The anticipated heavyweight match between De Soto sophomore Landon Porter and Hillsboro junior Joe Becker shaped the outcome of the Dragons’ 36-34 victory over the Hawks on Tuesday night in Hillsboro.
“We had one of our best practices (Monday). We knew this would be a tough match,” De Soto head coach John Brown said.
Porter continued his hold on Becker with a 5-1 decision that gave De Soto a 36-22 lead over Hillsboro with two matches left to go. So despite Kaiden Scallett’s pin with 30 seconds left in the match against De Soto’s Scotty Grebe at 106 pounds and Aiden Haggard’s win by forfeit at 113, the Dragons took their first step toward defending the Jefferson County Activities Association championship they’ve had a full stranglehold on for five years.
The Dragons beat Festus 60-20 in their other match of the tri-meet. Festus finished 0-2 after losing 44-33 to the Hawks.
Porter and Becker are both returning state qualifiers in search of their first state medal next month in Columbia. To get to the Class 3 state championships at the Mizzou Arena, the county rivals first must navigate the District 1 tournament in Farmington.
“We know Joe is always going to be tough,” Brown said. “Tonight’s match proves he’s gotten better. They’ve always had good matches and they’re tough competitors.”
De Soto junior Logan Zimmermann won his 100th career match on Saturday in the 160-pound final of the Monett Tournament. Zimmermann is 22-0 this season and now has 102 wins after pinning Jalen Rodgers of Festus in 2:37 and beating Hillsboro senior Joe Garner in a 12-4 major decision at 160.
Hillsboro senior Dylan Owens, second in the state in Class 3 at 120 pounds last year, has moved up to 132 in his abbreviated season and won both matches Tuesday with quick pins. Teammate Jordon Sanders won both of his matches at 145. Sanders beat Luke Shaver of Festus with a technical fall at 5:14 and upended De Soto’s Blake Hearst with a 15-3 major decision. Shaver won his match against De Soto’s Luke Bradley with a tech fall.
Festus senior Cole Bennett pinned Hillsboro’s J.C. Griffin in 3:32 at 152 and outlasted De Soto’s Dominic DeMarco 13-11 in one of the most competitive matches of the night.