Wrestling: Stepping Up
It wasn’t but a couple of weeks later that top 10 nationally ranked 141-pounder Colin Johnston was lost for the season due to a shoulder injury. The injury would leave a noticeable gap in Turnbull’s lineup, as the Mountaineers progressed toward the dual meet season. Turnbull poured over multiple options, but it all signs pointed toward activating sophomore Michael Morales, who was expected to sit the season out due to a shoulder injury. “We had to make a choice of sitting Mike out for the season and having surgery or to put him in there and wrestle,” said Turnbull about the tough decision. Turnbull and his staff, along with the permission of the medical staff, inserted Morales back into the lineup, and needless to say it has paid off this season. Morales has stormed out of the gates with a 15-2 overall record that includes seven wins by fall, a win over No. 14 Mitchell Port of Edinboro and a No. 1 seed in the 141-pound weight class at this weekend’s Eastern Wrestling League Championships. “Every once in a while we are right about these things,” Turnbull said with a laugh. “Mike has given us a number of marquee wins this season. There have been a number of teams that you could point to his match and say it was a turning point or momentum builder for our team.” Despite all of Morales’ success this season, there was a time where he began to doubt what his future with wrestling would be like. After a true freshman season that saw him compile an 18-11 record, being named to Amateur Wrestling News’ all-rookie team and placing third at last year’s EWL Championships, Morales wondered if he would be able to regain that form after his shoulder injury. “At first, it was kind of like a bad dream.” Morales said. “I definitely didn’t think I was going to perform to the best of my abilities.” Following the news of Johnston’s injury, Morales worked his way back into wrestling shape and returned to the WVU lineup on Jan. 6 in a dual meet against nationally ranked Maryland. Morales didn’t disappoint as he defeated the Terrapins’ Frank Goodwin in a highly-entertaining 10-7. The match saw Morales go down 7-5 late in the third period, the Brick, N.J., native used his unorthodox style of wrestling to score a five-point reversal to help seal the match. “A lot of the things that Mike does on the mat are not stuff we teach,” Turnbull said smile. “Sometimes, I would like to know where he gets some of this stuff from because he could probably teach each one of us something.” When asked where his non-traditional style of wrestling comes from, Morales could not point to one specific thing other than it just come natural to him. “I can’t really say where I got that style from,” Morales said. “A lot of the things that I do are based off of muscle memory and having been in those positions before. I have never really been a person that can be coached because of my unique style. I try to use it to my advantage. As opposed to a person that may over think things, I just don’t think at all and let my body do the work.” Morales used the momentum of his wins against Maryland to go on and finish the season with an 8-2 mark in dual meets and a 5-1 mark against EWL opponents. Now, with the EWL Championships next on his plate, Morales knows that he will have a bulls- eye firmly on his back. “Being a No. 1 seed in any tournament puts a big target on your back, and it means that everyone is going to be coming for you,” Morales said. “Everyone wants to take down that No. 1 guy. Going in, I have more pressure on me than if I was a No. 6 seed.” Despite the pressure, Morales has one goal in mind, and that is to win his weight class and head into the national tournament with a large amount of confidence. “Now that I have that No. 1 seed, I feel pretty confident that I can come out on top,” Morales said. “I don’t want anyone to beat me, and I don’t want to lose. I used this season to build a reputation in the EWL. I went from a nobody in some people’s eyes to a kid that you have to watch out for now.” Morales and the Mountaineers will take to the mat on Sunday at 10 a.m. in WVU’s final EWL Championships. |
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