MATTER OF STYLE

Kyle Matter was born 17 years ago in a Kansas City hospital on the border of Missouri and Kansas.

He’s never seen a tornado, but the “Wizard of Oz” comes to mind in describing the commotion swirling around the quarterback last season on the night of his debut for Hart High.

Pressure had been building all summer. He was the replacement for All-American Kyle Boller, the greatest passer in Hart history.

Matter was lined up in shotgun formation on the third play. He was so nervous his knees were shaking.

With receivers covered and linemen closing in, Matter scrambled from the pocket and started running down field.

“Everything was going 100 mph,” he recalled.

Unlike Dorothy, who faced the Wicked Witch of the West, Matter’s pursuer was a Quartz Hill linebacker who proceeded to hit him on the chin, opening a gash that later required five stitches.

Instead of producing stars, that whack brought Matter back to reality. It was more magical than clicking his cleats three times. It injected clarity and confidence. His nerves calmed. His instincts, intelligence and talent took over.

He passed for 342 yards and six touchdowns against Quartz Hill. By season’s end, he completed a school-record 67% of his passes for 3,774 yards and 48 touchdowns.

No longer were Hart fans asking, “Who’s going to replace Boller?”

After a 14-0 season, the question was, “How good is Matter?”

Stanford provided an answer, offering Matter a scholarship last May that he quickly accepted.

With a 4.5 grade-point average, 1,460 score on the Scholastic Assessment Test and a year’s varsity experience behind him, Matter is ready to build on his glittering accomplishments in his senior season.

“It’s been amazing everything that’s happened to me,” he said. “This year is a totally different outlook. It doesn’t feel like there’s as much pressure.”

Replacing a legendary quarterback is no easy task. Matter’s assignment was as perilous as Kevin Jan taking over for John Elway at Granada Hills High in 1979.

When everyone is used to seeing balls thrown like a frozen rope, unfair comparisons are inevitable. Negative vibes can be destructive for a teenager’s ego. Jan somehow endured the Elway comparisons and ended up earning a scholarship to Cal State Fullerton.

Boller, who passed for a state-record 4,841 yards and 59 touchdowns with Elway-like arm strength, made it difficult for future Hart quarterbacks because he left many indelible impressions.

Who’s supposed to replicate such feats as completing 15 consecutive passes against St. Francis, throwing spirals farther than anyone had seen and completing a miracle Hail Mary pass on the final play of the 1999 Shrine All-Star game?

Matter took on the Boller mystique by trying to reduce expectations.

“I can’t be the next Kyle Boller,” he said. “I have to be the next Kyle Matter.”

Behind the scenes, Matter was feeling pressure.

“I tried to play it down,” he said. “That was the last thing I wanted--to be compared to Boller. He’s great. I was real nervous. I hadn’t played a varsity game. I was worried about living up to expectations.”

In the end, he pulled off the improbable--he exceeded expectations. He quickly grasped Hart’s run-and-shoot offense and ran it more efficiently than any quarterback in school history. He’d stand over center and make snap judgments on blocking schemes and coverages that only the best of quarterbacks master.

“He just plays the position so well,” offensive coordinator Dean Herrington said. “College coaches love him because they can see how he runs things.”

How smart is Matter?

He was reading by the age of 4. At 8, he was shopping with his mother in a Chicago department store when he figured out the cost of the items in her cart, including sales tax, without the aid of a calculator.

This summer, he taught himself to play piano after reading a book.

“He does it in his head,” said Matter’s father, Art. “His retention and ability to learn has always amazed us.”

Mistakes happen, but he doesn’t repeat them.

Matter did receive teasing from his sister, Kristen, who attends the University of Pennsylvania and scored 10 points higher on her SAT.

“I thought you’re supposed to be the smartest one in the family,” Kristen joked.

Matter has learned decisions made on the football field are not the same as in calculus.

“If you mess up on a calculus exam, you’re not going to get hit,” he said.

At 6 feet 3, 190 pounds, with 4.7 40-yard speed, Matter has the physical and mental makeup to excel. What he lacks in arm strength he makes up with accuracy and instincts.

“Look at Joe Montana,” he said. “He doesn’t have a rocket arm. Put him next to John Elway and he’ll look like a weakling. It doesn’t take a rocket arm to be successful. There are other intangibles to be measured.”

Don’t think Matter’s arm is weak. He can damage his share of receivers’ fingers by zipping the ball. But he doesn’t have Boller-like velocity and he knows some wonder about his deep throws. Those are areas he’s improving on, and when Matter works at something, he rarely fails.

“When I’m faced with a challenge, I like to work harder and meet that challenge,” he said. “I’ve always been self-motivated. It’s the way I am as a person.”

Matter’s athletic career might have taken a different path had his family not moved to Newhall when he was 9.

