Matter Leaves His Mark With Finishing Touch

Young boys gazed in awe as they caught a glimpse of Kyle Matter holding the Southern Section Division III championship plaque in the middle of a crowded field of Hart High players, coaches and fans.

A teenager asked him to sign an autograph.

For someone who started his high school career as a wide receiver, Matter ended it Friday night as the greatest passer in school history with a dream performance.

He completed 27 of 31 passes for 365 yards and two touchdowns in Hart’s 34-11 victory over Mira Costa at College of the Canyons. He connected on all 11 of his second-half passes.

“Those stats are unbelievable,” said California quarterback Kyle Boller, Matter’s predecessor who watched from the sideline.

Matter, who has a 1460 SAT score, a scholarship to Stanford and the humbleness of a pastor, was 26-2 as a starting quarterback, the most victories by a Hart quarterback, winning two section championships while passing for 7,534 yards and 81 touchdowns.

What everyone will remember most is his performance against Mira Costa. This was Matter living up to every expectation.

“We told the offensive line if you give Matter time, there was no high school team that could stop him,” offensive coordinator Dean Herrington said. “He was awesome. It was an unbelievable performance. The guy never played football until high school.

“People bag on him because he doesn’t have a cannon for an arm, but he’s so poised and doesn’t make mistakes.”

Mira Costa (12-2) played right into Hart’s hands by rushing only four defenders. Matter had open receivers on virtually every down.

“We were just clicking,” he said.

Hart’s domination demonstrated the improvement the Indians made over the course of the season. There was a time Matter couldn’t get off a pass. He was sacked more than 50 times this season.

“The worst is when you don’t expect it and get blindsided,” he said. “My automatic reaction is get up fast even if it hurts.”

It was Matter’s toughness and composure in the face of a seemingly deteriorating situation that paved the way for Hart (12-2) to end the season with nine consecutive victories.

“When you get sacked 20 times in two games, that can really mess you up mentally,” Herrington said. “You start becoming jumpy and start wanting to leave the pocket early. He never did that. He never yelled at the offensive line.”

The line regrouped and protected him impressively in the last two playoff games, allowing two sacks. But it was Matter’s example of how to deal with adversity that rubbed off on others.

“He’s incredibly tough,” receiver Chris Steck said. “He takes a hit and keeps going. He’s got the greatest work ethic.”

Two years ago, Matter was asked to replace Boller, someone who was compared to John Elway.

“There were a lot of expectations and some weren’t sure I’d be able to meet them,” he said.

Just ask the kids hovering around Matter on Friday night if he’s a success.