Two years of finishing behind a historically dominant Whitfield team motivated an up-and-coming Hillsboro team at the 2023 Missouri State High School Wrestling Championships.
Whitfield bumped up from Class 1 to Class 3 for the 2021-22 season and won two state championships in a row in the new division. The Warriors had won six consecutive state titles and had 11 total in the program’s history.
Wrestler Interviews:
- Griffin Ray, Hillsboro, Class 3 Boys 165, after winning 1st place, 2023 State Tournament
- Sam Murphy, McDonald County, Class 3 Boys 215, after winning 1st place, 2023 State Tournament
- Darrius Paige, Van Horn, Class 3 Boys 157, after earning 6th place, 2023 State Tournament
- Luca Riley, Belton, Class 3 Boys 190, after winning 1st place, 2023 State Tournament
- Logan Montoya, Helias Catholic, Class 3 Boys 175, after winning 1st place, 2023 State Tournament
- Noah Burke, Whitfield, Class 3 Boys 150, after winning 1st place, 2023 State Tournament
- Jackson Tucker, Hillsboro, Class 3 Boys 132, after winning 1st place, 2023 State Tournament
- Porter Matecki, Whitfield, Class 3 Boys 126, after winning 1st place, 2023 State Tournament
- Ryder Shelton, Kearney, Class 3 Boys 113, after winning 1st place, 2023 State Tournament
- Carter Wallis, Hillsboro, Class 3 Boys 106, after winning 1st place, 2023 State Tournament
- Brady Griffin, Willard, Class 3 Boys 285, after winning 5th place, 2023 State Tournament
- Casey Olszowka, Washington, Class 3 Boys 157, after winning 3rd place, 2023 State Tournament
- Brice Henry, Windsor, Class 3 Boys 175, after winning 3rd place, 2023 State Tournament
- CJ Nelson, Van Horn, Class 3 Boys 190, after earning 6th place, 2023 State Tournament
- Carter Pringer, Helias Catholic, Class 3 Boys 126, after earning 4th place, 2023 State Tournament
- Brady Littleton, Belton, Class 3 Boys 150, after winning 3rd place, 2023 State Tournament
- Austin Brown, Hannibal, Class 3 Boys 106, after winning 3rd place, 2023 State Tournament
- Timothy Link, Pacific, Class 3 Boys 113, after winning 5th place, 2023 State Tournament
The Hawks finished second last season, but finally broke through in 2023, finishing first with 179.5 points, 25 ahead of second-place Whitfield Saturday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. Taking third was Belton with 94.5 and Hannibal was fourth with 92.
“We finally knocked them off, we have been working on that for awhile,” Hillsboro sophomore Jackson Tucker said. “Even when we walked in on the first time, we knew we were taking the team title.”
The top four teams in each class received a state plaque and the top six finishers in each weight class earned medals.
For Hillsboro, Carter Wallis (106), Tucker (132), Sam Richardson (157) and Griffin Ray (165) won individual state championships. Gavin Alexander (second, 126), Jordan Penick (fourth, 120) and Evan Morris (fifth, 150) were other Hawks to win medals….