Cameron Matosich:
He didn't let injury-riddled senior year
stop him from playing a big role
By Bruce Smith
MatchupIn football, he was to be one of the Mavericks’ primary receivers. In basketball, he would have played guard for the defending 5A state champions that had several important players returning.
That all ended early in the football. Early – as in the first quarter of the first game.
“It was a reverse,” Matosich recalled. “I got a handoff and got outside. I tried to get by a cornerback. I made a move and felt a pop in my knee. Just like that, I tore my ACL.
“It was terrible,” he added. “It’s weird because I’ve done that same thing hundreds of time. Then, that one time, something went wrong and it popped. No fun.”
Ironically, Matosich kept going and was credited with an 8-yard gain before going out of bounds. Trouble was, he didn’t get up.
“I felt it pop right around the hashmark and I kept hobbling along. I went down on the track,” he said. “The trainers all came over. I couldn’t describe to them what happened. It was such a loud pop and it hurt so bad. They brought me over to the table and they told me they thought it was ACL. That was pretty much it.”
Matosich, however, didn’t let it end his career. In fact, how he handled the injury got rave reviews from coach Judd Benedick, as well as basketball coach Jon Nettleton.
“I was a team captain,” Matosich said. “Coach Benedick made me feel like he really cared about me and stayed close the whole time. He made me want to fulfill my duties and still lead the team.”
Matosich attended football practices and every game. He even joined the team on the bus to Coeur d’Alene. He viewed himself as a player-coach. He didn’t have surgery until four weeks later. By that time, he felt a lot better. The crutches disappeared.
“It felt fine to walk on it and I could even jog, but there was no support when it came to cutting.”
He wore his uniform – No. 2 – to each game. In Mountain View’s homecoming contest against Borah, he led the team onto the field. He also relished getting onto the field for one more play.
“I was the holder on the team and he (Benedick) let me go into hold (on an extra-point attempt),” he said. “That was pretty memorable.”
Despite not being able to fulfill his athletic dreams this year, Matosich learned to appreciate his new status and he still felt like he contributed. He offered advice whenever possible. He noted that speedy wide receiver Chase Hafer stepped up his game until he suffered an injury at midseason. Then sophomore Josh Buss showed his skills.
“Our best game was definitely the Eagle game,” Matosich said. “Everything was clicking for us and our offense was making big plays, especially Josh Buss. He’s something else … pretty darn athletic.”
It also made him appreciate his junior year, when he was injury-free.
That year, Matosich was Mountain View’s leading receiver, catching 28 passes for 301 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown in the season opener at Lake City. Later, he led the JV basketball team in minutes played as they finished with a 21-2 record, and he went on to play with the basketball team during the summer.
Nettleton also invited him to practices, and to sit on the bench during the basketball season. Near the end, he felt good enough to join the team in pre-game warm-ups, although he still was unable to play.
“He (Nettleton) liked me there as a player-coach type of thing,” Matosich said.
When school ended, Matosich was contemplating trying to continue his athletic career. He and teammate Nate Moore received at least partial scholarships from Carroll College in Helana, Mont. Matosich was also considering Idaho.
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