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I TELL MY STUDENTS I HAVE BEEN IN SCHOOL SINCE 1949 WHICH IS WHEN I STARTED KINDERGARTEN AND I STILL AM TRYING TO GET IT RIGHT. THEY WILL LEAVE HIGH SCHOOL IN FOUR OR LESS YEARS, I AM A "LIFE'ER." MY FOOTBALL EXPERIENCE BEGAN WATCHING THE GIBSONBURG HIGH SCHOOL TEAM PRACTICE JUST A BLOCK DOWN THE STREET. I WOULD ALWAYS HANG AROUND THE FIELD AND LOCKER ROOM IDOLIZING THE PLAYERS AS GRADE SCHOOLS KIDS DO IN SMALL MID-WESTERN TOWNS. MY INTEREST PICKED UP WHEN MY OLDER BROTHER (4 YEARS) WAS ON THE FIELD. HE WENT ON TO BENAMED ALL OHIO HIS SENIOR YEAR AND LEFT A LEGACY THAT A CHALLENGE TO LIVE UP TO. MY PLAYING EXPERIENCE BEGAN IN 1959 WHEN I PLAYED JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL BALL FOR COACH OLLIE KOPP. WE WERE FORTUNATE TO HAVE A REALLY GOOD GROUP OF COACHES AT OUR SMALL SCHOOL DURING MY PLAYING EXPERIENCE HEADED BY A GREAT LEADER OF YOUNG MEN, COACH HERB REDDING. COACH REDDING WAS A TRULY GREAT HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COACH IN EVERY SENSE. HE WAS A STICKLER FOR FUNDAMENTALS. MUCH OF OUR BASIC PHILOSOPHY AND STYLE OF PLAY STEMS FROM THAT HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE. WE HAD A GREAT RUN IN HIGH SCHOOL GOING 9-1, 8-2, AND 9-1 FOR THREE YEARS WINNING 2 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS AND A NUMBER OF US BEING NAMED TO THE ALL OHIO TEAM OUR SENIOR YEAR. I WENT ON TO HOBART COLLEGE, GENEVA NY TO PLAY FOR 2 YEARS WHEN A SEVERE HEAD INJURY ENDED MY PLAYING EXPERIENCE. I HAVE COACHED HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SINCE 1968 BEGINNING IN COLORADO. I HAVE BEEN A HEAD COACH FOR 26 OF THOSE 30 YEARS. OVER THE YEARS I HAVE CHASED A FEW RAINBOWS AND COACHED IN IOWA, OHIO, WYOMING, OREGON AND MOST RECENTLY IN WASHINGTON. WE HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE TO WIN 10 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS AND THE 1984 OREGON STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. THE INFORMATION AT THIS SITE HAS BEEN COMPILED OVER THAT COACHING EXPERIENCE. INSPIRATION FOR THIS PARTICULAR SYSTEM OF FOOTBALL COMES FROM FAR TOO MANY COACHES, PLAYERS, AND EXPERIENCES TO LIST HERE. MY MOST RECENT COACHING EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN AT EVERETT HIGH SCHOOL IN EVERETT WA. WE WERE HIRED TO REBUILD THE PROGRAM WHICH HAD GONE 0 FOR A YEAR AND A HALF BEFORE MY ARRIVAL. EVERETT HAS A LONG AND STORIED HISTORY OF HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL. NO OTHER SCHOOL IN THE STATE HAS WON MORE STATE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS. MOST OF THAT SUCCESS WAS YEARS AGO WITH THE LAST CHAMPIONSHIP COMING IN 1960. IN THE EARLY 60S THEY SPLIT WHAT WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST ENROLLMENTS IN THE STATE INTO 2 SCHOOLS, AND HAVE OPENED A THIRD SCHOOL HERE IN THE 90S AS WELL AND THE POPULATION AND BOEING GROWS. EVERETT'S ENROLLMENT CONTINUED TO DROP OVER THE PAST 25 YEARS WHERE IT BECAME THE SMALLEST SCHOOL IN THE CONFERENCE. IN FACT THE ENROLLMENT