‘I knew I had to get the job done’: Central wrestler pulls off three-peat to close career

Central High School senior Tony Morales knew full well he was the target of many in his weight class at the state finals in Huntsville. Despite the pressure, Morales showed up ready to wrestle and did not disappoint.

The senior shined in his final state tournament, recording three consecutive pins in the 160-pound weight class. His final pin, against Vestavia Hills’ Bowman Hill, gave Morales his third consecutive state championship.

Thanks to his outstanding showing at state, Morales has been selected as the Male Athlete of the Week.

“Going into the finals, I’m watching my other teammates wrestle, and I kept seeing them getting knocked out. It just hit me each time. I knew I had to get the job done,” Morales said. “It was good to think that I pinned my way through the state tournament. All that hard work has come to an end, and it’s all ended at one great point.”

The showdown with Hill for a championship was no new challenge for Morales, who won his first state title in his sophomore season against Hill. Morales controlled the pace and had a takedown as the seconds ticked away in the first period.

In the second period, Morales pulled off another takedown then pinned Hill at the 3:12 mark of the match.

For Rob Morales, Tony’s father and his coach at Central, the third and final championship was about more than getting the upper hand on the mat.

“There comes a point where the wrestling part is very little. It’s the other stuff,” Rob Morales said. “It’s the conditioning and the mental preparation. It’s the little things that most kids don’t see. It’s the getting up at 5 o’clock to run before school. He was really personally committed. To think of not only doing it once but wanting to do it again and then a third time, it just shows that he was determined.”

Although his high school career has ended, Morales isn’t done wrestling. He said he plans to wrestle at the Folkstyle Nationals in Virginia Beach as well as a few other freestyle-greco roman tournaments. He also plans to wrestle a few tournaments in the summer in order to stay in shape.

As far as college, Morales has heard from a few schools about wrestling but has his eyes set on the United State Military Academy at West Point. Whether he can wrestle at the academy or not, he has a major interest in attending and already has two nominations. His plan is to be an engineer then go to medical school while he’s serving with the ultimate goal of being an ear, nose and throat surgeon.

Morales recalled a classmate playfully applauding his recent championship and calling him, “The Man, The Myth, The Legend.” Morales brushed off the compliment and explained the latest achievement was nice, but things went back to normal about 30 minutes after it was over.

“Most people think that’s ridiculous, but it really (doesn’t last long), especially when you’ve won it two times before,” Morales said. “It’s kind of expected of you to win it. I knew I could win it, and I did it. The excitement was great, but it didn’t last long. It’s just another day.”

This story was originally published February 21, 2018 at 7:41 PM with the headline "‘I knew I had to get the job done’: Central wrestler pulls off three-peat to close career."