A little time has passed since Tony Morales won the Alabama Class 7A State Wrestling Championship in February. The Central High School sophomore has been able to process his exemplary accomplishment and has discovered once is not enough.
“I want to be state champ the next two years,” says Morales sincerely.
The 16-year-old began participating in wrestling as a sport at the age of 8, primarily due to the fact that his dad was a wrestling coach. Morales continues under the tutelage of his father since Robert Morales is Central’s coach.
“Tony got started in wrestling because he was always with me when I was coaching. He was practically in my hip pocket when he was younger. He tagged along when I was coaching soccer, and he tagged along when I began coaching wrestling,” explains Coach Morales.
Although his son tried soccer, football, and baseball, none of the sports seemed to fit him. Robert Morales believes his son is better suited to participate in sports as an individual. The team concept was “social awkwardness” for the youngster, according to his dad.
“In wrestling, it’s just him. You don’t have to count on anybody else’s block, and you don’t have to look for somebody else to do their job. He’s just out there on his own. He thrives on it. There is no mediocrity in his game,” Robert Morales says.
The 5’7” wrestler wholeheartedly agrees he is all about the individual aspect of wrestling.
“On the mat, it’s just one-on-one. You can’t blame anyone but yourself,” he says.
For his championship win, Morales, who wrestles in the 152-pound weight class, defeated Bowman Hill of Vestavia Hills in Birmingham. The Central wrestler had already faced Hill this season and won. Morales advanced last year to the state finals, and although he didn’t place, the experience gave him an up close and personal look at the process. Knowing he had beaten Hill before, combined with a previous appearance at the state tournament, gave Morales the edge to compete with confidence.
“I wasn’t nervous at all. I had already been there and knew what to expect. I just knew I had to wrestle to the end,” Morales says.
Morales won in a 9-7 decision. He was actually behind going into the third period but managed to tie up the match 7-7. Late in the match, with only seconds remaining, Morales made a move which gave him two points to take the lead.
For his part, Morales says he wasn’t worried even when he trailed behind Hill. His dad, well, that was another story.
“There are these anxiety issues. All the time. I mean, I knew he could do it. We knew Tony could go the entire match. That was the plan, and he just mowed through there. But, as his dad, a lot goes through your mind,” says the elder Morales with a laugh.
It’s been quite a year for the Central wrestler. His record for the 2015-16 season is 63-4. He placed first at the Sweede Umbach in Auburn, Hardaway Invitational in Columbus, the Cleburne CO Invitational, the Bi-City Championship, and at the AHSAA Sectional Tournament. It was the first-place finish at Hardaway that gave Morales the insight he could be on the road to bringing home the state title.
“I think that was the first time, when I placed first at the Hardaway Invitational, that I knew I had the ability to not just go to state, but to place. Last year, I had been learning and hadn’t had the opportunity to wrestle against some of the talent from up north, but this year was different,” he says.
The Red Devils wrestling team finished fifth at the ASHAA State Tournament. For six seasons, Robert Morales has been steadily building a successful wrestling program at Central, which includes another state title winner, Luke Wilson, in 2012.
Having his dad as his coach made the title win even more special for Morales. Father and son spend a lot of time together due to wrestling, and both find the arrangement to be hugely positive with only a little negative every now and then.
“It’s been both a blessing and a curse,” jokes Morales.
Columbus Valley/April 2016
Tony Morales
Central High School
Phenix City, Alabama
Endurance pays off for state wrestling champ
By Beth Welch
Photos by Jerry Christenson
