PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — This week’s Scholar Athlete of the Week sponsored by Perry and Young P.A. is North Bay Haven’s Matthew Matson.
In the regional competition for track and field, Matson qualified for state in the boys’ 4 x 800 relay and the 1600 meter.
“It shows that it takes time because we weren’t where we wanted to be at the beginning of the season,” Matson said. “But the workouts finally came through and we developed a lot more and we just clicked and we got really fast.”
For the 4 x 800 relay, North Bay Haven won first place, knocking out powerhouse Bolles.
“We’re able to come back and be even better,” Matson said. “And I love running with my teammates. It makes it a lot more fun. Having a team that’s really strong and there’s not really a weak leg.”
Matson also had success in the fall with cross country, competing at state competition for that sport.
“The cross-country season really set up my success for this track season because I was able to get a really good personal best, which gave me a lot of confidence going into the track season and allowed me and my other teammates to build that confidence for track season that we have now,” Matson said.
North Bay Haven Track and Field Coach Osmond Ashman said Matson is the kind of athlete you don’t have to push.
“Just unquenchable. He is self-motivated, which is the hardest thing to do is motivate people,” Ashman said. “It’s just a great feeling.”
Matson has a 4.67 GPA and is going to attend the University of North Florida in the fall where he will major in kinesiology.
“I love running,” Matson said. “Then I love like being able to know what’s up with my body so I can learn more about my body and like what I can do and I can also help other people.”
Matson hopes to continue his running career by walking on in college.
