Troubled North County Wrestler Signs With Oregon Junior College

Two-time Maryland state wrestling titlist and 189-pound national senior high school champion of on Friday signed a letter of intent to wrestle at Clackamas Community College in Oregon City, OR.

His father, Patrick Downey Jr., and Clackamas head wrestling coach Josh Rhoden made the announcement Friday. In March, Patrick Downey III was allowed to return to North County after prosecutors dropped criminal charges against him.

"I feel great. I'm really excited to be out here training out in Oregon with the returning national champions. It's like a factory. They get top guys and they have good connections to Division I programs," said Patrick Downey III, 18, in a phone interview from Portland.

"I definitely feel fortunate to be in this position because a lot of colleges were standoffish because of the attention that I was getting, so I definitely feel grateful," said Patrick Downey III, who said he earned a 3.5 grade average on his most recent report card. "It's good to have Coach Rhoden and a clean, fresh start. My goal is that I'm really looking forward to winning a Juco National title, a Division I title and making the Olympics."

Administrators allowed Patrick Downey III back into Anne Arundel County public schools after the Maryland State's Attorney a case of second-degree assault, robbery and theft in relation to a .

Patrick Downey III and two friends were accused by a fourth North County student of not paying for a bag of marijuana and then driving away while the 16-year-old dealer was attempting to get back into the car. But inconsistencies in the victim's statements led to the case being thrown out, prosecutors said at the time.

Patrick Downey III still faces charges of first-degree assault in connection with a fight in a parking lot in Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium in November 2009 and another in June 2010 at an 18-and-over club on Guilford Avenue. 

Rhoden said Patrick Downey III projects at 184 pounds, a position that will allow him to fill the shoes of graduating sophomore and two-time All-American Brett Sanchez.

"Pat is a great addition to our program," Rhoden said in a prepared statement. "And we look forward to helping him further his wrestling career during his time with us here at Clackamas."

Considered among the nation's premiere high school wrestlers, Patrick Downey III was victorious at the April 1 senior National High Schools tournament at 189 pounds over the course of five bouts.

Prior to that, Patrick Downey III had already gone 35-0 as a sophomore at Loch Raven High School and 34-0 as a junior at North County, capturing Class 2A-1A and Class 4A-3A wrestling championships at 160 and 171 pounds, respectively.

A three-sport athlete once honored for having one of the top four grade-point averages of any Maryland wrestler in his weight class, the 18-year-old Patrick Downey III had been accused of being in a moving car in September that was alleged to have dragged a 16-year-old drug dealer alongside it for a stretch. He also was tabbed as one of two people who contributed to the broken jaw and knocked-out teeth of a Towson University student in November 2009 and of being part of a duo who successfully beat up two Navy football players during a June 2010 brawl outside of a nightclub in Baltimore City.

In April, however, after prosecutors dropped the criminal charges against him in the September case, Patrick Downey III was allowed to return to athletic competition as a faceoff midfielder on North County's boys lacrosse team.

North County was the fourth high school Patrick Downey III has attended, including a freshman year at Baltimore's Mount Saint Joseph.

After being prohibited by Anne Arundel County officials from participating in extracurricular activities in the fall, Patrick Downey III and his father moved to Orlando, FL, where he attended five-time state titleist Oviedo High in the hopes of continuing the sport there.

But that state's high school athletic association ruled against Patrick Downey III's athletic participation due, in part, to the Maryland criminal charges—this despite four separate appeals.

"We moved to Florida and fought apparently for nothing for two months for Pat's athletic eligibility, only to be denied the opportunity for a Florida state title. However, a few weeks after returning to Maryland, he goes and wins a National Championship," said Patrick Downey Jr. 

"But just as it appeared as though the college athletic scholarships that were once in front of him were all but lost, here comes a coach from the complete other side of the country," said Patrick Downey Jr. "Although he has heard all of the same terrible stories from all of the same D-1 coaches the coach is, nonetheless, still interested in Pat based on what he feels about him and not on what others are saying about him."

Patrick Downey III had been allowed to play sports despite his arrests until September, when new principal Bill Heiser, arrived at the school. Heiser requested a community alternative placement for Downey, Patrick Downey Jr. said.

"The fact that they, Clackamas Community College, are this year's Juco National Champions, is—well, all I can is, again, divine intervention," said Patrick Downey Jr. "We are very grateful and very thankful that someone had the courage to invest in Patrick."