Just Four Wrestling Wins Away -- Pat Connors Seeks Record 4Th State Title

Pat Connors sounds more like a wrestler trying to improve on a fourth-place finish, not win his fourth state championship.

Connors, a senior from R.A. Long High School in Longview, is four wins away from becoming the first Washington wrestler to win four state titles.

Not only is Connors back at the state tournament, he's better.

"I feel my wrestling has improved 100 percent," Connors said. "I'm 10 times a better wrestler than I was last year. My wrestling has improved in all areas."

Connors goes for a spot in the record books at the Class AA state tournament tomorrow and Saturday at the Tacoma Dome.

As a junior, the 5-foot-4 Connors became the 26th wrestler in state history to win three state titles.

"There's been a lot of good wrestlers here," Connors said. "I'm not, by far, the best wrestler to come through this state."

Connors won the 101 title as a freshman, 108 as a sophomore and 115 last year. This year, he skipped over 122 to wrestle at 129, which is closer to his off-season weight.

Connors, who plans to wrestle in college, is 119-4 with 66 pins as a Lumberjack. He is 29-0 with 21 pins this season. Only three of his matches have gone the distance.

Connors' athletic skills go beyond wrestling. In middle school, he played select-level soccer and was a standout football player. Marge Kalal, whose husband, Fred, is the wrestling coach at R.A. Long, worked on the chain gang at a Cascade Middle School game.

She noticed a Cascade running back, on the small side, who was running wild with the football.

"She said, `You've got to see this guy. You've got to get him on the wrestling team,' " Fred Kalal said. "I said, `That's the plan.' "

New heights for Morgan

Lynnwood senior Sean Morgan is going for his third state championship. Morgan, 101-10 for his career, is the favorite to repeat at 158. He won the 148 title as a sophomore.

Morgan is 29-0 this season with 19 pins. He credits Monroe's Ryan Aney for pushing him to new heights as Morgan tries to become the first Lynnwood wrestler to win three state titles. Morgan battled Aney three times this season.

"It's the same tournament for me. It's going to be a lot of fun, nothing different," he said. "I'm going in with the same attitude, take it one match at a time and don't overlook anybody."

Just to be sure, Morgan will go through his state-tournament rituals, like wearing his lucky University of Oregon hat and eating all his meals at the Poodle Dog in Fife.

"I'll be glad when it's over," Morgan said. "Actually, I hope to be one of the happiest guys there."

Summer off for golf

Connors said he's not bothered by the attention as he pursues his fourth state title. To replenish his enthusiasm for wrestling, Connors took the summer off from the sport, instead concentrating on his golf game. Connors shaved nine strokes off his handicap and was on the varsity golf team.

He was 33-2 as a freshman and 30-1 as a sophomore. He's never had an undefeated season, but hopes to accomplish that this weekend.

"I'm not really thinking about it as having my fourth state championship," Connors said. "I'm thinking of it more as my first state championship. . . . My one goal this year was to be undefeated.

"Of course," Connors added, "if you go undefeated, you'll be state champion."