NCSA caught up with football standout Matt Knouse about his high school career and the opportunity to compete at the college level.
NCSA: What motivates you before a big game? What's your pre-game ritual(s)?
Knouse: I get motivated by being with my team and being part of the team. I get a lot of energy being with the guys from our late afternoon pregame meal all the way up to our pregame huddle right before the game. Basically, my pregame ritual consists of me visualizing myself making plays.
NCSA: What are you looking forward to if and when you get the opportunity to play on a collegiate level?
Knouse: I'm looking forward to the comrordery that develops as part of being on a college team and am anticipating the excitement of the competition at that level.
NCSA: Why did you get involved in the sports you played in? (Is it a family tradition, do you admire an athlete in the sport)?
Knouse: I played soccer when I was younger but made the shift to football, because I really wanted more of a contact sport. Plus, I love to weight lift and that goes with football. I do track and field because it helps me stay in shape for football.
NCSA: Tell us about your interactions with college coaches so far.
Knouse: I have had a lot of contacts from a wide variety of schools at the D1 to D3 levels. These range from emails, to text messages, to letters, phone calls, unofficial visits and even one school that sent a Mother's Day card to my Mom. The coaches have all been great. The more recent contacts have been to arrange camps or prospect days at the specific schools. It's fun, but busy, since most days I have an email or letter to respond to after school.
NCSA: How are your team(s) doing so far? (Club teams, high school teams)? Any challenges this season? How are you excelling personally, how does that compare to previous years?
Knouse: This past season we were 9-1 and made the playoffs. We have a young team, but there is a lot of potential. Guys are working hard in the weight room and already excited about next year.
NCSA: What are your goals - athletically, academically and in your community - for the rest of the school year? What are also your goals for the summer? Are you looking to improve your speed, skills, acing a course?
Knouse: Athletically- to get bigger, stronger and faster and to be leader for my team. Academically- to be just as competitive in the classroom as on the field. I want to finish strong so I have more opportunities for scholarships and more options from which to chose. I want to improve on my SAT score. I took them in January and did pretty well, but I took a weekly quiz from January until May to hopefully help improve my score. Community- to be seen as a good role model for the younger kids in our community and in the football program in our area.
NCSA: Tell us about what you've learned since being with NCSA. Have you learned about how to talk with coaches? Have you learned some rules on playing at the next level? What's the biggest take-away you have from your experience here?
Knouse: That it is really important to establish a relationship with the coaches. My NCSA coaches have advised me to respond to all contacts from coaches and to even contact those schools that really interest me on my own. I have found this to really be beneficial- a lot of coaches respond to my interest and it helps in establishing a relationship with them. I have also found that responding to schools I may not think I'm interested in is beneficial also. For one, I may find that I'm more interested in the school than I thought I was, but also I've received some good advice and made some good contacts by responding to all the coaches.
