Southwest’s Printy signs with Missouri Baptist
EL CENTRO — Southwest High senior lineman Matthew Printy is going to be a Spartan — but that doesn’t mean he’ll be playing for his school’s cross-town rival, Central Union High.
Instead, it means Print is going to continue his football career next fall at Missouri Baptist University. Printy signed a letter of intent to play football as a navy blue and white Spartan for the next four years.
Printy, who played both o ensive and defensive tackle throughout his three years as an Eagle, was surrounded by family, classmates and coaches during his signing ceremony at his school’s amphitheater.
“It was really nice having everyone here supporting,” Printy said. “I didn’t even know this many people went to our school.”
Printy was the first SHS football player this year to sign a scholarship and is the fifth Eagle in the school history to sign to play at a four-year university, SHS Athletic Director Ruben Valenzuela said.
The SHS senior, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 215 pounds, will be playing as a linebacker or defensive lineman for MBU, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics program that finished 4-7 last year.
“It feels great, to be honest, but I just want to stay humble about it,” Printy said. “Anyone can do this. It just takes work and effort to put in to be able to do it.”
His junior year, Printy was part of the history-making 2017 Southwest team, which finished as runner-up in the CIF State Division 4A game.
In his senior year, during which the Eagles finished 4-6 overall, Printy totaled 35 solo tackles, 24 assists, 59 total tackles, one forced fumble and five tackles for loss. He averaged 5.9 tackles per game.
It wasn’t until eighth grade that Printy, an Imperial Valley native, first saw the football field, as he grew up playing soccer.
“I always begged my mom to make that transition to playing football,” he recalled.
Printy played Pop Warner in eighth grade and freshman year, as he attended Calvary Chapel in El Centro, which doesn’t have a football program.
After transferring as a sophomore to Southwest, he saw playing time as a guard for both the JV and varsity teams. The following year, Printy was the varsity team’s starting guard.
A dislocated kneecap sidelined Printy for a portion of his junior year, although he recovered and returned to finish the season.
As a senior, Printy played defensive tackle for a majority of the season.
Reflecting back, the SHS senior couldn’t pinpoint a single moment he enjoyed most during his time in an Eagle jersey.
“I took pride in just being able to put on those shoulder pads and the helmet and bring Eagle Pride,” Printy said. “Being able to get hyped in our locker room with my brothers. Our equipment manager Albert was really great. He would always get us hyped up right before games and get our chants going.”
Printy said he hopes his success on field motivates Southwest’s up-and-coming players.
“I hope they see you don’t have to be playing football your whole life to start, or even just be good,” Printy said. “If you love something enough and you just put in the time and effort and try your best to succeed in it, you’ll go a long ways with it.”
The SHS senior toured the MBU campus, which is located in St. Louis, this past summer and was able to develop an idea of what being a Spartan will be like for the next four years.
“I really expect to have a really great atmosphere and team there,” Printy said. “All those guys seemed really cool, especially the coaches. When I visited last time, it was a little cold. I might have to bring a few more jackets up there during the season.”