Mack Morgan has been wrestling his entire life, but admits he’s come a long way since his first career victory as a freshman competing below his weight class: “I was really little, 89 lbs. wrestling 106, but I trusted in the process.” A few short years later, the two-time state qualifier is a bit wiser and a whole lot stronger with 100 career wins under his belt.
The Eagle Grove standout knows that reaching triple digit victories isn’t something that happens by accident for a wrestler. In an interview discussing this tremendous personal accomplishment, he was eager to credit the community of coaches, teammates, family members and teachers that have helped him achieve his goals.
On the night before his momentous match at the Gary Christensen Invite in Winterset last Saturday, January 6th, the senior turned to his father, who told him, “you have to be aggressive and you have to be offensive.” The 126-pounder took that guidance to heart, defeating Lincoln Miller of Waukee by fall in 37 seconds and etching his name in the record books of an EGHS program rich in tradition and excellence.
Although Morgan admitted that surpassing the 100-win mark “was kind of in the back of my mind before I got it”, he isn’t about to rest on his laurels now that he has cemented his legacy. “I just keep that work ethic up and I know I have to trust in it and it will show,” Morgan said calmly. He also uses last year’s trip to state as fuel for his competitive fire, saying, “I lost in the blood round in overtime last year so it’s been some good motivation.”
When asked what advice he would give to a young Eagle wrestler climbing through the ranks, Morgan took a moment to reflect before confidently exclaiming, “You have to love the sport. You have to have fun, but at the same time you want to work as hard as you can because everyone else is trying to get the same thing.”
