COLUMBIA - District tournament rematches are not uncommon in the championship round of the state tournament.
Eldon senior Kaden Dillon faced one of those rematches Saturday night in the Class 2 title match at 195 pounds at Mizzou Arena. But Dillon wasn't facing the guy who he beat in the finals last week, it was Trevor Campbell of Harrisonville, who he edged in the district semifinals.
"I had a feeling he was going to be in the finals," Dillon said. "He's a really talented wrestler."
But Dillon got the better of Campbell again, winning a 5-2 decision to take the state championship.
"This feels amazing," Dillon said. "I can always look back and say 'I was the state champion at 195.'"
Dillon had to battle from behind in their district matchup, trailing 7-6 with a little more than a minute remaining in the third period. Dillon was able to get a takedown with just :06 remaining to get the victory.
"He took a few good shots on me, I had to dig deep to get that win," he said.
Dillon said facing Campbell before was a benefit Saturday night.
"If I hadn't wrestled him before, he probably would have caught me off-guard with his strength," Dillon said. "He's a pretty strong guy."
After a scoreless first period, Campbell got a quick escape in the second to take a 1-0 lead. Dillon, who started in the down position in the third period, got that point back with an escape of his own to tie it at 1 with 1:55 left.
Dillon took the lead with a takedown with :34 remaining to make it 3-1. Campbell got an escape to cut the deficit in half before a whistle brought about a restart with just :21 remaining.
"I knew I had to take him down," Dillon said.
Dillon got that takedown with :05 left to get the title.
Dillon now has a first-place medal to put alongside a pair of sixth-place medals he won the last two years.
"Those were accomplishments not a lot of guys get to achieve," Dillon said.
Dillon (45-4), Eldon's lone qualifier, led the Mustangs to a tie for 22nd-place finish in the team standings with 25 points. Monett took the Class 3 team title with 149.5 points. Odessa was second with 142, followed by Bolivar (88.5) and Pleasant Hill (87).