FWB's Freeman tabbed Weighlifter of the Year
By TRAVIS DOWNEY
Northwest Florida Daily News
315-4476 | travisd@nwfdailynews.com
When Fort Walton Beach weightlifting coach Daniel Griffin says that Malcolm Freeman has been driven in his pursuit of a state title "from day one," it's more than just coach speak. It's a testament to the Viking senior's dedication.
And Griffin has the make-shift plaque to prove it.
Inside Griffin's office positioned directly behind his desk is mounted a picture frame, inside it a plain white napkin with the words "I.O.U. a weightlifting state championship." It's signed; Malcolm Freeman.
"That's been his main focus," Griffin said. "He'd been to state twice as a sophomore and a junior ... he's had that drive and dedication that he'd walk away with (a state title) this year."
After combining to lift 660 pounds at the FHSAA Boys Weightlifting Finals in New Port Richey in late April, Freeman followed through on his promise, delivering Griffin a 199-pound individual state title as well as helping the Vikings to the program's first-ever team state crown in Class 2A.
For his record-breaking season, Freeman has been named the All-Sports Association/Daily News Boys Weightlifter of the Year, edging out teammates and fellow state champions Patrick Andrews and Akeem Spence to do so.
"After football, we didn't do as good as we wanted to," Freeman said. "I wanted to leave Fort Walton Beach with a state championship. I knew that I could do it by myself in weightlifting, it's more of an individual sport, so I knew if I put my mind to it, I could get it done.
"I knew it was mine for the taking."
Seemingly as soon as the curtain had dropped on the Vikings' football season, if not sooner, Freeman's mind and body turned towards New Port Richey. Early morning lifting sessions gave way to afternoon lifts that often times served as a warm-up for evening sessions as Freeman looked to put to ease his own concern over a slight tear in his pectoral muscle he had suffered the previous year.
"As soon as my shoulder got better, my bench shot up 60 pounds," Freeman said.
Soon, Freeman had eclipsed the school-record mark of former Viking and University of Alabama running back Glenn Coffee, a feat that instantly gave the Viking senior street cred with those who were not as familiar with the sport.
"Most people don't really get weight lifting, but when I tell them that I beat Glenn Coffee's records, they say, ‘You're good, I understand,'" Freeman said. "I beat an All-SEC running back's records ... not just beat them, I killed them."
Coffee's bench (385 pounds) topped Coffee's by 15 pounds while his clean-and-jerk total of 325 was 10 pounds more than that of the current NFL rookie.
From there, Freeman and the Vikings marched to the state finals. After not receiving credit for a strong lift on the bench press, an undeterred Freeman responded with a 310 pound effort on the clean-and-jerk to secure his state crown.
"He was minus 35 pounds from where he should have been," Griffin recounted. "He had to gut it up and have a good clean day to win and he did it, which I though was pretty impressive.
"He could have lost (his focus) but he didn't."
Instead, he kept a promise.
