Class 3 Recap: Hillsboro wins first state wrestling championship in program history

02/28/2023 8:27 AM

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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.

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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….

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