TALLAHASSEE, Fl. (WTXL) - Any high school coach will tell you that it all starts in the weight room.
"The best guys on the team were the strongest guys in the weightroom," said Lincoln senior Kamari Morales, who made the observation as a middle schooler. "I just grew up in the weightroom and coming in the weightroom at a young age, I just prided myself on being the best in everything I do and I just wanted to be the strongest."
For Morales, being dedicated in the weightroom has made him a beast on the football field. He's a tight end who signed with North Carolina in December, and the Trojans could always count on Kamari getting it done.
"He's the kind of kid that makes you look good as a coach and that you'd like to have on your team," said Lincoln offensive coordinator Grant Thompson. "It's glad he's a Lincoln Trojan."
"I do feel like I set a new standard for my position at this school," added Morales. "Just being able to say I went to this school with all the legends means something to me."
Weightlifting got him there, and last year he saw those rewards. Morales won a District Championship in his weight class, and in the classroom? The bar is just as high, as he has a 3.77 GPA.
"A lot of my family were very gifted athletically, but didn't make it because of grades," he said. "I had to hear that my whole life growing up and I didn't want to be another statistic."
"Everything he does, from the classroom to the playing field, he does at a high level," said Thompson. "I mean, he's a great leader. He's more of a lead by example guy, but there's been times where he's been vocal as well."
He is leader no matter what he does, and that's something he's looking to take to the next level.
"It's a dream I've had my whole entire life," he said. "Just being able to fulfill that dream and get there is definitely a big honor to me and I'm very excited."
A dream fulfilled the started in the weightroom.
