Leaping Leopard: Green was state champion long jumper, star football player at BV
Holly Tonini
Belle Vernon蘑菇视频 Matt Green competes in the 2011 WPIAL Class AAA Individual Track & Field Championships at Baldwin High School. Green won a gold medal in the long jump and went on to also win gold in the PIAA meet.
Submitted photo
Matt Green rushed for 2,320 career yards at Belle Vernon, including 1,353 yards with 14 touchdowns in 2009.
Submitted photo
Matt Green was a two-way star on Belle Vernon蘑菇视频 football team as a running back and safety.
Matt Green was a track and field phenom at an early age who went on to to athletic stardom as a two-sport athlete at Belle Vernon Area High School.
鈥淢y dad got me into it at an early age,鈥� Green recalled. 鈥淚 played football and soccer at a young age as well. Track started with my dad Ricky watching me run down from the neighbor蘑菇视频 pool and he thought I looked pretty quick. He got me into it and after I got into it and started liking it he became my coach.
鈥淗e coached himself up on whatever he could with videos and whatever just to coach me up. We would go out and work out. He was an athlete and went to Charleroi High School, he wrestled and played football. He was never into track, but he got into it because he thought I was quick. He learned and coached me pretty much my whole life, even in high school.鈥�
Green had great success at an early age.
As a 10-year-old Green participated in the Junior Olympic nationals in Miami, Florida. He won the 100, 200, and long jump. In 2005, he won the Junior Olympics high jump in the midget division. At age 13-14 he won the Junior Olympics high jump. In 2005 Green broke a 16-year-old record in the long jump (17.2 feet) in the 11-12-year-old category. At the Track and Field Junior USA meet at Moon Township in 2006, Green captured gold medals in the 100 meters, 110 meter hurdles, and long jump.
鈥淲e did a lot of different events,鈥� Green said. 鈥淣ormally the hurdles, high jump, long jump and the sprints. The long jump is the one I stuck with as I got older. In high school the long jump became the main event.鈥�
Green was an all-around athlete. He participated in baseball, football, basketball, wrestling and soccer before settling on football and track & field.
鈥淥ur track team the years I was at Belle Vernon, they were really good,鈥� Green offered. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 remember how many meets we lost, but it wasn鈥檛 very many. We seemed to have at least one or two people in almost every event. It was fun we had good coaches like coach Chris Staschia, assistant John Kerekes and Rod Kavic. All good guys and good coaches.鈥�
Green蘑菇视频 success at Belle Vernon was remarkable because the Leopards had no track of their own and still don鈥檛. The team left early for meets and had about 60 minutes to practice their jumps, throws and sprints before the first event at a track meet.
鈥淲e did practice after school just like other schools,鈥� said Green. 鈥淭he distance runners ran the road, the sprinters and jumpers ran on a portion of a track that蘑菇视频 marked off on the (football) field, and we had a few hurdles. But we didn鈥檛 have any pits for the jumps, and we were giving points away every meet because we couldn鈥檛 compete in the pole vault.鈥�
Green was PIAA long jump champ in 2009 (23-7陆) and 2011. He finished fourth as a junior. He was WPIAL long jump champ as a senior and sophomore.
On the gridiron Green was part of Belle Vernon squads that posted records of 4-6 in 2008, 5-5 in 2009 and 5-5 in 2010.
鈥淓very year in football was great,鈥� Green stated. 鈥淲e had a lot of great athletes and the coaching staff was good. Lou Rood was head coach my sophomore year and then Aaron Krepps came in and we are still close to this day. I played football at Robert Morris with his brother. Krepps was great and taught me an awful lot.鈥�
A three-year letter winner in football the 6-foot, 185-pound Green ran for 2,320 career yards as a running back and scored 28 touchdowns. As a junior he ran for 1,353 and 14 TDs. Green was injured as a senior and missed the first four games.
鈥淢y senior year I got hurt,鈥� Green lamented. 鈥淚 broke my ankle in the first scrimmage of the year and that hurt with recruiting and the whole nine yards. I played both ways, I loved playing defense I was a free safety in high school.鈥�
Green was named All Big 8 defensive back first team as a senior and a second team running back as a senior. He was named to the 2009 Tribune Review Terrific 25 as a running back.
Steve Russell in his booklet 鈥淗istory of BVA Football History鈥� had this quote from Green蘑菇视频 head coach Aaron Krepps: 鈥淗e was a physical runner because he did well getting downhill quickly as a running back; on defense he played with an attitude, he had good instincts for the game and was always around the ball.鈥�
When Green graduated from BVA in 2011 his recruiting by colleges was hampered after he was injured his senior year.
鈥淚 was recruited for track and football pretty heavy for awhile,鈥� Green explained. 鈥淚 ended up deciding I wanted to go to school for nursing and decided to go to Robert Morris. I played a little at RMU, but decided it wasn鈥檛 for me and went there for just three semesters and I dropped out.鈥�
Green decided to get into construction work.
鈥淚鈥檓 a heavy equipment operator on the pipeline,鈥� Green said. 鈥淚 work for Alex E. Paris Contracting of Burgettstown, Pa. I have been with them for nine years.鈥�
Green, 29, resides in Rostraver Township with his significant other McKenzie Bennett. They have been together for nine years.鈥�
Looking back Green is happy about his athletic career.
鈥淚 was pleased with what I did in track and football,鈥� Green stated. 鈥淚t was good times, absolutely.鈥�
George Von Benko蘑菇视频 鈥淢emory Lane鈥� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 蘑菇视频. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.