'The sun is going to come up tomorrow': Waukee Northwest's Carter Freeman holds head high

All week, Waukee Northwest's Carter Freeman faced the noise at the Iowa state wrestling tournament.

Every reporter with a camera and a microphone approached him with 1,000 questions after every match.

How are you handling the pressure of potentially being the next four-timestate champion?

What would it mean to be a four-time state champion?

Why was that match so close compared to the others?

All four opponents he faced in Des Moines gave him their best shot, too, wanting to be the one to play spoiler. Coaches watched his post-match interviews and old tape to gain an edge based on his prior words and moves.

Freeman admitted after his semifinal match he was going to be relieved when this circus was all over because win or lose, one thing was always going to happen.

"The sun is going to come up tomorrow."

That's a phrase Freeman used often during the weeks leading up to the state tournament. Leading into the finals where he was facing long-time Sebolt training partner Koy Davidson, Freeman said he felt great. He was ready to have fun.

The two traded escapes in the first three periods, with Freeman looking like the aggressor through the match. A couple of times, including in overtime, Freeman looked like he might have connected on the one shot he needed to clinch his fourth.

With about 30 seconds left in overtime, the two engaged in an epic scramble. The two locked wraps around one another's waists and began to spin. The difference between history being made and history being stopped would come down to who could topple their good friend over first.

Ultimately, it was taller, bigger Davidson who plopped Freeman onto his back to be crowned the 138-pound champion in 3A. Right after, Davidson tipped his hat to his Sebolt partner.

"He's made me who I am now," Davidson said. "We made each other get to the top of the mountain just being practice partners, a lot of credit is due to Carter and I can't thank him enough."

On the other side of Wells Fargo Arena in the tunnel was an emotional Freeman. Being a four-time champion and getting the raucous approval from the wrestling community was something he dreamed of since he was a little kid.

Yet, that same saying was still on his mind.

"Whether that overtime go went my way or not, I feel like that doesn't change who I am," Freeman said. "The saying 'The sun will come up tomorrow' means that the world is not going to end tonight because I didn't get that takedown. (I've got) bigger and better things to accomplish and I'm forever grateful for this team and the support staff around me."

From the beginning of his wrestling career, that is what Freeman has been about. Not the wins and losses, but improving each day as a wrestler. He became one of the state's best wrestlers in recent memory. Not only a three-time champion but finishing with a 154-6 record with the Wolves (and Waukee Warriors in his freshman season).

"Carter is the kind of guy that's like, 'OK, that one's done, what are we gonna do next?'" Waukee Northwest coach Chad Vollmecke said after the Ed Winger Classic. "Continue to get better, continue to keep working because Carter's end game isn't the state tournament. The state tournament is just another step in Carter's career."

The next step is now Northern Iowa, where he'll wrestle for coach Doug Schwab and the Panthers. A three-time NCAA All-American, a 1999 NCAA champion, a 2007 U.S. Senior Freestyle title among other accomplishments, Schwab won just one state title while at Osage in 1996. In 1993 and 1995, he placed second. That's a testament to just how hard this tourney can be.

Per Freeman, Schwab's message to him after the loss was that this moment will hurt for a long time, but it'll only be fuel for whatever comes next for him.

Freeman is already seeing the silver lining ahead as his wrestling career just gets started.

"Having that moment is something that I'll be grateful for, even though I didn't win," Freeman said.

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Carter Freeman stays upbeat despite loss at Iowa state tournament