), so that’s improvement and it’s a pretty good feeling. St. Pius, that doesn’t bother me at all. I respect them for coming to Class 3 and competing. You can’t control that. You can control yourself and keep wrestling.”
Six De Soto wrestlers qualified for state and three earned medals to help the Dragons finish 11th with 57 points, 16 places higher than last year.
“The boys work hard and they’re still young,” De Soto head coach John Brown said. “It was a fun year and hopefully they’ll develop even more next year.”
As a freshman, the Dragons’ Levi Huck lost both matches at state at 165, but that experience helped prepare him to return this year at 175. Huck (42-7) won his first two bouts by technical fall, before losing by one point in the semifinals. Guaranteed a medal, Huck moved to the third-place match with a pin. Huck had already beaten Parkway Central sophomore Ali Mohsen (36-13) by tech fall in the quarterfinals, and claimed third over Mohsen with an 18-6 major decision. Huck scored 35 points in the two matches with Mohsen.
“I was trying to get to him with the moves I know and put some points on the board,” Huck said. “I’m pretty happy with what I did at this tournament.”
Freshman Landon Tomlinson (sixth, 113) and junior Brenton Drummond (third, 120) were De Soto’s other medal winners. Huck stepped on the mat just as Drummond was being taken from the mat on a stretcher after being injured in his third-place match. St. Michael the Archangel junior Parker Lutz was disqualified for slamming Drummond to the mat.
“We’ve had kids with dislocations and (other injuries), but never slammed in that manner,” Brown said. “I don’t know if the kid intentionally did it. I don’t think he did it on purpose.”
Festus senior Dylan Johnson (41-12), who qualified for state his last two seasons, captured his first medal, finishing sixth at 215. Johnson won matches in consolation by tech fall and fall to move into medal position.
Windsor senior Luke Patterson (41-7), a four-time state qualifier, couldn’t take the mat for his third-place match at 132 because of an abdominal injury he suffered earlier in the day. He lost by technical fall in the semifinals to Whitfield senior Yashua Amen (41-5). Patterson then beat his county rival from Hillsboro, senior Jordan Penick, 6-5 to move to the third-place match.