Easley senior Cayden Freeze.
Courtesy photo
Cayden Freeze’s senior of high school isn’t going too bad.
Academically, he’s ranked No. 9 in his class at Easley with a 5.1 grade point average. He’s a captain of the Green Wave wrestling team and is currently ranked second in the state (at 150 pounds) with an individual record of 27-8.
Plus, he’s been accepted to the U.S. Air Force Academy. The 18-year-old Freeze is scheduled to report to the academy on June 26 right after graduating from EHS.
“My stepfather (Darren Ouzts) was in the Air Force in intelligence and he kind of guided me toward the military side of things,” said Cayden. “For a long time, I wanted to be in aviation and that kind of pushed me towards the Air Force. Since then, I looked into what routes I could take. I wanted a different experience than most people, so I decided on the Air Force.”
It’s interesting to hear how the sport of wrestling has helped with his future and with gearing up for the Air Force Academy.
“(I like the) competition and there is a lot of disciplne you have to take upon yourself,” Freeze said. “Also being a captain there is more responsibility team wise to make sure everyone is doing what they are supposed to – to be successful.”
Freeze went on to say, about how wrestling has helped him in life, “A lot of mental toughness – whether it is pushing your physical body to do something rigorous or pushing your mind to do hard things. Just the competitive spirit that you keep all the time.”
Last year, Freeze finished fourth in the state in wrestling.
Green Wave wrestling coach Tim Turner could not be happier with the way that Freeze has helped lead the wrestling team this season.
“He’s a great leader and a good wrestler,” said Coach Turner. “He is currently ranked No. 2 in the state and will do very well at 150 pounds. He does whatever it takes to get ahead.”
Away from wrestling, Freeze said his favorite teacher in school is Ms. Rodriguez. “She taught pre-Calculus last year. She was an engaging teacher and made class fun,” he said. “Right now, I’m enjoying Physics.”
Another favorite of Freeze is getting to eat at Joe’s Easley Ice Cream Parlor.
“When you go to Joe’s, you know they’ve been here awhile,” Freeze said. “My family knows the owners. It’s like a very familiar connection when we go there. “
Reach Jeff Holt at 864-855-0355.