McCamey’s Matthew Rosas had been all over the field for the Badgers’ football team.
Running back, wide receiver, linebacker, defensive back, kick returner, kick blocker, there wasn’t any skill position that Rosas couldn’t, or wouldn’t, play.
One spot, however, that wasn’t checked off the dance card was quarterback.
McCamey head coach Michael Woodard changed that this season, telling his senior star that he was moving behind center for his final high school season.
The reasoning was strong, as the best offensive player on the team, and one of the top athletes in the Permian Basin and West Texas, would have the ball in his hand on each snap.
“Coach telling me you might be starting at quarterback, it was quite a big jump,” Rosas said. “Especially after being mostly receiver and running back through my junior year.
“But I embraced the challenge, I enjoyed it. I never looked at myself as a quarterback; it never really came across my path until this year.”
Rosas immersed himself in the learning process, studying the playbook to know every route, watching film to understand defenses.
At the same time, he was still being his usual disruptive self on defense and special teams.
On offense, Rosas finished with 159 carries for 1,387 yards and 19 touchdowns, caught four passes for 105 yards and one score, while finishing 8-of-23 passing for 164 yards and one touchdown.
Defensively, he had 106 tackles, eight tackles for loss, four interceptions, six passes defended, seven forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Topping things off were the 10 kick returns, 14 punts for a 35.4 average, 15 extra points and seven two-point conversions, along with one blocked PAT.
For his efforts on both sides of the line of scrimmage, in any situation, Rosas has been selected as the Odessa American’s 2022 Utility Player of the Year.
“His leadership stands out,” Woodard said. “We asked him to do something he didn’t feel comfortable doing and he did it without hesitation.
“He changed from running back to quarterback and from linebacker to safety on defense. His energy, his effort, his attitude, it permeates throughout the team.”
That leadership ended up allowing Rosas to move back from quarterback to running back as freshman Aiden Torres raised his game to take over the starting job four games into the regular season.
Which was fine with Rosas as one of his objectives this season was to take younger players under his wings and show them what playing for McCamey meant for him and to pass that passion to the next generations of Badgers.
“From the start of Week 1, I wanted to let the team know that I will always be there for them, on and off the field,” Rosas said. “It went well this year. I accomplished some of my goals and created bonds with all the new players; just wanted to become the bigger brother that the kids look up to.”
Woodard knows that already is happening after a recent encounter with an elementary school athlete.
“They all know who Matt is,” Woodard said. “I was talking to a fifth-grade student and said ‘I’m going to be fast and quick, just like Matt’.
“Matt has really set an example.”
Now back at running back on offense, Rosas still was the focal point of the offense, and opposing defenses.
In the first two games after moving away from center, Rosas carried the ball a combined 34 times for 322 yards and seven touchdowns in victories against Sterling City and Water Valley.
Then, against Wink, he was on the move back to quarterback after Torres was hurt in the first half against the Wildcats.
“He was doing an amazing job,” Rosas said of Torres. “He was learning from me, someone who has been in the system for three years and it was fun watching him.
“Next year, he’s going to be wearing No. 6 (Rosas’ number), because that was his number in middle school. This season was just about letting them know it’s their program now.”
Rosas plans on playing at the next level and won’t let his size (5-foot-7, 152 pounds) stand in way.
He’s been in contact with several schools and has narrowed his choices to a pair of Lone Star Conference schools …. UTPB and Texas A&M-Kingsville.
There is a recruiting trip planned to Kingsville in January, while at the same time he is waiting to see what happens with the UTPB coaching situation as the Falcons are searching for a new head coach.
“I know I can play at the next level and it’s always been a dream to play college football,” Rosas said. “I’m going to wait and see what happens, but I expect to make a decision in January.”
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MATTHEW ROSAS, QB/RB/FS
MCCAMEY, 5-7, 152, SR.
Key stats: 159 carries for 1,387 yards, 19 touchdowns; four receptions, 105 yards, one touchdown; 8-of-23 passing, 164 yards, one touchdown; 106 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two quarterback pressures, four interceptions, six passes defended, seven forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries; five punt returns, five kickoff returns, 14 punts (36.4 avg.), 15 extra points, seven two-point conversions, one blocked PAT.
Coach Michael Woodard says: “Matt is a special player, and he can do almost anything on a football field. He is an amazing your man and I am proud to have coached him.”
