Derek Moskal is a student journalist at the Walter Cronkite school at Arizona State University assigned to cover the Carl Hayden cross country team.

As the last month of the cross country season begins, senior Benjamin Morfin has established himself as being the No. 1 runner for the Carl Hayden Community High School Falcons. In the six races he has competed in, he has finished in the top four on four different occasions. He was also the first Falcon to finish each race. 

Throughout his time as a Falcon, he has had the same coach all four years, Gabriel Robles. Robles has gotten to know Morfin better each year.

“He came into the program with a pedigree of being a good athlete,” Robles said, “He’s always been a varsity athlete.”

But Morfin is more than just raw talent. Aside from his stellar academic achievements, Morfin has a passion for running. “He is very strong-minded, dedicated, loyal, compassionate and very faithful,” Jorge Morfin, Ben’s father, said. 

This dedication and loyalty were tested during his sophomore year, when he bruised his patella while doing hill repeats in practice.

“My coaches carried me to the top of the hill, and they had to pop it back in place. I was screaming because it hurt so bad,” Ben said, “My knee has never felt the same. If I push too hard, it’s like a knife in the side of my leg.” 

However, after a while, Ben, his coach, and his father all focused on him healing mentally more than physically. Both Ben and Robles concluded that after a certain point, the injury hurt Ben’s mental state more than his physical body. 

Although he still feels pain on occasion, his mental state has improved. “I’m still not going to let that little obstacle stop me from running hard,” Ben said after a third place finish at the Juan Reyes Invitational on Sept. 21. 

Mental toughness would define Ben’s entire running career. 

His father relentlessly helped Ben with this problem.

“It was hard and I knew he would get through it. It was just giving him a positive influence. To keep looking forward and not let this affect him. Just to encourage him,” Jorge said. 

Ben’s dad is his biggest role model. “I always look up to him and he always gives me good advice. I take it even though I’m like, ‘This old man doesn’t know what he’s talking about,’” Ben said with a chuckle. 

Ben’s grandfather, Manuel Morfin, was also a big role model for him, and they had a bond like no other. “If I wasn’t at school or at home, I’d be at his house,” Ben said. 

Together, they would watch WrestleMania. They would watch Lucha Libre. And Manuel even taught his grandson how to speak Spanish. 

Ben said that Manuel and Jorge did not have a strong father-son relationship as Jorge grew up. “My grandfather wouldn’t even go to my father’s races or acknowledge how good my dad was doing,” Ben said.

However, when Ben was born, that relationship morphed: “My dad told me that once I was born, my grandfather’s whole mentality on my dad changed. Like he actually started to treat him as his own son. I guess I was like the key to their relationship,” Ben said. 

Ben and his grandfather had an immediate connection, and it never stopped. “Even as he got older, Ben never forgot about him. He would spend the mornings there, and my dad had a deep connection with him,” Jorge said. 

This connection strengthened when Manuel told his grandchild that he wanted to see him run. 

“They didn’t have races at Carl Hayden for a long time but when they finally did, he said that he was going to go to that race. He put the race on the calendar, and said he was going to go,” Jorge said. 

“When he first told me that he was going to my meet, I was super excited because I can just imagine him waiting for me at the finish line,” Ben said. Manuel was old and didn’t move around that much, which made this even more special for Ben.

In fact, Ben literally dreamt about his grandfather watching him. 

"The night before I raced, I had a dream about him and he was at a race. In the last 100 meters, I was kicking, and it was a battle for first, and I saw him on the sidelines. And it pushed me to run a little bit faster and win the race.

"I won the medal and my grandfather was really excited and proud of me. I woke up super happy and motivated.” 

However, that morning, after that dream, Ben’s reality became a nightmare.

 

On April 13, 2018, Manuel Morfin passed away at 76 years old. 

 

A year after his injury, Ben would once again have to compete through pain. 

“When my dad passed, it was hard for all of us, but it hit Ben really hard,” Jorge said as he began to choke up.

In his first race after the death, Ben wrote his grandfather’s name on his shoes. But Manuel was with him more than just writing on his shoes. “That race that my son had, he said, ‘Dad, I saw my Tata in the stands.’”

“A role model and a father figure out of my life for good. It sucked but I knew that if he was still here, he’d want me to keep pushing,” Ben said. 

Coach Robles saw Ben endure this pain and struggles on the track. “It affected him in about three races, where he just was hoping grandpa would come and be at the finish line,” Robles said.

“But I think it’s empowered him.”  

As always, the empowerment comes from home and from his father. “He always says, ‘I'm running for God, and I’m running for my Tata,’” Jorge said. “I told him to focus on that. I tell him every day that you make us proud just by the way you present yourself, your character, the way you speak.

"You make us all proud, you make God proud, and you’re making your Tata proud.”