Being a Lineman Comes Naturally to Motherway

There were disadvantages to Matt Motherway’s situation.

He was youngest of four sons. Four very large sons, all of them Mater Dei offensive linemen. That could mean only one thing for the baby.

“I was always getting picked on,” said Motherway, The Times Orange County lineman of the year. “They’d always take my shirt.”

A strange and somewhat bizarre ritual.

Yet, there were advantages.

“I could watch them and learn,” Motherway said.

What lessons he was taught stuck. Motherway, the last and possibly the best of his family, has lived up to his billing this season. He was considered among the best in Orange County and did nothing to change that opinion.

Motherway, a 6-foot-4, 264-pound senior, was a big reason the Monarchs won the Southern Section Division I championship. He anchored an offensive line that wore down one opponent after another.

Just like his brothers before him.

“I imagine he gets a lot of support and a lot of criticism from his brothers,” Mater Dei Coach Bruce Rollinson said. “It’s a close family.

And a big one.

Brother Tom, now 28, played at Air Force and then UCLA. Brother Mike, 26, played at Princeton. And brother Ryan, 22, was a senior at UCLA this past season.

Motherway may be the best of the lot. Many schools are after him and UCLA, Stanford, Colorado and Oregon are at the top of his list. All like his quickness and strength.

But what makes him so tough is intelligence.

“He’s very bright and you have to be to play that (weak side) tackle,” Rollinson said. “You’re on an island there. You have to be smart. That’s why he’s a great pass blocker.”

Motherway had great tutors.

He was a lineman from birth, like his brothers. But he never got to play until he was a freshman because of his size. Youth leagues all have weight limits. The closest he came was flag football in junior high school.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t learn.

“I went and watched all my brothers play and they were good,” Motherway said. “It looked like a lot of fun.”

It was obvious from the first day at Mater Dei that he was going to be a quality lineman, according to Rollinson. First, he had the size. Second, he had the brains.

“You could look at him and tell he could was going to be a good lineman,” Rollinson said. “He had the raw size and he just worked extremely hard in the weight room.”

Rollinson was so impressed by Motherway that he moved him along quickly, maybe too quickly.

He was thrust into the starting lineup as a sophomore against Dana Hills. Motherway had to go nose-to-nose against David Cruickshank, who is now at Washington.

It was a long evening, which ended with the Monarchs’ first and only South Coast League loss in the three years they have been in the league.

“I almost made a big mistake bringing him along so quickly,” Rollinson said. “He didn’t have much success that night, but he has lived up to expectations ever since.”

And even a few things that weren’t expected.

Motherway wanted to play defense. He asked to play defense. He almost begged to play defense.

Finally, he showed coaches that he could play defense.

“I thought I could contribute, but it wasn’t until this summer I got a chance,” Motherway said.

Said Rollinson: “He just bowed his neck and went at it.”

Motherway is used on defense, extensively against strong running teams. But he knows his future is on the offensive line.

Just like his brothers.