Just prior to the Everett game The Minuteman had a conversation with Lexington senior quarterback and co-captain Sal Frelick. In the interview we learned that all the statistics and resulting accolades showered on him this season are simply the attributions of his position in an explosive offense, and that “the credit really belongs to my coaches and teammates who put me in a position to succeed.”
While that may be true, the sophisticated spread offense Lexington runs so effectively requires a capable pilot to make decisions on the fly and execute. There is no question that Frelick is that pilot.
Going into the interview his “attributions” included 19 touchdowns passing, 18 running and one receiving, and the team was rolling at 8-0 having just defeated Andover.
Here is the interview. LM is the Minuteman. SF is the QB.
LM: How’s the season going so far?
SF: (Laughs.) Right. Well, seriously I think it’s tremendous. Seeing the guys out there having fun is the best thing. To have so much fun, win at the same time, have this roll we’re on… It’s just awesome.
LM: Was revenge in your mind against Andover, or had you guys moved on with your lives and forgotten about that game last year?
SF: Oh no, no, no. It was definitely on our minds. 365 days, we’d been thinking about it. Definitely. It was our biggest motivation. They took one from us last year at our place so them coming back here in the same situation was huge. It was awesome to get that win…to get that revenge.
LM: It felt like you were finally facing some adversity that you hadn’t faced all year long. You, especially with the two interceptions on the two consecutive series. What are your thoughts on that?
SF: No excuses. I forced the ball on both of those throws. We had scored on the first play from scrimmage and I was so hyped, I’m just calling these plays thinking these are all going for touchdowns, so I was just forcing the ball.
LM: But beyond the interceptions, there was so much that didn’t go your way, fumbles, penalties, touchdowns called back. Was it good for you to have some of that happen to make you deal with it?
SF: I wouldn’t say “good.” It was very frustrating when Quint’s (senior co-captain Ben) running for touchdowns, then I run for one and you see a flag on the field. But that’s just football. We see a flag, say that’s ok, we’ll line up again and we’ll score again. On that drive where I was on the receiving end for a touchdown…that was the third touchdown we’d scored on that drive! That just goes to show you. We’ll just keep playing the game of football. We’ll line up and play.
LM: Your spread offense is really exciting. It must come with a hefty playbook. Is it a challenge to know it all and utilize it in the heat of battle?
SF: Early on, Freshman and Sophomore years it was hard, but now it’s second nature to me. And our guys have really high football IQ’s. They understand it. So even though the playbook is big, it’s not a problem.
LM: So I see Coach Peterson on the sideline flashing you all sorts of signals. Do you ever shake him off and call your own play? Do you see things he doesn’t see?
SF: No. I have the QB coach up in the box and coach Peterson on the sideline. I trust my coaches so much that even if I might disagree with a call, I’ll still go with it. They see everything. If a play falls apart, well, that’s football. We’ll learn from it and just line up for the next play.
LM: The pass straight out to the sideline that you guys run so often seems so risky. Tell me about that play.
SF: That’s a read play. So many plays in our spread offense are read plays. On that play it’s a triple option. I can either hand it off, I can keep it or I can throw it. It’s my decision on that play depending on how I read the defense. A lot of what the coach gives me are those kinds of read options where I see what the defense is doing and decide based on that.
LM: But it just feels like a dangerous pass. If it gets picked, it’s 6 for the other guys.
SF: Yeah, that’s true, but with four years of experience now, I have a really good feel for when to throw it or when to tuck it and run.
LM: The advantages of being a senior?
SF: Absolutely!
LM: So you’re making decisions on the fly…which is one of the reasons you guys drive defenses crazy?
SF: Oh yeah. We take what the defense gives us. If they give me a five yard out, I’ll take it. I’ll throw that 20 times. If they come up to stop that, then I’ll let one go.
LM: Do you have more fun when the play breaks down?
SF: Well, I think creativity in those situations is a strong part of my game. I just don’t like going out of bounds. So if I roll one way and everything’s clogged up, I’ll take ten yards, reverse it the other way to buy the time to find another receiver downfield. I really like to do that. I like to try to make plays. My running back, Ben, will do the same things. That goes for Jimmy (Lane) ,Tony (Bianchi), Noah (Monzillo) and all of our receivers, too. Our spread offense allows for a lot of creativity from all of us.
LM: But it seems like you have so much fun when the play breaks down…do you even prefer that?
