COLUMBIA, MO – Hillsboro sophomore Carter Wallis wanted to dye his hair blond prior to the wrestling postseason. His teammates tried to talk him out of it.
“We told him, ‘No, that’s stupid,’ but he did it, so we said, ‘We’re not going to leave you hanging. We’ll be team players with you,’” junior Jackson Tucker said.
Senior Sam Richardson needed less persuasion.
“They just said, ‘Dye it’ and I was like, ‘Alright,’” Richardson said.
With the entire team sporting lighter-colored hair, coach Matt Mitchell became the final egg to crack.
“He gave us a stern, ‘No, I’m not dyeing it,’” Tucker said. “The next day we see him and his hair is dyed. It was awesome.”
Tucker, Richardson and Wallis each repeated as state champions and Mitchell guided his blond bomber Hillsboro squad to a Class 3 second-place team trophy Saturday at the 2024 MSHSAA Wrestling Championships at Mizzou Arena.
Tucker (30-3), who won the 132-state title as a sophomore, cruised through the 138-pound bracket with a tech fall, first-period pin and 9-3 decision to reach the championship match.
Against Belton senior Jaden Lambert, he built a 9-2 lead after one period and led 16-4 before securing a pin at the 5:36 mark to earn his second title.
“Jackson was dominant,” Mitchell said. “He won in every position and he’s in such good shape.”
Richardson (48-3) did not surrender a point throughout the entire state tournament on his way to the 165-pound title.
When he captured the 157-title as a junior, he pinned his championship match opponent using a rare maneuver called a ‘spladle.’ In his title match against Van Horn senior Darrius Page on Saturday, Richardson considered reaching deep into his toolbox once again.
“I thought I almost had my ‘broomstick’ when he was laying on his belly, but I didn’t hit it. It’s a weird move. It’s also called a Jonesy tilt. It’s a five-point move,” Richardson said.
Despite not hitting the ‘broomstick,’ Richardson swept his way to a second consecutive championship with a 4-0 decision.
Mitchell praised both the wrestling performance and the senior leadership displayed by Richardson this season.
“He really helped bring some of our other kids along in our room. I’m happy for him and his family that they got to finish with a state championship,” Mitchell said.
Wallis (38-5), who won a state title at 106 as a freshman, had the rockiest trail to earn a back-to-back championship. Against Hannibal senior Reign Creech in the 120-pound semifinal, Wallis earned a takedown and near fall in the final 15 seconds to eke out a 6-1 decision.
In the 120 title match, Wallis led 2-1 late in the third period against two-time state champion Ryder Shelton of Kearney when Shelton appeared to execute a match-winning reversal at the buzzer. After officials discussed the sequence, the points were not granted to Shelton, and the sophomore Wallis earned his second state title in two seasons.
“There was a little controversy at the end,” Mitchell said. “I told Carter, if you’re on this journey of winning four state titles, you’re going to have hurdles to get over and adversity, and we got through it there. He’s just a sophomore and he’s learning how to work through some of those tough matches.”
For Mitchell, the ability of three returning state champions to not feel satisfied with their accomplishments or rest on their laurels, but instead, put in the work necessary to repeat as champions is highly commendable.
“It’s a pretty special day. It’s awesome to see their hard work pay off,” Mitchell said. “Some guys are successful and they take that time off. Those guys jumped right back in the room and I expect them to do the same again.”
Hillsboro placed second overall with 132 team points, helped by medal-winning performances by sophomore Evan Litzsinger (113) and junior Jordan Penick (126) who both placed third.
The Hawks, which won the Class 3 state title last season, finished behind Hannibal (156.5) and in front of perennial power Whitfield (96.5) this year, while solidifying themselves as a program that will be a permanent challenger for a state title.
But does Mitchell also see his new hair color as permanent?
“Probably not. My wife’s not going to go for that too much longer,” he said.