Q&A Profile: Ethan Freitas

Ethan practicing his swing at the simulator at the Manteca Park Golf Course as he warms up to take the green for a full 9-hole day on February 8th, 2025. (Robert Short/The Tower) 

By ROBERT SHORT 

The Tower  

MANTECA – The best high school golfer in the region? 

Ethan Freitas from Manteca High School has been the one of the strongest players on the golf team for the past few years and has brought home a few team MVP plaques for his skill and accomplishments. He has also finished several organized tournaments placing at least in the top 3 for individual performance in all of them. The awards alone point to him being arguably the most dominant athlete on campus. 

On top of being an incredible player, he is also an astounding student as well who prioritizes AP and honors classes to push his education as far as he can. Many teachers and peers alike on campus agree that Freitas is a good kid on campus. One peer that especially agrees is a senior and former teammate of Freitas, Jack Corson. Corson advocates for Freitas’ passion and dedication for not only his on the field work, but his off the field too. 

With being such a great athlete, an ego is almost expected but not for Freitas. Freitas prides himself on his work by being as humble as can be and loves to help and teach others. 

Despite all these great achievements, Ethan prefers to keep to himself so not a ton of people know about him and what he does. Even if he may want it to stay that way, it’s important to make people aware of what he gets done and how good a person he is once you learn about him. 

It’s not all easy and perfect for Freitas however, even being one of the best, he still faces his challenges and struggles when it comes to the sport. He knows that he can’t let it overpower him though because having a weak mindset and mentality will only hinder his performance even more. 

Ethan perfecting his craft by practicing and taking it to the green during his free time at the Manteca Park Golf Course on August 31st, 2025. (Robert Short/The Tower) 

“What pushes you through it is just knowing there is an end to the sucking” Ethan Freitas said. 

“He’s just so precise and whenever you have a question, you go to Ethan. That’s the guy for advice.” Corson said.  

DETAILS 

The Tower caught up with Ethan Freitas to discuss his athletic and academic achievements and accomplishments. 

TT: Who initially got you into golf? 

EF: My grandpa, he would take me to a golf course in Modesto called John Thurman Field and then we would go to Creekside. 

TT: How and why do you push yourself academically? 

EF: It’s about being able to get into a better college and better schools and get a higher and better education while also being able to be with the best of the best while going to the best of the best places.  

TT: How do you balance school and sports? 

EF: For me, I take school as a priority, and I usually do golf after school, and I try to make time for it. Like I’ll go in the morning sometimes, but school always takes priority. 

TT: What else do you do for fun in your spare time? 

EF: I like to play video games with my friends and going to the park with my friends is fun as well. Going out to eat sometimes and going down to the river. I hope to go fishing there sometime. 

TT: Do you plan on pursuing golf in college? 

EF: I have two paths, im either going to a lower level like a D2 or D3 school and play like that or I can go to a higher level, my dream school is Cal Poly, so I’d like to go there and try out for the team there and if I don’t get it, then I’ll work towards that goal. 

TT: What would be your favorite pre-game and post-game meal after a game? 

EF: I guess it’s not really pre-game, but it’s more during game is a hot dog... It’s a great encore snack because it’s not really like messy because I don’t put a lot of condiments on it so it’s great to eat. Then post-game it would be ice cream. Usually after I golf after a big tournament, I’ll just sugar up. 

TT: What is the most difficult or frustrating part about golf for you? 

EF: Sucking and not doing well. Golf is a very hard sport and it’s a very long process to get better and there are times you just absolutely suck and it’s terrible. What pushes you through it is just knowing that there’s an end to the sucking. 

TT: Do you have any advice or motivation for anyone who’s thinking about getting into golf? 

EF: I think what most people struggle with is they just think it’s easy and they think but it’s like, you get the best of the best and they still suck and don’t do very well. You just got to push through it, and you got to know that if you go out to play, it takes a lot of time and effort to get good and it’s not something that just happens.