Morton Boys Wrestling completed another strenuous season — and wrestlers walk away with some great memories.

The Morton Boys Wrestling team has never won a state championship as a whole, but Morton has had an individual state champion—Tom Buenik, who won the 171lb weight class back in the 1990-91 season. Our last state place winners were Aaron Pineda, who won 3rd place in the 112lb weight class in 1997-98, and Aaron Wiens, who placed 4th in the 275lb weight class that same season. Our most recent state qualifier was Anthony Lopez in 2023 at the 120lb weight class. (We asked Coach Balderas for these answers.)

Morton’s wrestling coaches draw from their own experiences.

“I started wrestling when I was five years old. When I started working here, I used my knowledge to help the kids improve and hone their own skills,” said Coach Joseph Waski.

East’s wrestlers enjoy the sport, win or lose.

“The first reason I started was because it was a dare, to be honest with you. Then I liked it my first year, so I kept doing it. Even though I was losing, I did it because I genuinely liked the sport,” said senior Carlos E. Garcia.

Many wrestlers on the team are making lifetime memories.

“My most memorable victory was against Addison Trail. We were away, and I started for Varsity. I won by a pin in overtime after being down in points. The Addison Trail team was coached by my former coach, so that was definitely my most memorable win in my whole high school career,” said senior Peyton Lopez.

Getting onto the varsity team can be a challenge.

Why is it difficult to get onto the varsity team?

“It’s difficult to become a starter on the Morton varsity wrestling team because our schools cover so many towns, and a lot of great talent comes in. You have to buy into what the coaches offer here and take the next step toward wanting to compete with better wrestlers,” said junior Fransico Saez.

When it comes to winning matches, it’s all about technique and mentality.

How do you win a wrestling match? What is your main strategy?

“My main and favorite move during my matches is the Lat drop to get my opponent on the ground quickly. Another favorite of mine is ankle picking, which involves grabbing your opponent’s ankle and leveraging them down to the mat,” said senior Carlos Arriaza.