The life of a wrestler sure isn’t pretty. In the circle, you’d never like to be friends with your opponent. But for Cole Friend of Sandalwood High School, it’s his sporting passion.
Cole has been wrestling since the ninth grade. Before that, he had heard of the sport, but never actually tried it. After his first introduction to the sport, he couldn’t stay away. He’s been wrestling all four of his years as a Saint, but Cole only spent two of those years as a student at Sandalwood. As a student in the early college program, Cole was able to graduate high school in the 10th grade and is now taking classes at Florida State College at Jacksonville. He will graduate with his accociate degree in the spring.
Away from the mat and in the classroom, Cole is a gifted student. He is the owner of a 4.4 GPA at Sandalwood and FSCJ. With a brain like his, it’s unsurprising that his favorite subject is math. When Cole finishes the spring semester at FSCJ, he plans to apply to Florida State University and Valdosta State University, where his passion for math will take center stage in pursuing a software engineering degree.
“I’m just proud of the young man he’s becoming,” his mother said.
Friend still has goals for his Senior wrestling season, however. As one of the better wrestlers on the team, he would like to advance past districts and ultimately make it to the state meet, the cherry on top of a great high school career at Sandalwood.
Just as any other high school student, Friend partakes in many activities away from school and wrestling. A decent amount of his free time is dedicated to hunting and fishing, a worry free activity he uses to relax. He is also an active member and volunteer at his church, Living Water Christian Church. Outside of wrestling, Friend loves football. Although he didn’t play in high school, he does take the time to volunteer for the local Pee Wee football team and coach a little bit.
College is approaching fast for this local, standout student-athlete, but he hopes to accomplish all of his goals in these last few months as a Sandalwood Saint.
Cole Friend Academic Athlete
Written by: Ryan Hutchins
