There are times when Morton senior Freddy Brown thinks about the future, and understandably so.
But the Western Michigan football recruit doesn’t want to lose sight of the present.
“I’m a kid,” Brown said. “I’m going to dream about the future. But I’m trying to make sure I have everything in front of me set in stone first. I’m focused on what I’m doing right now.”
Brown shined on both sides of the ball for the Morton football team last season. He led the Governors with four sacks and five tackles for loss while making 82 stops, and he also had 155 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns. He projects as a linebacker at the next level.
But Brown is spending his final months of high school sports on the track in pursuit of another trip to the state meet. He was part of Morton’s 400-meter relay team that advanced last year with then-sophomore Jaron Jones, then-junior Montey Hill and then-senior DaVierre McNair. They finished 13th at the state meet with a time of 43.18 seconds.
That experience has drawn Brown back to the track.
“We made it so far last year,” he said. “Getting to experience the state meet and having that feeling of being down there, competing with the best of the best in the state … it’s about being competitive and wanting to come back to compete with my teammates.”
Morton senior Lebron Hill, a Vanderbilt football recruit, said Brown is no less intense on the track than he is on the gridiron.
“He takes the same approach in both sports,” Hill said. “He’s the same guy all around with his leadership and his work ethic.”
Morton track coach Rob Gardner, who is also the offensive coordinator for the football team, said both Brown and Hill recognize the importance of hard work.
“These guys understand what it takes and the legacies they want to leave behind, and they’re doing exactly what they need to do to continue to grow the program and themselves,” Gardner said.
Many of Brown’s track teammates also play football, so he believes the example he’s setting can be widespread.
“I want to leave a great impact on these younger kids,” he said. “I’m making sure we’re at elbows in the weight room or when we’re running outside. I just have a love for the game that I want to teach everybody.”
Brown, who is also competing in the long jump, is basking in that camaraderie in his final months of high school.
“I’m big on family,” he said. “Being able to grow up and develop with all of those people every single day, all of that goes through my mind. This is the last time I’ll be here to compete with my family, with my brothers.”
All the while, Brown hopes he gets faster and stronger before he goes to Western Michigan.
“It’s making me work,” he said of track season. “It’s driving me, keeping me active and making sure that I don’t get off of my game.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter.