Prep profile: Morris’ long haul in tournament pays off at Reno event

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

What happens in Reno, however, Sandpoint High wrestler Taylor Morris can tell you about.

The way it turned out, the 189-pound senior had a busy weekend at the Sierra Nevada Classic.

After winning his first match, Morris led most of the way in his second before losing a close decision to Kyle Bergstedt of Paradise, Calif., a wrestler he later found out was the tournament’s top seed and ranked No. 1 in California.

Morris then won eight straight matches to earn third place.

“I was pretty disappointed about the loss until I found out who that kid was,” Morris said of Bergstedt, who went on to win the championship. “It was kind of rough after that – I’ve never had to wrestle that many matches in a tournament before, especially in just two days.

“But I think it will do a lot for my confidence going into districts and state, knowing that I can hold my own against that kind of competition.”

Morris has overcome physical adversity, having missed most of his junior season with a broken hand. But he is fully healed and said he feels more confident.

“I do feel bigger, faster, stronger,” Morris said of his senior-season campaign. “But the most significant thing, I think, is that I’m definitely not as nervous – I’m a lot more comfortable on my feet and with takedowns.”

Not surprisingly, Morris has his eyes on a single prize.

“We have two more tournaments left – Clearwater and Minico, and I’m expecting to get first in both of those,” said Morris, who thinks the Bulldogs, if they stay healthy, will contend for a team title at season’s end. “But that’s how I feel with every tournament – it helps me to have that mind set.

“Then we have districts and state coming up at the end of the year, and I’m looking for a state championship.”

As for what comes after high school, it’s into the great wide open for Morris, who, along with twin brother and teammate Jerod, holds a 4.0 GPA.

If he competes at the next level, it would ideally be for Oregon State.

But his heart may lie elsewhere.

“I’m thinking about premed and getting into medicine,” Morris said. “And I’m talking to people about how participating in a sport with that major probably isn’t going to work.

“I’m not sure what kind of doctor I want to be, but that kind of work has always interested me.”