Workouts during lockdown have Freedom football’s Schwind set for battle in trenches - lehighvalleylive.com

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It could be understood, heck maybe even expected, that local football players entered the fall a little out of shape due to all of the challenges presented during a COVID-19 offseason.

Virtual workouts aren’t a perfect substitute and isolation can take a toll on the best intentions.

Freedom High School two-way lineman Jacob Schwind didn’t fall into that trap, however. As a matter of fact, the senior went in the other direction and that effort was clear during the Patriots' 44-20 opening victory over Northampton last week.

“This past offseason with the pandemic, he just put in a lot of extra work beyond what we were doing,” Freedom coach Jason Roeder said. “... It really showed the other night. He was able to maintain his motor throughout the night on both sides of the ball. He’s just a really good example for our young kids.”

Schwind had some assistance from recent Patriots standout Tristan Wheeler, who has been excelling as a linebacker at the University of Richmond.

“When quarantine happened, I was kind of sad that I couldn’t play football. But, Tristan Wheeler actually reached out to me and said that he needed a workout buddy,” Schwind said. “He pulled me out of bed and got me out here three times a day: once on the field, once in the weight room and then back on the field at night for technique work. We did that for a solid six months. I really have to thank him for getting me out here and keeping me in shape.”

Schwind, a defensive end and offensive tackle, and Wheeler have been friends since they were young. The current Freedom senior experienced the product of all that offseason labor – on the practice field and in Wheeler’s basement weight room – during Game 1.

“Last year, I was a bit out of shape. It was hard to last a full game. On Friday, I played every snap and I felt great,” said Schwind, who is listed at 6-foot-1, 235 pounds. “You can definitely tell the difference between sitting around all summer and working out.”

Schwind, a four-year varsity contributor and consistent three-year starter, and his partners in the trenches will be challenged this weekend when No. 3 Freedom (1-0) meets No. 2 Easton (1-0) 7 p.m. Saturday at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium.

All-State running back Nahjee Adams rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns during the Red Rovers' opening victory over Liberty. Easton shut down the Hurricanes running game on the other side of the ball.

“Our team loves stopping the run and they rely on us big boys a lot to stop the run,” said Schwind, who is joined on Freedom’s three-man front by a rotation of juniors Braelin Moore and Juan Feliciano, and seniors Alex Rosado and Ryan Frantz. “This week, we’re really focusing on forcing Easton into third-and-long (to) make sure they throw the ball. At the end of the day, it comes down to our three big guys in the middle.”

Roeder sees all the trademarks of a quality Easton team when he reviews the film.

“They’re very aggressive on defense, as always. They have great team speed, as always. They run to the football well. They pressure the quarterback well, which is typical of an Easton team,” the coach said. “On offense, when you have a Division I running back, it starts there, but they always block well up front and their quarterback (Cole Transue) is definitely a dual-threat guy. So, their balance is a real threat.”

Freedom showed the ability to attack through the air and on the ground, as well, in its first victory. Junior Brian Taylor had a successful debut at quarterback, and senior Matty Russin (who left the game early) and junior Deante Crawford each rushed for more than 100 yards and combined for five touchdowns.

“Both running backs were as-advertised,” Roeder said. "We’ve got to get both of those guys into the fourth quarter, though, in terms of how we manage them.

“For a first game, I thought we were pretty sound in terms of assignments. We didn’t make a whole lot of mistakes. The times when we did make mistakes were when we got a little tired. It’s all about learning from that full game, managing rotations and looking at our depth.”

It’s only the second contest of the year for both teams, but since there are only five league games on the schedule, Saturday’s tilt will go a long way in sorting out the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference’s Northampton Division.

“After one week, believe it or not, it kind of feels normal to get back in the rhythm here,” Roeder said. “In terms of a sense of urgency, you don’t want to waste any downs or waste any plays. You want to play well and practice well, but that’s always the case.”

For his part, Schwind is ready to tangle with the Rovers for 48 minutes. He’s been preparing for that sort of battle for months and the opener only reinforced his mentality.

“At the end of the day it came down to stamina and actually getting through a full game the first time we were really live besides the Liberty scrimmage,” the senior said. “We took away the fact that we need to play a four-quarter game.”

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Kyle Craig may be reached at kcraig@lehighvalleylive.com.

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