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SUCCESS...
"To be successful is
to be helpful, caring,
and constructive-
To make everything
you touch a little bit better.
The best thing you
have to give is
yourself."
Norman Vincent Peale
"FAILURE to stand
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wrong"
"Zig" Ziglar
HARTSOG NAMED GAMER OF THE WEEK
Press Release
Teays Physical Therapy Center, Inc. is pleased to present this week’s "Gridiron Gamer of the Week" award to Matt Hartsog of Hurricane High School.
Hurricane High School head coach Willis May has made his Redskin football team into yearly contenders for the MSAC championship. This year, the Redskins stand at a record of 3 wins against 0 losses, and this has the community of Hurricane hoping for something a little bit more. By more, the Redskins are thinking about a possible West Virginia State Championship. Currently ranked 7th in the state in Class AAA, the Redskins are playing well and hope to continue their good play throughout the 2006 season.
Last Friday, the GW High School Patriots came into town, and it was a slug fest from the beginning. Hurricane escaped with a 13-12 win, and a lot of that was due to the play of senior "do everything" player Matt Hartsog. Hartsog, the teams starting fullback, had been carrying the ball for the pre-season and the first game. However, a knee injury forced him to limit his play to the defensive side of the field. A lot of people thought he wouldn’t be able to help the Redskins in scoring points, but Hartsog proved otherwise.
In the third quarter, the Redskins were only up 7-6, when Hartsog blitzed-in untouched and destroyed GW's quarterback, resulting in a fumble in which fellow player C.J. Huffman picked up the ball and went 5 yards for the touchdown.
When asked about his success, Hartsog comments, "We just wanted to win last week. The coaches came in with a good game plan and allowed us to execute. I couldn’t do much on offensive, so I wanted to make my presence felt on defense."
Head coach Willis May agrees. "Matt is a great linebacker. He is going to get the opportunity at the next level, it might be Navy, it might be WVU, but he is going to get the opportunity."
That wasn’t the only play that showed Hartsog's ability. Late in the game on fourth and one at their own 31 yard line, Hartsog stopped the GW push and allowed the Redskins to take over on downs.
Matt is not only an outstanding player on the field, but off the field, he is one of the most intelligent student athletes you will meet. A great kid with a great demeanor, Matt carries a 4.08 GPA in the classroom. Respected by all his teachers and all his classmates, you can see that Matt is a well grounded student athlete.
When asked about the post-season Hartsog says, "We obviously want to win every game, but the most important thing is to be prepared when playoff time comes. We want to go deep into the playoffs and possibly win a State Championship."
When Hartsog carries the ball, he reminds you of a young Owen Schmitt as he bounces and bruises his way for positive yardage. Matt is always going forward, never to be put on his back. However, defensively, you don’t see very many young linebackers who remind you of current Chicago Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher, but Matt does.
Look for Matt and other local area high school athletes to be named next week's Gridiron Gamer of the Week presented by Teays Physical Therapy Center, Inc.
