Fifth-seeded heavyweight pins No. 2 and edges No. 3 to claim section masters wrestling title

Lemoore High heavyweight Isaiah Morales didn’t let a bad cold or close losses in the previous weeks cloud his outlook for a CIF Central Section Masters wrestling title.

The senior scored a 3-2 decision over Buchanan High’s Alec Dansley to capture the 287-pound championship at the section finals held Saturday at Buchanan High.

“I just had to man up about it,” said Morales, who pinned the state’s No. 2-ranked heavyweight in the semifinals. “I knew it was going to bother me, so I just had to come in with a different mindset.”

After defeating Zachary Limón of Clovis High, Morales – who was seeded fifth – felt he had a chance to win the title.

“I thought it was a close (semifinal) match, but I felt the arm spin coming and I was able to respond and then I pinned him,” said Morales of his match against Limón. “I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I can win this tournament.’”

The win over Dansley was satisfying. Morales had lost in overtime to him at a recent tournament. A bad cold also slowed up his preparation for the section meet.

“He’s a good wrestler. He had control on me most of the match,” said the two-time West Yosemite League football lineman of the year. “He beat me in overtime.

“I just knew after that match that I would have to change my mindset.”

Morales adopted the strategy to “just be myself and just be aggressive. Just do my own stuff and don’t let anybody control the match.”

The result is that Morales will advance to the state tournament this weekend in Bakersfield.

Lemoore coach Marcio Botelho credits Morales for his hard-fought title.

“He came in ranked seventh last week and took some tough losses,” said Botelho, in his 13th year at Lemoore. “So, this week he’s got something to prove. He bounced back and won the championship. He definitely came out to wrestle this week.”

Last year, Morales placed third in the section and ended up top 12 in the state.

“He had the ability to do it. It was just a matter of him putting everything together,” said Botelho of Morales at the sections this year. “He just had to have his mindset ready and put everything together, and that’s what he did this week.”

Morales, who has wrestled at heavyweight the last three years, is the third heavyweight section champion for Lemoore.

Host Buchanan High pocketed its seventh consecutive section masters title, winning seven of the 14 individual weight classes for 369.5 points. TRAC rival Clovis was second with 317 points.