By Peyton Capellen Posted December 7, 2017
Senior Matthew Souza has been ripping it up on the football field this year. He excels in both football and wrestling. He plays wide receiver, cornerback, and defensive back. This football season, Souza racked up 28 solo tackles, 1 interception, 2 fumble recoveries, and 265 all-purpose yards. Souza also placed fourth at the state wrestling tournament last year.
Although Souza enjoys both sports, he has played football longer, and it is his favorite.
“My favorite sport is football. I started playing football when I was eight,” said Matthew. “I played for a Pop Warner team in Vegas. I started wrestling my freshman year of high school.”
Matthew’s role model is assistant wrestling coach Tim Grady.
“My role model is Mr. Grady; he is a great guy,” Matthew said.
This summer, Souza attended a football camp at Eastern Oregon University. After the coaches saw what he could do, they offered him a scholarship to play football at the school next year.
“I am very excited to play at EOU next year and am thankful for the opportunity,” Matthew said.
Besides Mr. Grady, there are a few other coaches who have helped Souza become the athlete he is.
“I would like to recognize coach [Taua] Cabatbat and coach [John] Brooks; they are great coaches and great people,” said Matthew.
Offensive coordinator Tyrell Lucas has seen Matthew grow and excel over the past year.
“Over the past few years, Matt has grown tremendously. He went from being a competitive player who started leading by example on the field. There is no quit in him; he always competes, and his senior year of football was a true testament to his hard work on the field,” said Lucas. “He was one of the most dominant players in our league. He was a great crunch-time player when we needed a spark; he usually delivered a big play for us. It has been a pleasure coaching and getting to know him, and I look forward to seeing how he continues to compete in his future endeavors.”
Matthew will miss spending time with his friends and teammates.
“I will miss all the great times I made with my friends and teammates,” said Matthew.
Although Souza has made many sports memories over the years, his favorite was last year at the state wrestling tournament.
“My favorite memory in sports was at state last year when I beat a kid I had not beat all year,” Matthew said.
Matthew is originally from Las Vegas and moved to Winnemucca in the eighth grade.
“I’m very happy I moved from Vegas because of all the great friends I’ve made here in Winnemucca,” said Matthew. “I think leaving Vegas made it easier for me in sports because there were so many great athletes down there who could go to the next level.”
