Skyline linebacker always looking for the big hit
November 30, 2009
By Mason Kelley
NEW — 9:30 a.m. Nov. 30, 2009
For Anthony DeMatteo, there is something special in a big hit.
There is a sense of dominance and accomplishment in that moment when the Skyline linebacker plants an opponent.
“You don’t even feel it,” DeMatteo said. “It’s like you hit the sweet spot, you got ‘em.”
The Spartans’ defense has quietly been the key to the team’s 11-2 record. Before the past three weeks, when Skyline’s offense started putting up huge numbers, it was the defense that was the difference.
DeMatteo, the Spartans’ man in the middle, brings it all together, and he will lead his team into the 4A finals for a rematch with Ferris at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Tacoma Dome.
When asked how to keep DeMatteo from making plays, Bothell coach Tom Bainter admitted, “You really can’t.” DeMatteo was one of the reasons Skyline defeated Bainter’s Cougars 31-26 Nov. 28.
“He can play you from sideline-to-sideline,” Bainter said. “If you say you’re running away from him, you can’t, because he’s in the middle of the field. You can’t throw it over the middle, because he can cover you anywhere from 5 yards deep to 20 yards deep.”
According to Bainter, the best way to play DeMatteo is to run right at him, because that way somebody “might get in his way.” But chances are he will find a way to be in on the tackle.
“He never quits,” Skyline coach Mat Taylor said. “He’s just relentless. He does not stop. He wants to make every single tackle out there on defense.”
When DeMatteo was a sophomore, he started most of the second half of the season. In the 2007 3A title game against O’Dea, DeMatteo forced a fumble on a field-goal attempt that resulted in a 74-yard touchdown run. He didn’t stop there.
“He had the key block,” Taylor said. “His effort is unbelievable. He’s chasing down our guy, trying to find someone else to block.”
Heading into this weekend’s 4A title game, DeMatteo is averaging almost nine tackles per game. But at 6 feet 1, 210 pounds, he is considered a little undersized.
“It just motivates me when people say I’m undersized or a little too slow,” he said. “It kind of makes me work harder and play harder and try to prove to people I can play with the best.”
At this point, he doesn’t have the kind of scholarship offers he would like. But with one game left in his senior season, and the chance to win a third state title, DeMatteo plans to continue making plays and proving people wrong.
“When it comes down to it, he’s going to have a fantastic career, whatever level it’s at and wherever it’s at,” Taylor said. “He’s just going to be an outstanding linebacker.”
Mason Kelley: 206-464-8277 or mkelley@seattletimes.com
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