All-Star
Attitude

All-Stater Ryan Fried is
looking at life differently after
his knee injury.

STEVE STEIN

Ryan has been
rehabilitating his
knee since
November.

jury

Ryan Fried knew it, but he
didn't think about it. All the
Berkley High School senior
wanted to do was play the game
he loved as hard as he could
every minute he was on the
field.
Then, it happened. In the
third quarter of Berkley's home-
coming game against Birming-
ham Seaholm last fall, Fried
suffered torn ligaments in his
right knee while trying to make
a tackle from his free safety
position.
In an instant, Fried's brilliant
football career at Berkley end-
ed. On Nov. 15, exactly one
month after the injury, the
Huntington Woods resident un-
derwent reconstructive surgery.
Some colleges which were
recruiting Fried lost interest.

Because of the severity of the
injury and its timing, Fried is
unable to play basketball for
Berkley this winter after spend-
ing the past two seasons as the
Bears' starting point guard.
Whether Fried will be able to
return to the Berkley track
team this spring also is ques-
tionable. He ran the 100- and
200-meter dashes for the Bears
last season.
The past few months have
not been pleasant ones for
Fried, but you won't find him
hanging his head. He's grasped
the situation and tried to make
the best of it, which is not an
easy task for an 18-year-old.

"I've had a lot of problems
dealing with not being able to
do the things I've always done,"
Fried admitted. "It's been awk-
ward. I've been an athlete all
my life. It's frustrating to know
you can't go out and play some
hoops any time you want.
"I've had to force myself to go
to Berkley's basketball games,
but I'm glad I'm doing it be-
cause I know all the guys on the
team and I want to support
them.
"One of the things I miss
most is being a part of the team.
You know, hanging out with the
guys."
Fried has been forced into the
stands, but he isn't sitting idle.

He lifts weights two hours a
day, five days a week both to
vent his frustration and stay in
shape. The extra time also has
given Fried a chance to reflect
more on his future. While he'd
love to play football in college,
academics are his No. 1 priority.
"I'd like to go to an Ivy
League school," said Fried, who
owns a 3.029 grade-point aver-
age but is confident he can do
much better in college. "Educa-
tion is the foundation of every-
thing. At one time, I wanted to
be the football coach at Stanford
or Colorado. Now, I'd like to get
into the world of business."
While the injury prevented
Fried from playing in Berkley's
final two football games, it
didn't stop him from gathering
a host of post-season honors.
Topping the list was his se-
lection to the Associated Press
Class A All-State team. That
honor squad was chosen by a
statewide panel of sportswrit-

ALL-STAR page 96

=)

is the nature of football. Every-
one who straps on a helmet and
shoulder pads is well aware
that the next play could result
in a season- or career-ending in-

FEB RUA RY 2 5, 199 4

STAFF WRITER