The Norm Friehauf Memorial Clark County Championships are this week at Heritage High School, and Connor Crum of Seton Catholic, a state runner-up last year, is looking forward to not only this special event, but also high school wrestling upcoming postseason
Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com
It was one of the biggest days in the history of the region for high school wrestling.
Last February, there were 12 wrestlers who made the state finals at Mat Classic. Seven from Clark County earned championships that day. Of the five runners-up, four were seniors.
That left one wrestler who just missed a title but had another shot — or three — to win a high school state championship.
Connor Crum is now a sophomore at Seton Catholic, a young standout with huge expectations.
“To be able to get there that first year felt great obviously,” Crum said of his finals appearance as a freshman at Mat Classic. “Not winning it left a hole. It left something I really wanted to build off of. It gave me a lot of drive to keep working, to put whatever it takes to get the top spot.”
We are roughly a month away from Mat Classic 2025, and Crum and many of the best wrestlers in the county are gathering this week for the annual Norm Friehauf Memorial Clark County Championships. This year’s tournament is Friday and Saturday at Heritage High School.
Crum finished third at Clark County last year, and he loved the experience.
“You go away from classifications. One man takes all, which gives you the feeling of who is actually the best,” Crum said. “It feels more earned.”
At league, district, regional, or state competitions, wrestling is divided into classifications, big schools to small schools.
Crum said there is something special about the Clark County Championships. School size means nothing. Just show up and wrestle.
Of course, school does matter for student-athletes. Crum said he found his way to Seton Catholic thanks to older sister Addison, who graduated last year. She started attending Seton Catholic as a junior and asked her younger brother to visit the school for a day.
“I really fell in love with the school. Everyone is a tight family. Everyone helps each other. Everyone is there for each other,” Connor said. “I feel that bond persuaded me to come here.”
He made a name for himself in high school wrestling immediately. But Crum said he appreciates the name on his uniform when he wrestles.
“I know what Seton represents,” Crum said, noting it is faith-driven. “As a school, we hold ourselves character-wise. Show integrity. Always show great sportsmanship.”
Crum has been part of the club wrestling scene for six, seven years. Many of his personal values come from the sport.
“Wrestling is the most respectful sport,” Crum said. “That’s almost more important than the actual wrestling, being respectful to your opponent. Respect them for coming out on the mat and wrestling you.”
Through his years of experience, Crum knew he was good at his sport. Still, he was not sure where he stood going into his freshman campaign.
“It’s kind of like a whole new world,” he said of high school wrestling. “I didn’t know exactly where I was going to be. I knew I had a chance to do some big things as a freshman, but I didn’t really expect to make it all the way to the finals.”
Now, he has those expectations.
It’s wrestling. There are no guarantees.
But Connor Crum has big goals.
The postseason does not start just yet for wrestling, but the Clark County Championships are almost like the start of the final push for excellence. In the coming weeks, we will know who the best of the best are in high school wrestling.
Connor Crum is up for the challenge.
Note: Finals for the Clark County Championships are tentatively scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday.
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