FREDERICKTOWN – Fredericktown senior wrestler Gene Fitzpatrick is spending his final year in school learning skills that will stay with him for the rest of his life.
Fitzpatrick will be working at his father Todd Fitzpatrick’s business, Preventive Maintenance Medical. It’s a Mount Vernon-based company that installs, maintains, cleans, sterilizes and repairs medical equipment for hospitals. It was something Fitzpatrick was going to do, but the COVID-19 pandemic made it necessary to begin his career at the start of last summer.
“My dad said, ‘You're working,’ so I’ve been working since then,” Fitzpatrick said. “I get to co-op with school so I don’t go to school (classes) anymore. I’ll just be working full-time and that counts toward my credits at the career center. I’ve been working in the field on installs and cleaning. I will start further training in the field on Monday (Jan. 18).”
Fitzpatrick has been working on refurbishing older equipment.
“We take old machines in, tear them all down, clean them, sandblast them and put all new parts in them,” he said. “The last one I got to do all by myself.”
Fitzpatrick may be out of the classroom, but he puts in plenty of hours.
“Right now, I’m going to school for two hours,” he said. “I go into work for four hours and go to wrestling practice for two hours — all in a row. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”
He’s also doing community work with his local church, feeding the hungry.
“Our parents have been a big driving force in this,” Fitzpatrick said. “They have always wanted the best for us, and that’s always made us want to do better — live up to them and always make them proud. To be part of teams or anything, you always want to step up. You never want to be the weak link. Always try to be a leader in whatever you do.”
Fredericktown wrestling coach Milan Pozderac is hoping that Fitzpatrick’s enthusiasm rubs off on his younger wrestlers.
“Gene is our only senior, and he was really excited to take on the leadership role,” Pozderac said. “He’s our team captain. He really helps out the younger guys and motivates them, especially the junior high kids and the new kids that are just coming into the sport and struggling.”
With only six varsity wrestlers, the Freddies aren’t going to win any duals due to the forfeits. They did do well in their quad on Wednesday, Jan. 13, facing host Northridge along with Johnstown and Licking Valley.
Fitzpatrick won both of his matches, teammate Xavier Platt won all three of his bouts and Lucas Statton went 2-0. In addition, Brock Stute and Mason Hoeflich were both 2-1 for the Freddies.
