“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog” — Mark Twain
Matthew Rosas of McCamey does not cut an imposing figure on the football field.
At 5-foot-7 and weighing barely more than a welterweight, Rosas blends in easily with his teammates during practice and pregame warm-ups.
Things change when the whistle blows and your put a football in his hand … or try to keep one away from him.
Rosas goes from unassuming to unbelievable in the blink of an eye.
It seems that the Badgers’ junior running back/linebacker has cloned himself because he never comes off the field.
“Well, when there is a timeout or at the end of the quarter,” he said. “But other than that, not really.”
His 2021 numbers bear out the amount of time Rosas spends between the sidelines:
>> 115 carries for 1,428 yards and 24 touchdowns
>> 20 receptions for 472 yards and six scores
>> 68 tackles, 23 tackles for loss
>> 7 sacks, 15 quarterback pressures
>> 1 interception, two pass breakups
>> 3 blocked punts, one blocked extra point, one defensive touchdown, one safety
“That’s part of 2A football,” McCamey coach Michael Woodard said. “We don’t have a lot of bodies.
“But Matt is special.”
Special indeed.
For his efforts during the 2021 season, Rosas has been selected as the Odessa American’s 2021 Player of the Year.
Rosas has been one of the main focal points for the Badgers the past two seasons, but really came into his own this year after the graduation of several key players from last year’s team.
Content to let others lead in 2020, Rosas stepped into the spotlight in 2021.
“First thing is his age and maturity,” Woodard said. “It’s outstanding.
“As a sophomore, he deferred leadership to the older kids; he played the correct role. I saw him grow into the leadership role this season.”
A player quickly becomes a leader when he’s capable of tearing up the stat sheet and lighting up the scoreboard each time he touches the football.
On three separate occasions he rushed for more than 250 yards in a game, including a season-high 325 in the regular-season finale against Seagraves.
I thought I did pretty well but without my lineman to help me, I wouldn’t be able to do that,” Rosas said. “Without the help of my teammates it wouldn’t happen.”
He scored four or more touchdowns four times, with his most impressive receiving performance coming against Morton on Oct. 8.
Rosas caught four passes for 151 yards and found himself in the end zone at the end of each one.
And, he made eight tackles, had two sacks and blocked two punts in the contest as well.
“He is one of the toughest kids I’ve ever coached against,” Wink head coach Brian Gibson said. “He’s not a big kid, but he plays with energy and he never stops.
“He plays hard and gets after it and that’s everything you want.”
What Rosas wants to do is continue his football career at the next level and he knows that his size is something that could cause college coaches to overlook his ability on the field.
He is set to take some visits to schools early in 2022, but understands that he has to improve on things during this offseason to make sure he gets noticed when he takes the field for his senior campaign next August.
“I need to work on my speed and to get stronger,” Rosas said.
Woodard doesn’t see that as being an issue having been around Rosas for the past two years.
He knows exactly what the Badger’s star is going to do.
“He’s already a gym rat,” Woodard said. “He has room for improvement.
“Matt is trying to make the jump to college; he’s a 16-year old and his body is going to change over the next few years. He’s a good kid and as long as he stays focused it will take care of itself.”
>> Follow Lee Scheide on Twitter at @OALeeScheide
2021 ALL-PERMIAN BASIN SUPERLATIVES
MATTHEW ROSAS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
MCCAMEY, 5-7, 150, JR.
>> Key Stats: Rushed 115 times for 1,428 yards and 24 touchdowns; Caught 20 passes for 472 yards and six touchdowns; Finished with 68 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, seven sacks, 15 quarterback pressures, one interception, two pass breakups, three blocks punts, one blocked extra point, one defensive touchdown and one safety.
>> McCamey coach Michael Woodard says: “As a sophomore, he deferred leadership to the older kids; he played the correct role. I saw him grow into the leadership role this season. He’s a good kid.”
IVAN CARREON, WR/QB
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
ODESSA HIGH, 6-6, 195, SOPH.
>> Key Stats: Caught a program single-season record 77 passes for a single-season record 1,114 yards, finishing with seven touchdown, the first receiver in OHS history with more than 1,000 yards receiving in a season
>> Odessa High coach Dusty Ortiz says: “As far as the way he played, being a sophomore, was really impressive. He was solid all year and when we needed him, he stepped up and showed us some things that a sophomore normally doesn’t do.”
DOMINIC AGUILAR
UTILITY PLAYER OF THE YEAR
FORT STOCKTON, 5-10, 185, SR.
>> Key Stats: Was 75-of-134 passing for 1,251 yards and 14 touchdowns, while rushing 175 times for 1,756 yards and 22 touchdowns. Had 57 tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception, one force fumble and four pass breakups.
>> Fort Stockton coach Mike Peters says: “When you are in situations when it’s tough, on the field, if he’s involved in the situation, there is going to be a chance. Off the field, he’s the cornerstone, the foundation of everything that we do.”
KANON GIBSON, QB/DB
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
WINK, 6-1, 185, JR.
>> Key Stats: Finished with 118 tackles, four interceptions, 10 tackles for loss, six force fumbles, two fumble recoveries, two passes defended, 37.8 average punting and three interception returns for a touchdown.
>> Wink coach Brian Gibson says: “His overall understanding of the game increased tremendously this year. His biggest asset defensive was the fact that he played quarterback on offense. He learned how to study film and read tendencies without us having to tell him in a scouting report.”
MAKHILYN YOUNG, RB
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
MIDLAND LEGACY, 5-10, 180, SR.
>> Key Stats: Finished with 240 carries for 1,870 yards and 33 touchdowns, along with 24 catches for 389 yards and two touchdowns during the regular season. Finished with 2,524 all-purpose yards for the Rebels.
>> Midland Legacy coach Clint Hartman says: “The accolades he deserves those, he had multiple records and all those things but I love him for off the field more than I love him on the field On the field, he earned that but in today’s age you see a lot of selfish, good football players and he’s not one of those.”
FRED STAUGH
COACH OF THE YEAR
MONAHANS
>> Key Stats: Staugh led the Loboes to a 9-4 overall mark, advancing three rounds deep in the Class 4A Division II playoffs.
>> Monahans coach Fred Staugh says: “You go into the office every day, you pour everything you have into those kids and those staff members, and you hope that you can do that day in and day out. Eventually it’s going to lead to some