“If I had never moved to California, I don’t know if I would have even played football,” he said.

He played basketball and soccer as a youth, then went out for wide receiver as a freshman at Hart. Coach Mike Herrington spotted him throwing the ball one day in practice and decided he looked like a quarterback. What a fateful decision.

In three years as a starter at the freshman, sophomore and varsity levels, Matter’s record is 32-1.

Hart enters this season with a 23-game winning streak and a 43-game winning streak in Foothill League play.

Those who think Matter might cruise through his senior year because he already has a scholarship and a championship ring are mistaken. One thing has been certain about Matter’s athletic career.

“Every year I’ve played, I’ve gotten better,” he said.

Matter won’t be able to rest on his accomplishments because he’ll be pushed in practice by 6-4 junior Matt Moore, as talented as any young quarterback in the region.

The good news for Moore is he won’t have to deal with Boller comparisons when he takes over as Hart quarterback next season. The bad news is Matter’s legacy could be more profound than Boller’s.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

SNEAK PEEK

First in a nine-part series. Today:

Quarterbacks. Kyle Matter of Hart

Friday: Running backs

Saturday: Offensive linemen

Sunday: Wide receivers

Aug. 30: Tight ends

Sept. 1: Defensive linemen

Sept. 2: Linebackers

Sept. 3: Defensive backs

Sept. 6: Kickers

Hart’s Best

A look at the top seasons produced by All-Southern Section quarterbacks at Hart High:

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Year Player PA PC Int. Yards TD 1998 Kyle Boller 450 291 3 4,841 59 1991 Ryan Connors 471 290 16 4,144 39 1999 Kyle Matter 355 238 7 3,774 48 1992 Davis Delmatoff 327 192 11 3,196 36 1986 Jim Bonds 322 201 9 3,153 39 1997 David Neill 339 188 17 3,053 26 1993 Mike Kocicka 277 165 10 2,966 32 1994 Steve McKeon 259 160 11 2,925 30 1990 Ryan Connors 345 187 11 2,825 24 1987 Darren Renfro 343 219 6 2,808 26 1996 Travis Carroll 294 196 9 2,780 27

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HOW THEY RATE

A look at the top quarterbacks in the region:

With comment by Eric Sondheimer

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Rank Player School Ht. Wt. Yr. 1. Kyle Matter Hart 6-3 190 Sr.

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32-1 record as a high school starter

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Rank Player School Ht. Wt. Yr. 2. John Sciarra St. Francis 6-2 195 Sr.

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Passed for 2,861 yards, 28 touchdowns

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Rank Player School Ht. Wt. Yr. 3. Ben Olson Thousand Oaks 6-5 200 Jr.

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He will be the best QB in school history

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Rank Player School Ht. Wt. Yr. 4. Ricky Clausen Taft 6-3 170 Sr.

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Left-hander with improving arm strength

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Rank Player School Ht. Wt. Yr. 5. John Valdez Sylmar 6-2 175 Sr.

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An athlete who makes things happen

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Rank Player School Ht. Wt. Yr. 6. Richard Irvin Harvard-Westlake 6-1 165 So.

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Gets better every game

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Rank Player School Ht. Wt. Yr. 7. James Cox Royal 6-3 180 Jr.

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Highlanders are convinced he’s real deal

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Rank Player School Ht. Wt. Yr. 8. Cory Miles Westlake 6-2 200 Sr.

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Has waited three years to show his stuff

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Rank Player School Ht. Wt. Yr. 9. Terry Furlow Palmdale 6-3 185 Sr.

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Made good summer improvement

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Rank Player School Ht. Wt. Yr. 10. Matt Kaplan Campbell Hall 6-2 170 Jr.

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Threw 22 touchdown passes last season

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Rank Player School Ht. Wt. Yr. 11. Zach Sims Poly 6-0 160 Sr.

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Just call him Michael Vick Jr.

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Rank Player School Ht. Wt. Yr. 12. Kyle Bauer Valencia 5-10 170 Sr.

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Passed for 1,911 yards, 21 touchdowns

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Rank Player School Ht. Wt. Yr. 13. Alfonso Estrada Grant 6-0 170 Sr.

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Lancers convinced they can win throwing the ball

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Rank Player School Ht. Wt. Yr. 14. Demetre Booker Antelope Valley 5-9 170 Sr.

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Athletic, smart, dangerous

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Rank Player School Ht. Wt. Yr. 15. Erik Vose Chaminade 6-2 185 So.

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Let’s see how quickly he develops

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Rank Player School Ht. Wt. Yr. 16. Hudson Gossard Crescenta Valley 5-9 160 Jr.

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Have the Falcons become a passing school?

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Rank Player School Ht. Wt. Yr. 17. Phil Beckmann Notre Dame 5-10 180 Jr.

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He’ll make big plays if his receivers catch the ball