Full Name: Morgan Craig

Graduation Year: 2011

High School Sport(s) Played: Wrestling and Football

Position/Role: Wrestling: 215 pound weight class 2007-2010, 285 pound weight class 2010-2011. Football: Tight End/Defensive End and short snapper

College Attended: Villanova University

College Sport(s) Played: Football – Played Tight End (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior Year), Defensive End (Senior Year), Long/Short Snapper (Junior & Senior Year)

High School Memories

What are some of your favorite memories from playing sports at Abington Heights?

There are many but the best memories all revolve around the people I was with. We had great guys on our football team and in the wrestling room. For football, we were not great freshman year and I don’t think local journalists expected us to do much my sophomore year. We were young with many underclassmen starting and Hazleton beat us up in our first game of the season. We had a meeting with our offensive line coaches because we rushed the ball maybe 25 times for 44 yards that game and they grilled us but it had a great impact. The rest of the year we rallied and came together as a team. We finished 9-1 in the regular season and played Berwick for the District Title. It was an awesome game played at Memorial Stadium with a final score of 3-0 in favor of Berwick. Such a great defensive battle. The way we finished out that year left a lasting impact and we came out strong the following season, returning to the District playoff with a 9-1 record. We got to host Berwick and it was phenomenal. We were so motivated to beat them and everything clicked that day. My personal favorite memory is early in the first quarter they rolled out to their left (my side) and I beat the tackle blocking me and strip-sacked the quarterback. My brother recovered the fumble, which was really quite perfect. We did a huge chest bump to celebrate and he ended up doing a backward somersault. The energy in the Pit was electric. There are many more memories I could write but nobody wants to read this much…

Wrestling memories are plentiful as well but I’ll highlight a couple. We wrestled Wyoming Valley West my sophomore year. They had returning state place winners in both my weight class and my brother’s weight class (215 and 285). I was coming off a shoulder surgery from the year before and wrestled with a torn labrum freshman year. I lost to the 215 pounder from Valley West my freshman year but it was close. That night at the HS gym, there was just something in the air. I went out and performed really well and ended up pinning the WVW 215 pounder. I was fired up and so was the whole gym, including my brother. I remember walking off the mat and high fiving my brother, he had a killer look in his eye, and the high five stung like no other. He went out for his mat and picked the kid up and threw him to his back, pinning him in 13 seconds. The gym exploded! It was epic. Sophomore Year, I won the King of the Mountain Tournament, regarded pretty highly at the time, and beat someone from the host gym school. He was bigger and stronger looking than me so it felt really great to go out there and pull off the upset. My brother, of course, followed it up with his own King of the Mountain title. Also, I’d be foolish not to include watching my brother win 2 state championships. Those moments filled me with such great joy and pride.

Is there a specific game, moment, or achievement that stands out?

In addition to what I already highlighted in Q1, it was really great winning District titles in 2009 and 2010 as a football team and getting to play in the state playoffs. Personally, I felt great honor to be recognized as the best defensive lineman in Lackawanna county my senior year and the best tight end in the state of PA, as I was selected to play in the Big 33 game. As a wrestler, I had many moments that stood out to me but I was so happy to make it to states my senior year and get to wrestle at the Giant Center in Hershey. It still pains me that I didn’t place a little bit but it was a great honor to get to compete at that level.

Who was the most influential coach, teammate, or mentor during your time in high school sports?

Coach Joe Repshis was a great leader and mentor to me during my time in high school. He was a model of respect. Coach Greg Justave also, as I knew he always had my best interest in mind. Coach John Fitzsimmons I felt like pushed me a lot to get better both on the field and in the weight room. In the world of wrestling, Brian Davis was the coach my Freshman year. Man, he was superb but ended up resigning. I wish I had more time under his leadership. My brother, while I may have wanted to punch him, he always pushed me to the max in the wrestling room. I think he would say the same about me. Some of my best friends to this day are guys I played football with too. I still get together monthly for breakfast with Paul Gallagher.

How did playing sports at Abington Heights shape you as a person?

Much of my identity as a young person was tied to my athletic career at AH. I feel as though I learned many transferable skills through football and wrestling. Work ethic, responsibility, accountability, teamwork, sacrifice for the greater good, are just a few that come to mind.

Post-High School Journey

Did you continue playing sports at the college level? If so, tell us about that experience. 

Yes, I played football at Villanova University. It was a challenging time in my life because I was dealing with a lot personally and physically. I had pretty serious injuries while I was at Villanova but look back on it fondly as I made great friends and we had good success as a team.

What was the biggest adjustment from high school to college sports?

The culture was much different in college. Coaches spoke to you differently and treated you differently. The schedule was very demanding. Early mornings and late nights. I could feel it from the coaches that their livelihood relied on their success and that made film study and the locker room environment feel tense at times. It was less about having fun and more about being successful, which felt like a big time adjustment for me.

What are you doing now in your career or personal life?

Currently, I am married and a proud dad to two beautiful and healthy children. I work as the Dean of Students at Abington Heights Middle School.

Advice & Reflections

What lessons did you learn from high school sports that still help you today?

I learned the importance of preparing myself well and being a good teammate – that applies directly to work and everyday human relationships. I learned the importance of showing up on time and having a defined purpose to work towards. I learned the importance of trusting people, both adults and peers. I learned the value of how sports can be a great focus when life gets tough for people. Sometimes it allows for the shutting out of all the outside noise. I learned the value of hard work. “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”.

What advice would you give to current student-athletes at Abington Heights?

When you get older and look back, like I am now, you realize how fast the days of playing HS sports flies by. Be in the moment and enjoy it. It is such a short window of life that you get to play sports. Don’t take it for granted. Give it your all. You have the rest of your life to be lazy or hang with friends. Dedicate yourself to what you love. Always keep it fun. It’s not fun when you’re applying so much pressure to yourself. Sports are fun. Let them be fun.

If you could go back and relive one moment from your athletic career, what would it be and why?

My mom wasn’t around for the high school days. She passed unfortunately when I was young. If I could relive any experience, it would be when I won a match at a youth state qualifying tournament for ‘true second’ over an opponent I had never beaten before. Getting my hand raised and then running off the mat to jump into my moms arms would be a great moment to relive.

Extras

Do you have any fun or unexpected hobbies now?

I have taken up playing golf a bit and enjoy woodworking – although I don’t do it as much as I would like.