Column: Bryce Matthews sheds ‘late bloomer’ tag to become force for Bishop Montgomery

Bryce Matthews might need to be called “Reverend.” He told his father not long ago that he had the skills to be a minister.

On the football field for Torrance Bishop Montgomery High, he’s gaining a growing flock of admirers.

Last season as a junior defensive end, in his first season on varsity, Matthews had 11 sacks. Last week against Bellflower High, he caught a touchdown pass, ran back a fumble for a touchdown and also had an interception.

He’s 6-foot-3, 220 pounds and lives a block away from City Section power Crenshaw High.

“He’s a good kid and represents the best of Crenshaw,” his father, Scott, said.

Matthews shows up to Crenshaw games when he’s not playing, to support friends from his youth football days. But his parents chose to send him 13 miles away to Bishop Montgomery for academic reasons and to play for the Knights’ successful basketball program. He’d rise at 6 a.m. and take the bus to Torrance.

“I wasn’t a football guy,” Scott said. “I’m a basketball guy.”

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Bishop Montgomery defensive end makes impact

Except his son never became the basketball standout he had hoped. Then he started having success in football.

“The transition kind of happened,” Matthews said. “I realized I had more fun playing football.”

His father wouldn’t let him play varsity football early on, fearing injury, so Matthews was on lower levels as a freshman and sophomore. As a junior, Matthews was named the South Catholic League defensive player of the year.

He’s added weight and strength, and his quick acceleration when the ball is snapped makes him very effective. Coach Ed Hodgkiss believes Matthews has plenty of room to add muscle and weight to his body. He doesn’t turn 18 until April.

It makes Matthews the classic “late bloomer,” a label that leaves him frustrated.

“It’s kind of annoying,” he said. “People look down on you. Every level, it’s me trying to prove my value. I strive to make a good impression. If you have a bad impression of me, I want you to erase it. I want to show you I’m a hard worker.”

With a 3.6 grade point average, Matthews has taken advantage of spending four years at Bishop Montgomery.

“I stuck it out through thick and thin,” he said.

His personality is such that he talks to strangers while looking at them straight in the eye and never retreats from offering words of wisdom.

“I’m very energetic,” he said. “I love teaching people. I love talking to people. … I just have to get to know you.”

The friendly, welcoming demeanor quickly vanishes when any competition begins.

“The first step you take on the field, you have to change,” he said. “It’s not, ‘Hi, I’m your friend.’ I’m trying to beat you and you’re trying to beat me. Let’s compete and have fun doing it, but at the end of the day, I’m going to get after it and you can try to stop me if you can.”

Matthews said he has learned that “the best people are the ones who practice by themselves.”

He has begun running on his own and performing extra workouts while seeking to remove the “late bloomer” label from his resume.

He wants to be recognized as someone producing right now.

“I’m a monster,” he said with a preacher’s smile.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

Twitter: @latsondheimer