Oak Grove wrestler Connor Brown aiming for unique feat

The weight scale needed only two digits to measure Oak Grove wrestler Connor Brown when he strolled down the hallway as a high school freshman for the first time.

It served as little surprise later that winter when Brown occupied the lightest weight class in the Oak Grove varsity lineup.

As an adolescent, he had tried baseball, football and a couple of other sports. But the wrestling mat was a place of comfort. The weight class distinctions offered a pick-on-somebody-your-own-size opportunity.

“He comes in that first week, and you could already tell that he was one of those kids who when he was on the mat, he didn’t just hope to win — he knew he was going to win,” coach Bobbe Lowe said.

In Brown’s defense, he was mostly right.

Brown, now in his senior year with Oak Grove, is 148-5 in his high school career, with all five losses coming during his freshman season. He has already captured three Missouri Class 2 state championships, offering him the opportunity for a unique distinction next month.

Brown is the only wrestler in Missouri — regardless of weight or school classification — vying to become a four-time state champion this season.

The resume has only bolstered what Lowe noticed in those initial practices three years ago.

“Yeah, I would say I’m confident anytime I’m out there,” Brown said. “If you go out there thinking you could lose, then you’re going to lose. No matter who I’m going up against, I think I’m going to win.”

It’s this reason that the losses stick with Brown.

At home, his trophy stash includes the three Missouri Class 2 state titles and a host of other tournament championships, including summer events. But a wrestler noted for his memory of past bouts has always been fueled by the ones with sour conclusions — as infrequent as they might be.

Two months into his freshman year, Brown lost twice at the prestigious Kansas City Stampede, a tournament that draws nationally ranked wrestlers.

“He never forgot about that,” Lowe said. “And sure enough, the next year, he comes back and wins the tournament.”

Afterward, Brown called it the best championship of his life. He has since grown the catalog from which to choose. In fact, in the past 12 months, he has beaten multiple Missouri big-class champions, proving his state titles aren’t merely a result of the Class 2 standing, just in case there was doubt.

Wrestling at 120 pounds this season, he is 22-0. But he remains obsessive over the little things. Brown watches wrestling matches several times every day — streaming them to the point of teachers occasionally needing to tell him to put his phone away. He scouts opponents. He watches Olympians and hopes to pick up a tip or two along the way.

It’s all part of the routine that made a lasting impression.

“That’s how you learn things. You can always get better,” said Brown, who will attend South Dakota State. “When you’re doing things the other guys aren’t doing, that’s how you gain that confidence.”

This story was originally published January 19, 2017 at 1:49 PM with the headline "Oak Grove wrestler Connor Brown aiming for unique feat."