by Adam Colbert

Ending a high school career with a New England championship is a dream come true for a wrestler, and for seniors Victor Zabalu and Pat O’Connell that dream has motivated them for years. Zabalu is in his third postseason while O’Connell worked his whole life to become the best wrestler he can be. They believe they are the hardest workers on the mat.

Zabalu and O’Connell finished first and second at states, respectively, in their weight classes. Zabalu is in the 195 weight class, and O’Connell is in the 138 weight class. They competed for a New England championship on Friday, March 1 and Saturday, March 2.

O’Connell started wrestling ten years ago in the second grade. He wanted to try something new. He stuck with it because when he started competing in tournaments, he was winning and realized he had talent.

His training at private wrestling clubs Doughboy and Wadsworth paid off because in eight grade he placed fourth at states. Ninth grade he earned a second place finish. In tenth grade he won it all. Last year he came in fourth. This season, O’Connell came in second place.

O’Connell went from first his sophomore year to third his junior year, but he felt that he could have done better. There is no other way to explain it other than “it sucked.” He knows he has the potential to be the best in the state and competes with that attitude.

O’Connell “just strive[s] to be the best.” He hopes to compete in Division 1 for the national title in college. While he will miss high school wrestling, he says, “I look forward to going out with a bang.”

Zabalu has a different story. He started his freshman year because his friends thought he’d be good at it. At first, Zabalu did not want to wrestle because he thought the practices and conditioning would be challenging. After his friends convinced him to try it, he realized that the wrestling team was a true family, more than the other sports, he claims.

When Zabalu started, he weighed 171 pounds, and he won only three varsity matches. Over the next two years, he worked hard every day at practice and private clubs, and he moved down to the 160 weight class. His hard work helped him to finish fourth in states his sophomore year.

Tragedy struck a week before playoffs during junior year as he tore his ACL, leaving him on the sidelines the rest of the season. Determined, he tried to wrestle despite the bad knee, but it was just too hard to finish.

After a tiring recovery and a month of sleep, he started his senior year, and Zabalu has had his best ever season with a 50-4 record and first place in states in the challenging 195 weight class. The injury that kept him off the mat junior year pushed him to try harder this year because he got one less chance to win a championship.

To bounce back from the injury, he worked out every day. To improve his knee, he says, “Coach gave me a rubber band and told me to do physical therapy with it.”

He was determined to get better by working at clubs during the off season, and that’s what makes him unique. Most kids play other sports or don’t work in the off season. Because it was his last year, “he wanted to go out with a bang.”

O’Connell lost both matches in the New England tournament, but he is still proud to say he is the second best in Massachusetts. Zabulu struggled as well, losing both matches, but he is the state’s best from the 195 weight class.