Mitchell Freeman (Bob Sutton / Randolph Record)
CLIMAX — Providence Grove senior Mitchell Freeman doesn’t put much stock in keeping track of his wrestling win-loss record, though it’s so good that he’s seeded third for the Class 2A Mideast Regional.
He just wanted a chance to be a factor in the postseason after an injury that cost him an entire season.
Freeman is back for his final chance, still sensing he’s trying to make up ground.
“The hardest part is feeling behind,” he said. “I felt like I was ahead of the pack after that sophomore season, and then I was way behind. Everyone had almost two years of wrestling and I would be sitting there twiddling my thumbs.”
A fourth-place regional finish in 2023 put him in the state tournament as a sophomore.
So among the things he was determined to display the past few months: “I’m not washed up.”
Freeman, a defensive end for the football team, suffered a knee injury late in the 2023 football season. He didn’t learn of the severity of the ailment until several weeks had passed and ended up undergoing surgery in late December for a torn anterior cruciate ligament. He showed up on crutches to watch wrestling meets.
Given the timing of the surgery, he wasn’t available for this past football season. He wasn’t cleared until there were a few games left, and by then he was ready to turn his attention to reviving his wrestling career.
“I went to all the games and stood on the sidelines, but it wasn’t the same,” he said.
An even bigger weight on his mind was whether he would be the same when he locked up with wrestling opponents. He said there was heightened uncertainty because he had gone so long without a bout.
“Before the season, it was the first time I wrestled in (almost) two years,” he said. “It was really nerve-wracking. I didn’t know if I could get back to that level where I was. Now I’ve got to do twice as much to get to that level.”
He said support has come from coaches, teammates and family. In particular, there’s older brother Brooks Freeman, now a student at North Carolina State.
Brooks Freeman offers encouragement, wrestling pointers and motivation. He was a third-place state finisher in 2022 for Providence Grove.
“He has really been supporting me,” Mitchell Freeman said. “I usually do better when he’s at matches. … His senior year, he placed at states. I’d like to be able to do better than him and hold it over his head.”
The younger of Freeman brothers began this season with matches in the 165-pound weight class and then moved to 157.
The results largely have been encouraging, ringing up a 21-2 record prior to Christmas. He has won invitationals at Cedar Ridge and Jordan-Matthews and plenty of other bouts.
Freeman, who might play tennis this spring for the Patriots, said he hopes to go to college to study engineering. Before that, there’s more time on the mats. Providence Grove goes to Eden Morehead for regionals Friday and Saturday.
“I’m pretty happy with the season,” he said. “No matter what happens at regionals or states, I’ve kind of proven to myself that I could come back.”
