Motivation comes in many forms for Round Lake’s Jorgie Morales.

The junior midfielder’s list of goals is long and paints a picture of his love for his family, his school and his soccer team.

“I’m really motivated to be the best version of myself — for a lot of reasons,” Morales said.

The first reason involves his family. Morales said he developed a close relationship with two cousins at a young age. One of those cousins, Alyssa, died about a decade ago. The other cousin, Cristian Hernandez, is a junior for the Panthers.

“Alyssa passed away around age 6 or 7,” Morales said. “Since that day, me and my cousin have promised to be a better person and make sure she would be proud of us.

“She would always push us. She was like our little sister. When she passed, it motivated us to be better. The three of us were really close.”

Morales, who has eight goals and eight assists for Northern Lake County Conference leader Round Lake (9-4, 4-0), also wants to start a family trend by attending college. He said he hopes soccer is his vehicle to a better future and that he can be a role model for his 11-year-old brother.

“Family for me means everything,” Morales said. “Just seeing my dad or mom struggle with anything kills me. It makes me want to push myself to be the best version of myself. I plan on repaying them for everything.

“My little brother also pushes me to be a better version of myself. He looks up to me. He wants to be like me, so I’m motivated to keep going for him.”

Round Lake coach Hugo Tellez said Morales, who is often man-marked and has been shadowed by another defender in several games, is a consummate team player.

“I saw Jorgie play club over the summer, and his growth from club into this season has really been a big change,” Tellez said. “He’s stepped up more. He won a championship with his club team (Mundelein Soccer Club), but he wants to win with us.”

Tellez said Morales, who scored 10 goals and was named the conference player of the year last season, has become one of the best in Lake County.

“In one-on-one situations, it’s very hard to take the ball away from him,” Tellez said. “He’s very smart, not the person who will take on two or three guys. He’s willing to pass the ball.”

Round Lake senior midfielder Oscar Martinez, the other half of the Panthers’ one-two scoring punch with seven goals and six assists, said Morales added new layers to his game this season.

“Jorgie has been more of a leader this year than in past years,” Martinez said. “He motivates us before games and helps us put things into perspective and makes sure everyone is included.”

Martinez said his connection with Morales is pushing the Panthers to dream big.

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“We’re both really motivated,” Martinez said. “We feel like we have a big chance of getting far this year, and getting the team focused and prepared is our priority. We’re giving it our 100% to get the most out of this season.”

There are two weeks left in the regular season, and the Panthers are the No. 6 seed in the Class 3A Round Lake Sectional. Morales said his No. 1 goal in the short term is the program’s first regional title since 2010.

“Round Lake is ready to win a regional title, and we want to put Round Lake on the map and get respect,” he said.

Morales recalls the Panthers’ loss to Warren in penalty kicks in a 2021 Class 3A regional semifinal and said it still haunts him — but motivates him too. He’s very aware of the team’s lack of postseason success.

“I’ve kept that in my head, ingrained, since my freshman year,” he said. “I didn’t believe it because Round Lake has had a lot of talent, but I looked it up the next day after we lost.

“I’ve put in a lot of work because I knew someone had to take a big leap this year. I felt like it was my turn.”

Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.