Speaking With Streator Star WR Matt Williamson Class Of 2025 - Name You Must Know
So, in a way to better understand the use of Deep Dish Football for Illinois recruits and the whole entire IHSA Football scene. Decided to do player profiles of players who you might not know or you might know, but you should respect them for their roles on their respective teams. This is one of the many reasons why Deep Dish Football is respected in the IHSA. Every Football Player Has A Story To Tell
Matt Williamson Streator WR Class Of 2025 6'2 165
Matt Williamson how has your summer been so far? It’s been awesome so far. We’ve had a couple of team football camps, and I’ve went to two college football camps myself. My summer has also been loaded with basketball. We’ve been hitting the weights hard as a team, and I’m excited to see what we can do in July when we put everything everything together. How was your sophomore season? I think I did decent considering it was my first year at a new position. It could’ve been better with a little bit more experience at WR, but my coach put faith in me to work hard to become a starter as a sophomore, which really helped knowing that someone believed in me. But as a team, I think it was more of a wake-up call. We went 2-7 and easily could’ve been 5-4. We lost a couple games because we weren’t there physically and mentally. Which is okay, because nothing negative comes out of failing if you treat it as a lesson, and I think we are.
What does football mean to you? It’s more than just a game, it’s a culture. It brings another family into your life that you didn’t know you needed. It feels amazing to know that I have teammates and coaches that have my back and want to see me be great, and vice versa. And it’s amazing to see how sharing the same goals as people, brings you closer than sharing the same blood. And they both result in a family. And at the end of the day, football is something that I love and have fun doing. What should college coaches know about you? I want to win. I’ll do whatever it takes to win. Whether that means spending more time in the weight room, field work, or more time on film, I’ll do it. I’m also a hard worker, always looking to challenge myself. I’m never really satisfied with something that I’ve done, so I’m always trying to improve something about me everyday because I know that there is a lot to improve about my game. I also know how important grades are, and I can be trusted to be an eligible athlete every week. So, I think college coaches are getting a trustworthy student, and a hard worker that will do what it takes to win.
What do you feel is your strongest trait on the football field? My hands. I can catch anything thrown my way. I have some pretty big hands, and that’s really important as a wide receiver. I also work on my hand strength a lot. Catching the ball as a WR is the most important skill, so I definitely work on it the most. How does Streator look for the upcoming season? I think we’re ready. We have a big month of July to prepare us for the next 3 months, and I think everyone is excited to take it on. We’re not going to be a senior heavy team, so we’re going to have to rely on 2025s and 2026s to step it up. Although we aren’t senior heavy, we have some great leaders with some good experience. We have a ton of players that have varsity experience already, which is huge. We’ve been hitting the weights hard as a team this off-season and we’re getting 1% better each day. We’ve gotten a couple of new coaches that are really helping us in the weight room, and that’s big time. I think that this season will come down to how bad we want it and how physically and mentally strong we are, and we’re working on improving both of those everyday with morning lifts.
Who else on Streator is ready for a breakout season?
Christian Benning. He’s a 2024 QB with a good build and strong arm. He’s been at the field with me this off-season, and he’s a monster in the weight room. I’ve been to 2 college camps with him this summer and he’s going to a ton more college camps by himself. He’s definitely somebody ready for a breakout senior season.
What game are you most excited for this upcoming season? Definitely Ottawa. I’ve always hated losing but hated losing to Ottawa more than anything. We have one of the longest rivalries with them in the state, so every year is special. They beat us pretty bad last year, so we owe it to them this year.
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