INDICATED THEY SHOULD BE RECLASSIFIED FROM AAA TO AA BUT THE LONG HISTORY AND TRADITION PREVENTED PEOPLE FROM "MOVING DOWN." OUR SENIOR CLASSES AT EVERETT WOULD HAVE 210-220 ON THE RANKED LIST OF SENIORS AND WE WOULD PLAY SCHOOLS WITH 550 ON THEIR RANKED LIST. WE HAD TO DEVELOP A SYSTEM OF PLAY WHICH WOULD ALLOW OUR ATHLETES TO BE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPETE AGAINST THESE ODDS. HENCE THE "EQUALIZER OFFENSE" AND THE "HANDLES EVERYTHING" DEFENSE THAT YOU SEE AT THIS SITE. THE STATE OF WASHINGTON WILL INSTITUTE A NEW AAAA CLASSIFICATION IN 1997 FOR SCHOOLS WITH ENROLLMENTS OVER 1200. THIS WILL PLACE EVERETT HIGH SCHOOL IN THE AAA CLASSIFICATION FOR SCHOOLS WITH ENROLLMENTS OF 600-1200. THE PLAYING FIELD FOR EVERETT FINALLY GETS LEVEL.COACH FREEBORN WITH SONS JJ (LEFT) AND LEVI (RIGHT) DURING THEY PLAYING AND COACHING DAYS AT EVERETT HIGH SCHOOL. JJ IS CURRENTLY PLAYING LB'ER AT CENTRAL WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY AND STUDYING TO ENTER THE TEACHING AND COACHING FIELD. LEVI GRADUATES IN 1997 AND IS LOOKING TO BECOME A SOUND RECORDING ENGINEER. WE HAVE TWO OTHER KIDS. LINDSAY IS A PHYSICAL THERAPIST IN ST.CHARLES IL AND DEEPLY INTO TRIATHLONS. SHE IS MARRIED TO YANCEY WHO WORKS AT THE CHICAGO MERCANTILE EXCHANGE. MIKE IS A TEACHER/ COACH IN THE PORTLAND AREA. HIS WIFE JENNIFER TEACHES ELEMENTARY.
MY WIFE, JACQUIE, AND I ENJOY A GET AWAY TO CANNON BEACH, OREGON. ONE OF THE MANY BENEFITS OF LIVING IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. HER LOVE AND SUPPORT HAS CARRIED US THROUGH SOME TOUGH TIMES. SHE WORKS AS AN EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANT WITH THE SEVERE AND PROFOUND CHALLENGED STUDENTS IN A LOCAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
AS OF THIS WRITING (1997) WE HAVE JUST SIGNED ON TO BECOME THE NEW HEAD COACH AT ESTACADA HIGH SCHOOL IN OREGON JUST SOUTHEAST OF PORTLAND. LOOK FOR OUR UPCOMING HOME PAGE ON THE NET WHERE YOU CAN FOLLOWING THE "EQUALIZER OFFENSE" AS WE BUILD ANOTHER WINNING PROGRAM.
TWO YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE WE HAVE UPDATED THIS PAGE. REGULAR READERS OF THIS SITE KNOW THAT THE RANGERS HAVE FAIRED VERY WELL WITH A 15-4 RECORD OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, AN UNDEFEATED SEASON, A CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP AND THE FIRST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE IN ALMOST 50 YEARS. IT IS THE FIRST UNDISPUTED CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP EVER FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL.
THIS SUMMER WE WILL JOIN THE RANKS OF GRANDPARENTHOOD AS THE FREEBORN CLAN ONCE AGAIN STARTS TO GROW. JJ WILL GRADUATE THIS YEAR FROM CENTRAL WASHINGTON AND ENTER THE COACHING FIELD, MIKE IS STILL COACHING WITH US AND WILL BECOME A FATHER THIS SUMMER WHEN KADE IS BORN IN JULY, LINDSAY IS MOVING BACK TO CHICAGO AREA AFTER ALMOST A YEAR IN SANTA FE NM, LEVI IS LIVING IN SEATTLE AREA LOOKING TO BREAK INTO THE SOUND RECORDING BUSINESS.
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