4 hours Ago By JOHN LETASKY 406 MT Sports
BILLINGS — Zach Morse has been visualizing becoming a four-time state champion for a long time. The 118-pound Billings West Golden Bear senior is working toward that goal this season and is No. 1 in his weight class in the most recent Class AA rankings .
Billings West's Zach Morse is pictured before a match in a dual against Laurel on Jan. 7 at the Golden Dome. The 118-pound senior is aiming for a fourth State AA championship this season.
As a freshman, Morse earned the 103-pound championship and concluded his inaugural high school season 35-0. At the time, he told The Billings Gazette and 406 MT Sports that winning the championship “was great and a dream come true. I’ve been aiming for this since I was little.
I started when I was 7.” Then, as a sophomore, Morse was once again a state champion winning the 113-pound AA crown at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark. At the time, a Golden Bears wrestler had never won four state championships.
That changed last year when Keyan Hernandez became the 41st member of the prestigious group and the first from West. However, back in 2023, Morse was still dreaming big. “Billings West has never had a four-timer,” Morse told 406 MT Sports and the Helena Independent Record after winning his second state title in 2023.
“I’m planning on being the first.” Fast-forward a year to Feb. 2024 at the Metra and Morse won his third straight state title, this time claiming the bracket at 120 pounds after a 4-3 victory in overtime.
When he was on the award stand accepting his medal, West coach Jeremy Hernandez yelled “Yes!” toward him with a thundering clap of his hands. Afterwards, Morse was happy for himself, his fellow Golden Bears who had just won a second-straight team title, and for Keyan setting West High individual history and joining Montana wrestling immortality. “I’m so proud of Keyan,” Morse told The Gazette and 406 MT Sports.
“He dominated all four years and is such a good wrestler. I’m hoping to be the next one.” If all goes according to Zach and the Golden Bears coaching staff’s plans, Morse will qualify for state and have his shot of being "the next one" at the Metra on Feb.
13-15. Once there, Morse will have the opportunity to become West’s second four-time state champion in as many years. At this point, Morse is one of three three-time Golden Bears state champions in coach Hernandez, and brothers Jace Rhodes and Drake Rhodes.
Billings West's Zach Morse has his arm raised after winning the 103-pound Class AA state wrestling title at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark on Feb. 12, 2022. “It would be really cool.
It would be super cool,” said Morse on Wednesday of the possibility within his grasp of joining his friend Keyan Hernandez as a four-time Montana High School Association state wrestling champion. Morse said he’s learned quite a bit from some of his wrestling teammates over the years, especially from Keyan Hernandez — who is now on the Iowa wrestling team. “I learned a lot from Keyan,” said Morse.
“He was my practice partner, and he helped me get better. “I’d say the biggest thing I learned is just the mentality you’re supposed to have in wrestling and knowing that you have to do better all the time to be good.” Morse has a record of 26-2 this season.
His only two losses were to Kellen Downing of Kalispell Flathead at the Mining City Duals and Danny Green of Billings Skyview in the finals of the Great Falls CMR Holiday Classic. Green is currently ranked second at 118 pounds and Downing is third. “The year is going good.
I took two losses, but I’ve been working hard,” said Morse. “So I came back and everything is working out.” Coach Hernandez said after a few adjustments, Morse is back on track and focused on each and every match that lies ahead.
Billings West's Zach Morse and head coach Jeremy Hernandez react after Morse won the Class AA 113-pound championship at the All-Class State Wrestling Tournament at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark in 2023. “We just had to fix some things, not change how he wrestles,” said Hernandez. “We had to fix some technique for him, because he was giving up underhooks like crazy.
So we just had to change it, change a couple things and tweak some things. And he’s done a god job of keeping his ears open and listening to what we’ve told him to do. “And he’s working hard in the room on it, and it’s all worked out for him.
And he’s still got to keep going back and get back to work.” Morse, said he’s “keeping his options open” but is exploring the idea of wrestling in college as “that’s something I think I want to do.” With a 3.
