Freytag relished being on the big stage

Carmel (Ind.) High School kicked off their 2008 campaign in exquisite fashion last Saturday, beating Indianapolis' Cathedral High School 28-21 in front of a national television audience. For star fullback Kurt Freytag, the experience was one of the most memorable in his life.

"It was awesome because we got to show the nation what type of atmosphere we play in and how great are fans are," Freytag said. "The best part about it for me was when we were walking back from the toss and the fans started cheering. I started tearing up. That was the best thing that's happened to me in my life of football. It was better than winning a state championship."

Carmel and Cathedral battled in temperatures that surpassed 100 degrees on the field, but Freytag said he and his teammates overcame a 14-point deficit because they were the better conditioned team in the fourth quarter. Freytag pitched in for the win with seven rushes for about 50 yards and one catch for seven yards.

College coaches started knocking on Freytag's door after he put up over 1,500 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns for Carmel in the past two years. At 6-2 and 230 pounds, Freytag has played strictly on the offensive side of the football in high school because Carmel uses a two-platoon system.

Ball State, Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan have all offered Freytag and he receives recruiting mailings from Purdue, Miami (Ohio), Indiana, Tennessee and Stanford. Recruiting has not been at the forefront of his mind since the spring, however.

"I haven't really been talking to many schools because I've been focusing on my senior season at Carmel," Freytag said. "I'm really going to let (recruiting) take care of itself.

"I've been blessed to have these three offers from these three great schools. When I got my first offer from Ball State it was a big weight lifted off my chest because I didn't want my parents to have to pay for college for me. They've already paid for two kids to go through college."

This summer, Freytag visited each of the schools that offered him, including participating in camps at Central Michigan and Ball State. Now that fall is here, he plans to start making more unofficial visits for game weekends at colleges. Any decision on his college future appears to still be a ways down the road.

"I don't really care where I go right now, but I kind of want to go with a friend," he said. "(Carmel teammate) Joe Rippe is kind of in the same position and we're thinking about going to school together if it works out. He has an offer from Air Force and he's looking at a couple MAC schools. His favorite is Miami (Ohio). I never really looked into them until he said something, so now they are on my list and contacting me."

Miami (Ohio) is one schools Freytag definitely plans to visit for a game this fall. If the Redhawks offer, they will have a good shot at obtaining his services.

"Right now it's Ball State and then probably Miami of Ohio. If I had to choose right now it would probably be Ball State because they have great coaches. Coach (Brady) Hoke, Coach (John) Powers are great people," Freytag said. "I kind of like the schools that I have offers from and I am satisfied with them, but if a better school comes up I'll check it out and see what they have to offer."