SPRINGDALE — Springdale High’s Cody Matteri has had his fair share of struggles this season.
As a senior free safety for the Red’Dogs, Matteri had some trouble adjusting to the position under the new defensive scheme put in place by Springdale’s coaches.
Among the biggest issues was learning to defend opponents in the secondary in man-to-man coverage instead of playing zone, a scheme Springdale utilized last year.
Matteri’s struggles resulted in him losing his starting job for a time. But Matteri said losing the starting position gave him plenty of motivation to make himself a better player.
Matteri, a two-year starter on the defense, returned to the starting lineup in the fifth week of the season against Fayetteville and hasn’t surrendered it because of his improved work ethic in practices and games, said Shane Patrick, Springdale’s first-year coach.
“He’s a great example of what hard work can do for you,” Patrick said. “He’s come a long way, and it wasn’t easy for him. (The defensive schemes) haven’t been easy for anyone in our secondary, but (Matteri) took the challenge and ran with it and he’s been great for us in the last three weeks.”
Matteri has totaled 25 tackles this season, with 16 of those coming in the last two weeks against Fort Smith Southside and Fort Smith Northside.
In those two games, Springdale’s defense showed improvement — especially against the Rebels — and helped the Red’Dogs get their first two 7A-West Conference victories of the season.
“It’s just a matter of focusing and paying attention to your opponent,” Matteri said. “This league is tough, there are some really good receivers. But we just do the best we can to play our part and hope we don’t give up the big play.”
When not on the football field, Matteri said he finds solace in being a team leader with Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He leads weekly meetings, usually held on Thursdays, and even participated in a mission trip to Haiti in July.
“Being with FCA, it’s helped me a lot and I fall back on that faith,” Matteri said. “When I was struggling earlier this year, I used what I had learned in FCA to help me through it, and now I’m back and improving every week. I think it’s all come full circle.”
Matteri said he and his teammates still have to be more consistent in the three regular-season games left if they want a chance to be successful.
“We’re all working hard,” Matteri said. “We want to be the best defense we can, and I think we’ve improved a lot since last year. It just takes a lot of work, some faith and trusting your teammates to get the job done.”