SF: I wouldn’t say that because most of our plays are designed to hit a certain hole, and, if it works out that way…great. But when it does break down, I get that smirk on my face. I don’t get worried.
LM: Do you have a favorite play?
SF: I think every play could be one of my favorites. Really. So, no, I don’t really have a favorite play, but I like to scramble so…I do like the quarterback draw. I get to use my feet a little bit, but any time I get the ball in my hands I’m smiling.
LM: The fake draw and pass to Bianchi over the middle seems to work consistently.
SF: We have so many different talented players on this team, so when teams start keying on me and looking for the QB draw, that’s when we’ll run that. But it’s really tough for defenses because we have so many different players to utilize.
LM: Do you have a least favorite play?
SF: Punt. I hate to punt. On most 4th downs I’m eyeballing the coach saying, ‘we’re going for it.’
LM: I have a least favorite play. Not to go too far back in history, but the non-call on flagrant pass interference in the end zone last year on the last play in overtime against Andover was my least favorite. You remember that?
SF: Of course I remember it. I’ve watched the film, but it’s no excuse. We dug our own hole in the second half. We let go of a big lead. To get in that situation was on us, and the refs are part of the game, part of football. What happens, happens. No excuses.
LM: You have this charmed life. You drop a little 10-yard lob over onrushing lineman to Quint, he runs 60 yards with it, and you get credited with a 70 yard touchdown pass. What do you think about that?
SF: Well, yeah. That just comes with my position as QB. People look at that and the stats in the paper and they just see one guy, but the other guys should get the credit. Especially Ben. The kid’s phenomenal. I think, besides Tony, he’s the second leading receiver. On screens, on quick outs. He’s so athletic, so quick. When things break down, I can always look for him, look for Tony, look for Jim, Noah. Credit should go to them. And the offensive line, too. Things get clogged up, I see a hole, and I get credit for 10-yard gain, but it was the offensive linemen that got me there.
LM: Sometimes I think your last name is, “BC Baseball recruit.” You obviously have the time of your life playing football, so what’s with baseball?
SF: I do love football. But I have the time of my life playing hockey too. And baseball. I love all three sports equally. Whatever the season is that’s the sport I love.
LM: Your path seems very similar to another LHS grad, Chris Shaw (BC guy, now a top prospect in the SF Giants organization). Have the two of you talked?
SF: Oh yes. Throughout the whole process before I ended up committing, I had a lot of questions for Chris and he was very helpful, because he’d been through it all. He and his family have been very helpful to me.
LM: What about football at BC? What if they invited you to try out?
SF: Well, we’ve talked about it, and I hate to let go of football, but we’ve decided that the right choice for me is to stick to one sport and really work on my craft at that.
LM: Is there any interest in you beyond college baseball that you can talk about?
SF: I’ve been invited to a few try-outs which were run by local scouts. I’ve been up to a couple Yankees workouts. That’s about it. Nothing too serious. I’m really focused on one day at a time, but also trying to prepare myself for the future.
LM: Have you thought about the major league baseball draft?
SF: I’ll not sit here and tell you I know I’ll get drafted. But I’m trying to put myself in position to get drafted one day. Do some extra lifting, extra swings after practice. I’m going to put myself in the best position I can; trust my coaches, my parents to guide me on that right path.
LM: Have you been pursued by any other colleges besides BC?
SF: For football, yes. There’s been a lot of interest since the end of last season. Army and Villanova have made offers. Some ACC schools. Notre Dame came to a game earlier this year.
LM: But none of that’s going to shake you?
SF: Nope. Nope. I’m locked in. BC has always been my dream school. I love the campus. It’s close to home. I can get one of my mom’s home cooked meals once in a while. I gave my word to them, and I meant it. No second-guessing. No regrets.
LM: What will you miss the most from your LHS experience?
SF: The biggest thing I’m going to miss is playing with my brothers. Many of these guys are multi-sport athletes. We’re together all year every year.
On Thanksgiving somebody’s going to have to rip my pads off my shoulders, because I’m really not sure I’ll be able to do it.
LM: As you probably know, you’ve got three last names. I’ve heard PA announcers across the league call you alternately, Freelick, Fraylick and Frelick. For the record, which one is it?
SF: Yeah, I’ve heard them all, and I really don’t care. But technically, if you go with the proper Croatian pronunciation it is “Freelick.”
LM: Ok “Freelick.” Good luck to you.
SF: Thanks!
\