By JIMMY MOORE
TriCitiesSports.com
August 9, 2008

BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. – Scott Nelson’s first year at the helm of the Sullivan Central football program saw the Cougars victorious in only one game but with a number of returning seniors, could this be the year they challenge for a playoff spot?

One of those seniors who will be heavily counted on is co-captain Matt Crowder, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound defensive end/tight end, who is being heavily recruited by teams from the Ivy League.

Crowder is academically #1 in his class of 245 students at Central with a 4.0 GPA and is ranked in the top 40 among Tennessee High School Prospects according to PrepTennessee.com and Scout.com

His brother Michael is a rising sophomore at Princeton where he is a center on the football team while a younger brother, Mack, is a teammate on the Cougars’ team.

Nelson says in addition to Crowder being the outstanding student and fine young man he is, the senior is also the centerpiece for the team and is a leader on and off the field.

“He’s the kind of guy when you need a little something extra,” said Nelson. “He brings a lot to our Cougar football program. He’s always going 100 per cent. The kids and coaches respect him and vice versa.”

The head coach says Crowder has come a long way in his development on and off the field and is an example of the kind of player a coach wants his athletes to emulate.

“He’s done a great job for us and we look for big things from him this season on both sides of the ball,” added Nelson. “He’s got good hands and a good sense for the football and is an aggressive player.

“Off the field he’s kind of a quiet, laid back guy but on the field, he’s going full steam. He works hard every day and really knows the game, what his job is and what he needs to do.”

It doesn’t take long when talking to the senior to realize that he is indeed the soft-spoken individual his coach talks about and he definitely has his priorities in order when it comes to his studies which have prepared him for college life.

“Right after football, I go straight home and get in the books and start studying,” said Crowder. “It all depends on how much homework I’ve got. You have a lot of distractions but in class you just have to pay attention.

“I think when I first realized (I had a shot at playing college ball) was when Michael was being recruited as a junior. Dad (Mike) told me I could do that too. I just needed to keep my grades up and keep focusing on working out in the off-season.”

When Crowder was invited to the Under Armour Combine in Cincinnati, a camp sponsored by Scout.Com, and visited a number of Ivy League schools, he realized that all the time in the weight room and on the practice field was indeed paying off.

“It makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something,” said Crowder. “That’s what it’s all about, getting top rankings as a recruit and hopefully getting to a good school.

“My whole life I’ve always wanted to get to the next level. I also played basketball but I was still in the weight room. If you hope to go to college in any one sport, you have to stick to it.”

In addition to Ivy League Schools, Crowder has also received attention from Vanderbilt, Middle Tennessee, Lambuth, and Centre College but at the top of his list as far as which school he eventually commits to is academics.

“My main focus is to go somewhere there are good academic standards,” noted Crowder. “I hope to eventually be an investment broker in New York City. Penn and Princeton have sent people to Wall Street and I would love to do that.

“I’ve talked to a lot of coaches. I’ve been to Penn, Princeton, Cornell, and Columbia and talked to all the coaches at their colleges. Probably Penn or Princeton, whichever offered first, I would have to go there.”

But there remains one more goal for the senior before he walks across the stage to receive his diploma, see the Cougars become a winner.

“We’ve got pretty good chemistry on our team and our line is coming together,” he said. “The whole line except for one guard is seniors. Hopefully we can win 5-6 games.

“We didn’t win a game as a sophomore and last year we only won one game. It’s kind of disappointing but it’s something to look forward to my senior year. Hopefully we can burst through that wall and get back to winning.”

Matt’s the son of Mike and Carolin Crowder. His dad also played college ball at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas.

The football-playing Crowder brothers - Sullivan Central senior Matt [left], Princeton Tiger Michael [center] and Sullivan Central's Mack [right]. TriCitiesSports.com photo by Melvin Barbour.