ANDOVER – Maybe, it was simply the taste of the podium on an international stage before his sophomore year.
For Andover’s Yandel Morales, wrestling went from a sport to a mission.
“To me, my family has never had someone really put their name out there. We’ve never had one of those star athletes, one of those people who has their name out there in a sport,” said Morales. “It’s my time. I want to put my family on the map.”
That exposure, taking a silver medal in the Pan Am Games in Mexico City then finishing ninth at the U17 World Championships in Turkey, back in the summer of 2023, provided the spark.
A year-and-a-half later, Morales has poured his soul into the sport and put himself in position to go down as one of the region’s and the state’s all-time greats.
The sky’s the limit
How far can he take it? The NCAAs? The Olympics?
It’s way too early to tell. But Morales at 17 isn’t about to set limits. And why should he?
Already a two-time Eagle-Tribune All-Star – spoiler, No. 3 is a lock in a couple weeks – Morales put together as dominant a season as you can have in wrestling.
Two years ago, New England Wrestling Hall of Famer Nate Blanchette allowed one takedown in his undefeated junior campaign. It was potentially the greatest wrestling season in area history.
This past weekend, Morales capped his junior year with a New England title at 58-0, earning 57 bonus-point wins (major decisions, tech falls or pins). In his 132-pound weight class, he wrestled the full six minutes just four times all year.
For the year, he didn’t allow a single takedown.
Not one.
“I think that is a very big accomplishment, not a lot of people have been able to do that,” said Morales. “We’ll set new higher goals for next year, see where that brings us.”
Looking to the future
The dominance and success have Morales thinking big as he preps for nationals and a tournament season that will likely again go international.
“I have a lot of passion in my wrestling, it’s my personal way out,” said Morales.
“We haven’t always been at the top, and we’ve had some bumps in the road the last three years. But I’m not scared of anyone. I’m not the strongest kid, but I think I’m one of the best technicians to ever come out of New England.
“I personally think I can hang with everybody. Put me in the Big-10, the ACC whatever, I’m going out there to fight.”
The Big-10 Conference, the NCAA’s premier wrestling conference, appears to be the goal, although Morales has yet to take the head-first dive into the recruiting pool.
“We have a lot of work to do to get there. The goal is the Big-10, it’s a lot of people’s goal, though,” he said.
Up next are the high school nationals in Virginia. From there, the U20 U.S. Open – packed with some of the nation’s best collegians – is circled. And potential trips out of the country are certainly in the mix.
Morales continues to push to that grand stage.
Days of rest
After conquering New Englands on Sunday evening, Morales treated himself to a little ice cream and a snack or two.
He also gave himself a much-needed vacation from the wrestling room – three days.
Thursday night, he gets back to work, the quest continues.
Instead of the back-to-back, two-hour practices during the season – first high school, then club — he’s on his own, setting the personal rules for the workouts.
“Once you step in the room it’s go time. Two hours of attention, two hours of focus,” said Morales. “Once you clock in, it’s time to learn, it’s time to get better. Once we’re out of practice, we’re out. What happens in the room stays there.”
That approach is something that has remained constant, since he first started wrestling.
“The work started once I started competing for the high school in eighth grade, same schedule. Nothing has changed from eighth grade to now,” he said.