COLUMBIA, MO – Hillsboro senior Jackson Tucker walked to the edge of the mat and took a bow after winning his third consecutive state championship.
Maybe he sensed that the spectators in Mizzou Arena did not recognize him without the bleach blond hair or the bulky, black shoulder brace he wore last year.
So, he looked into the crowd and yelled, “‘I ain’t going nowhere!”
Tucker defeated Whitfield junior Jackson Bassett by second period pin to capture the 144-pound state title Saturday at the 2025 Wrestling Championships at the University of Missouri.
Jackson (20-0), who also won Class 3 titles at 132 as a sophomore and 138 as a junior, finished his high school career with a record of 137-8.
“He wrestles so well in this environment. He doesn’t get nervous,” Hillsboro coach Matt Mitchell said. “I’m really happy for him and his family that they get to experience this.”
Jackson powered through an injury in his right shoulder to win the 138-pound championship in 2024, and shortly after the season, underwent surgery to repair his labrum, preventing him from wrestling for six months.
During that time, he suffered an injury to the same shoulder and learned that he was missing 15 percent of the bone in his right shoulder.
“I was put onto a donor list,” Tucker said.
A donor match was found by virtue of a deceased person who was an organ donor, and doctors used an ankle bone to fill the gap in his shoulder.
“I got to write a letter to the family to thank them. Honestly, without them, I would not be wrestling right now. I’d still be waiting on a bone,” Tucker said.
Tucker had to wait four months to let the bone heal before he could wrestle, which forced him to miss much of the regular season. In the meantime, he helped his teammates break down film and develop their mindset.
“You get a different look on everything,” Tucker said. “You see things and you’re like, ‘I kind of forgot about that. I can start adding that into some of the things that I do.’ When I got to be on the outside and got to watch it all, I feel like mentally, I grew even more.”
Tucker traveled with the team to tournaments, but watching his teammates compete gave Tucker the itch, and Mitchell and the Hillsboro coaching staff occasionally had to remind him of the long-term outlook.
“We had to control him and say, ‘This is our plan, this is how we’re going to do it so we can be successful (state) weekend and that you can be successful in college.’” Mitchell said.
Tucker, who will wrestle at Arkansas-Little Rock, took the mat for the first time on Jan. 15, nearly 11 months after his 2024 state championship match. He went 3-0 during the JCAA Conference meet and repeated the feat at the SEMO conference tournament the following week.
He entered the postseason with a 12-0 record and little mat time, with only four matches reaching the second period.
“I had faith that when I came back, I was going to skyrocket because now I have both arms,” Tucker said.
In the state semifinal, Tucker outlasted undefeated Bolivar senior Cooper Moore by 4-2 decision to place him in his fourth state title match of his career. There, he scored three takedowns against Bassett before pinning him with 40 seconds remaining in the second period, prompting a bow and a gentle reminder to the Mizzou Arena crowd.
“I think a lot of people doubted me this year, saying, ‘I don’t know. He’s got that shoulder issue,’” Tucker said. “It was great to get back out there and prove to everybody that I’m still here, and I’m getting better every day.”
Hillsboro takes second place; Tate leads Whitfield to a third-place team trophy
Hillsboro earned a second-place team trophy in Class 3 with 154.5 points, trailing only St. Pius X (KC), which won the team championship with 201.5 points.
Hillsboro claimed seven medalists: Tucker (1st at 144), Carter Pryor (2nd at 106), Carter Wallis (2nd at 126), Evan Litzsinger (3rd at 113), Griffin Morris (3rd at 285), Wyatt Hendrix (5th at 150) and Jordan Penick (6th at 132).
Whitfield placed third as a team with 100.5 points and claimed five medalists including: Yashua Amen (2nd at 132), Caleb Carter (2nd at 138), Jackson Bassett (2nd at 144) and Nolan Londe (4th at 113). Of the seven wrestlers Whitfield brought to Mizzou Arena, four advanced to a state title match.
The Warriors crowned one champion, senior Rome Tate (42-6), who defeated Platte County senior Evan MacCuish by major decision for the 150-pound championship.
Tate was a four-time state qualifier, who did not place as a freshman, placed 5th as a sophomore and 3rd as a junior.
“I thought I should take first place this year to keep the pattern going,” Tate said.
Tate, who was 20-15 as a freshman, 38-10 as a sophomore and 42-13 as a junior, ended his high school career with 142 wins.
“I really saw it as me building up. It’s been a long journey and (the state title) shows all the hard work I’ve put in over the years. It’s the peak as to how I could end my high school career,” Tate said.
For a photo gallery of the 2025 State Championships, visit: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Class-3-Boys-Wrestling-Championships/Boys-Wrestling-2024-25/2025-State-Championships-Class-3-4