25 grade-point average, Morse said he plans on studying business in college and wants to be a stockbroker. One of the reasons he enjoys wrestling is because of the “experiences” the sport provides. Over the past couple of years, Morse has experienced personal success, but he’s also enjoyed being a part of the back-to-back reigning State AA team champion Golden Bears.
“It’s nice putting in hard work and then getting something out of it,” Morse said. “Just knowing that I can do something if I work hard enough.” “I get to hang out with my team.
We have fun. ..
. Obviously, winning is fun, but then losing you get to know what you did wrong and then improve from there.” With December celebration almost over, top-ranked Billings West wrestlers look to keep improving One of those enjoyable experiences that Morse has had over the years is being teammates with his fraternal twin, Isaiah Morse, who wrestles at 157 pounds.
“It is (fun). Our coach gets us fired up by saying my twin is working harder than me,” Zach Morse said. “So it gets me going and then he says the same to Isaiah, that I’m working harder than him.
So it gets us competitive.” Isaiah, who said he is the older of the two twin brothers by a “short minute,” also enjoys being teammates with Zach. Isaiah is rooting hard for his brother to capture his fourth individual championship and believes Zach will accomplish the feat, saying he’s “been in his corner every second.
” “It’s been 13 years we’ve been together wrestling, scrapping around,” Isaiah said. “It’s a little weird kind of living in his shadow, because when we first started I was a little bit better than him. And he woke up one day and decided he was going to be a state champ.
He just grinded his butt off and started winning.” Billings West's Isaiah Morse says he's rooting for his fraternal twin brother and Golden Bears teammate Zach Morse to capture his fourth state wrestling championship in February. Entering the Class AA Duals on Saturday at Great Falls High School, Morse is No.
4 on the all-time wins list at West with a 133-9 record. Hernandez said that “if things work out” Morse could finish either No. 1 or 2 for career wins at West.
Morse, who is fourth in career pins at West with 86, could also move up and finish near the top of the Golden Bears' all-time chart for falls. Hernandez said Morse is a special wrestler who has battled for what he has achieved. “It’s just the things he’s done in order to (be in position) to win four state titles,” said Hernandez.
“They haven’t come easy. He’s gone through some adversity, and he’s dealt with it the right way. It’s worked out for him to win three state titles.
“There’s always something that tries to stop him from winning four and he’s got a few weeks to accomplish that goal. He’s doing things the right way by listening to what we’re saying as a coaching staff to get him to attain that goal and believing in the things that we’re trying to get him to do, which is helpful.” Junior Makael Aguayo, who is hoping to win his third state title in February, is currently ranked first at 138 pounds.
Aguayo said Morse contributes many positive attributes to the Golden Bears wrestling team. Aguayo “He brings 100% effort every practice, every tournament and every dual,” said Aguayo. “He’s always getting the team going and he’s always ready to compete.
Aguayo said it is exciting to be a teammate of Morse’s as he chases history. “It’s awesome because myself, Zach and Keyan, we always used to be a group of three over the summers working when not a lot of other people were,” said Aguayo. “And so it’s awesome to see all that work getting put in and seeing some results.
And now he’s chasing his fourth. That’s really cool.” Morse said that in the “offseason he likes snowboarding” as wrestlers “don’t do that during the season” because of the possibility of injury.
He also enjoys camping and hunting. When the season ends, Morse said he “bets he’s going to get a couple of kids off the team to go up with me” to Red Lodge Mountain. Billings West's Zach Morse, right, wrestles Laurel's Konner Heath in a 118-pound match at the Golden Dome on Jan.
7. But before Morse can visualize his moves snowboarding, he’s concentrating on the remainder of wrestling season and his quest to capture a fourth state championship. After all, “wrestling is a big part of my life, pretty much all I think about,” Morse said.
“A four-time would be, that’s my goal. But you don’t think about it during the season. You just think about your next match.
You just focus on your next match and winning that match. You can have goals, but you can’t let it get in the way of the whole season.” Email Gazette Sports Editor John Letasky at john.
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