1 on 1 conversation: C.B. Aycock's Chandler Matthews

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on November 20, 2015 1:48 PM

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Charles B. Aycock junior Chandler Matthews entered the season with plenty of goals. The out-spoken three-sport athlete definitely wanted to prove to his critics that he was a quality receiver. He did. Matthews led the area with 1,000-plus receiving yards. Goal accomplished. Now his next task is to lead CBA to the 3-A title in the split-classification Eastern Carolina Conference in 2016.

The News-Argus conducted a short Q&A session with Matthews after the Golden Falcons completed their season with an opening-round loss to No. 1-ranked Eastern Alamance in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3-A playoffs.

Q: (CBA) Coach (Steve Brooks) and I talked the week of the Eastern Wayne game, and he said after last year you got a little bit of a chip on your shoulder. Where did that come from?

A: Last year when we played Eastern Wayne, I really didn't have a good game and I wanted my team to win a conference championship (the 3-A portion of the Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference). They kind of beat us pretty good and that's where it came from. This year, I wanted it bad. I had a pretty good game, not a great game, I but really wanted us to win the conference championship and get a home playoff game.

Q: Did it also come from the fact that you felt like you really didn't get the respect that you deserved?

A: Yeah, I think people underestimated what I could do. My size, they don't see me as a good player out there on the field. I might look small, but I make big plays.

Q: How would you describe the season that you had this year?

A: I think I had a pretty good season, not the best season. There were passes that I dropped, some other things I messed up on.

Q: As a freshman, you put your toe in the water (on varsity). Last year, you played more to get the experience. Where do you feel like you improved from your sophomore season to this past fall?

A: I honestly think the more I played my sophomore year, the more I got used to playing it. The games, I didn't feel worried or anything. I just went out there and played how I can play. It just felt like a regular football game every Friday night. I was prepared this year, more than my sophomore year.

Q: You and (quarterback) Jake (Flowers) have been friends for a long time. Tell us about the connection you two have?

A: I think we have a great connection. It all started with Little Falcons (football). I played my first two years at Eastern Wayne, but transferred over here. That's when me and Jake became friends. I'd always go to his house. We'd hang out, throw passes to each other, play backyard football, run routes, make over the shoulder catches ... stuff like that. We've been doing that for a long time through middle school and up through now.

Q: Coach said there's an instinct between you two when you're on the field. Is that true?

A: Yeah, I think we have good instinct. Jake knows what I'm doing most of the time because we've been together for so long. If I'm running a certain route, he knows how I'm going to do it and where I'm going to be at that time. There's no miscues I don't think between me and him. We're on the same page.

Q: When you're on the field and other teams know you're one of the main receivers, and you have a pretty good defender on you, how do you react to that. How do you get yourself open to receive the pass?

A: I really like doing double routes. I don't really think a corner can guard a double route because he doesn't know it's coming. I really don't think there is any great corner in high school that can cover a great receiver, not saying that I'm a great receiver, but I know how to run my routes and I know where to be at certain times.

Q: Is that one of the reasons the passing game was good this year?

A: Yeah, we run a spread offense and we throw the ball a lot. We watch film all the time and we try to learn how to beat the DBs. If we didn't have an offensive line or quarterback, the receivers couldn't get the yards they are getting. Our offensive line deserves a lot of respect for what they've been doing ... blocking for Jake and then Jake has time to throw a good pass for a receiver to catch it. You have to give everybody credit on the field for doing their job and making everything work out.

Q: Was being a 1,000-yard receiver a goal for you?

A: That was definitely a goal. Another goal was to at least get one TD every game. Some games I didn't score, which didn't bother me. One of my main goals was for my team to get win the every game. I can have zero receptions for zero yards as long as my team wins. I'm fine with that.

Q: Do you feel like you guys were better than a 4-8 team?

A: Oh yeah, I think we were a lot better. There are some games we could have won and should have won. There were some games that were close and we just didn't finish. We've got to learn how to play all four quarters and once we learn how to play all four quarters, we'll be a dominant team. I don't think anybody can stop us.

Q: If somebody sat down and said, 'Chandler, you've got to make a choice. You've either got to play football or you've got to play baseball.' Which would it be?

A: I honestly think it would be football. I tell a lot of people if I get a scholarship in football to a good football school, and then a scholarship in baseball to a not-so-great baseball team, then I'll go play football. But I think, if I had to sit down and think about it for a while, it would be football because I have the passion and love for football. Every Friday night that's all I look forward to ... just having fun out there on the field with my teammates.