Waverly’s Matt Zander dominates PHS defense

October 21, 2009

By Brenda Rader Mross

The Wellington

 

One look at Poudre High School senior defensive lineman Matt Zander — all 290 intimidating pounds of him — and it’s hard to believe he could have ever been a 7-pound, 8-ounce baby.

One look at the Zander family — all 12 of them — and it’s even harder to believe that despite their obvious racial differences, they aren’t biologically related. They are so loving and normal.

Perhaps hardest of all to believe is that strapping, athletic Matt was born with a pronounced heart murmur to a drug-addicted mother in Missouri.

Trish and David Zander have three birth children. They wanted more but weren’t able to, so they decided to adopt.

Seven times.

“We were working on adopting three Romanian children when that fell through and the universe provided us with Matt,” said Trish of her then 5-month-old new son. “Even as a baby, he had this great outgoing personality.”

It’s hard to believe this popular young man was homeschooled until the eighth grade when he enrolled at Wellington Junior High School.

“There were definitely more rules, but it was a pretty smooth transition,” Matt said. “I got a lot of good advice from Mr. (Phil) Underwood (physical education teacher) and Mr. (Jake) McCollum (now teaching English at Lincoln Middle School). My favorite times were at athletic events.”

Matt suited up as a freshman for the Poudre vs. Fort Collins playoff game in which the Impalas were a field goal short of upsetting the heavily favored Lambkins.

“There were a lot of good freshman players that year,” Matt said. “We thought our senior year team could be really good.”

Those “really high hopes” were dashed with this season’s dreary 0-4 start, but things started turning around during a snowy Oct. 9 homecoming game with Poudre’s 53-7 pounding of Northglenn.

“The atmosphere was awesome,” Matt declared. “I was wondering when the coaches were asking if we wanted to check out Under Armour (cold gear). When we first got there, the stadium field was green, the sky black, and no snow. There’s just no better game you want to play in. We really enjoyed ourselves for the first time this season. Hope fans enjoyed it.”

The 18-year-old is keen on remembering fans are the 12th man, and can have a profound impact on the game.

“The win-loss record doesn’t tell the story,” Matt said sagely. “It’s frustrating to practice Saturday after a loss, but we have thousands of fans who support us and we want to give back to them.”

It’s hard to believe this football fanatic chose to sit out his sophomore year.

“I didn’t play because I felt I needed a break,” Matt confided. “I started as a third-grader. By that time (10th grade), I loved it — and I didn’t. I regret it sometimes, but I learned a lot and now I love it even more.”

Matt admitted he probably fell behind “a little bit” during his self-imposed timeout. On the other hand, he said his time off the gridiron allowed him a more positive outlook and the inspiration to get involved with two other loves: being a PHS Ambassador assisting fellow students as a resource and role model, and joining Outward Bound, a federally-funded college prep program.

“I realized I really identify with football players,” Matt said. “There’s nothing like working out at 7 a.m. every morning with 50 other guys. We’re like family.”

The 5-foot-10 nose guard came back to the varsity fold his junior year to share playing time on the defensive line. Making it to the Final Four in the state playoffs last year was an experience he’ll remember for the rest of his life.

“There’s not really a bigger stage you get to play on in high school football,” he said. “The atmosphere was electric.”

Matt says his job on the field is to take up space.

“It’s true. That’s what I do,” Matt said. “I’m glad God gave me this body. Not everybody’s as wide and weighs almost 300 pounds.”

Or is as passionate, according to Impala head coach Steve Bradley.

“Matt’s an emotional kid,” Bradley said. “That can be good and bad. He plays with a lot of passion. He’s got a great heart. That’s who Matt has always been. As a coach, that’s the kind of bunch I want playing for me.”

Also a science teacher at Poudre, Bradley said he considers it a big part of his job to help students beyond high school.

“Matt’s grown a lot,” said the second-year head coach who served as an assistant coach at PHS for 26 years. “He’s starting to figure out how to channel that emotion. He’s seeing the big picture.”

Matt would be the first to agree.

“I’m learning patience; I try hard not to look on down the road so much,” he said. “I’m so much better able to focus on the now.”

Looking toward the future, though, is part of what seniors must do. A possible speech communications major, Matt’s trying to keep his options open in considering his football career, although he’s concerned his height might work against him. Abilene Christian in Texas comes up in conversation, as does the University of Northern Colorado and Colorado State.

Only two football games remain before playoffs: Friday, Oct. 23, the Impalas travel to Legacy, and on Halloween, they’re home against Fruita.