By qualifying for the Group AAA championship this February, Albemarle’s Zach Morris had about as good a junior year as a wrestler could ask for. But nearly five months before the wrestling season officially starts in Central Virginia, the rising senior can be found in Fargo, North Dakota participating in one of the top tournaments in the country, the ASICS/Vaughan Junior & Cadet National Championships.
In the offseason, Morris has been involved in a handful of mandatory training camps as well as other local camps to help fine tune his wrestling skills. The University of Virginia wrestling program has played a critical role in helping Morris, as both Cavalier coaches and wrestlers have worked with him personally.
“(The Virginia wrestlers and coaches) have given me a lot of drive and focus,” Morris said. “They’ve shown me how to workout with more intensity, really how to do everything with more intensity and at a faster pace. And that all helps out so much.”
Heading into this tournament, Morris has been highly focused on his diet, doing everything within his power to eliminate any and all items that don’t help his body prepare for his time on the mat.
“I’m eating extremely healthy for this time of year,” Morris said. “No trashy foods and I’m working out three times a day to get in as good as possible shape as I can.”
At 152 pounds, Morris is honored simply to be a part of this tournament, and he knows that as a member of one of the most competitive weight classes, there is little room for error at a national tournament.
“You can’t make the little mistakes,” Morris said. “You can’t make any mistakes, really. You need to be technically perfect because anyone there is able to capitalize on anything you do wrong. So it’s a matter of trying to go hard but be technically sound at the same time. It’s a hard thing to balance.”
The Junior & Cadet National Championships began on Friday and runs all the way through July 24.
