Merrillville senior Stanley Freeman has a strong sense of the moment and the history behind it.

So the 5-foot-11, 225-pound defensive end realizes what’s at stake when Merrillville hosts Concord in a Class 5A semistate on Friday night.

“I took my offseason more seriously,” Freeman said. “I’ve been trying to better myself for the seniors in the past, trying to make their goals come true through me.”

Freeman has 12 tackles for loss and three sacks in the postseason as the Pirates (10-2), who are ranked No. 5 in the state coaches poll, have advanced to a semistate for the sixth time in seven seasons. Their remarkable run was interrupted only in 2022, when they lost in a regional to Duneland Athletic Conference rival Valparaiso, which won the state championship.

Having lost each of those s

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