Grootegoed Considering Transfer

When it became public Friday that Matt Grootegoed, The Times Orange County football back of the year last season, was considering a transfer to Fountain Valley, the significance wasn’t lost on his classmates at Mater Dei.

“It was a little hectic--everyone was asking me about it,” said Grootegoed, a junior. “They were just wanting to see if it was true. Basically, I said it was a possibility. That’s all it is. It’s not for sure I’m going, it’s not for sure I’m staying.

“The most popular questions were: What are the pros and cons of leaving? What’s in it for me? How’s it going to help me if I leave Mater Dei? I didn’t really answer [them].”

Grootegoed’s father, Russell, said he wants to make sure his son, groomed as a quarterback, gets a chance to compete at that position during his senior season, and has filed paperwork with the Huntington Beach Union School District. “All the things that need to be done to keep it fair and square have been done,” he said.

“[Matt] has a big say-so, but it’s not going to be his decision.”

Recent rumors of La Puente Bishop Amat quarterback Chris Rix, who will be a senior and has committed to Florida State, transferring to Mater Dei got the Grootegoeds’ attention. “But it could be any quarterback who transfers into Mater Dei,” Russell Grootegoed said. “When a senior quarterback of that caliber transfers in, what does that tell you? Matt’s not going to get a chance.”

Grootegoed is the youngest of six children, all of whom have attended Mater Dei. His older brother, John, is an assistant coach at Fountain Valley, and the Barons’ new head coach, Eric Johnson, was defensive coordinator at Mater Dei last season.

“The guy [Johnson] who was Matt’s mentor isn’t there any more,” Russell Grootegoed said of Mater Dei’s staff. “Eric took Matt to the next level.”

Grootegoed (6-0, 190) last played quarterback on the Mater Dei freshman team. He played strong safety last season, his probable college position, and helped Mater Dei win the Southern Section Division I title.

He also played tailback last season and rushed for 1,238 yards and 20 touchdowns, though he didn’t become a regular until Week 4. Russell Grootegoed doesn’t want his son pounded at tailback with a college career on the horizon.

“I don’t want him to carry the ball 33 times a game [the total he carried in the championship victory over Long Beach Poly]; he’s just cannon fodder,” his father said. “I realize Matt is probably going to play defense in college, but he was trained as a quarterback. . . . Matt doesn’t dictate what position he’s going to play, but he wants a fair shot at it. He was supposed to get a shot last year. What else does Matt have to prove at Mater Dei?”

Two Fountain Valley football players have transferred to Mater Dei in the past year. Wide receiver/defensive back Kelvin Milhouse played as a senior for Mater Dei last season, and junior Tyler Kruse--a second-team all-county linebacker--transferred to Mater Dei at the semester.