Family tradition
Desales’ state finalists chasing title just like dads, uncles did as Stallions
“Before I got to Desales, I didn’t realize Dad was such a legend here. He was a great player and I want to be great, but I never wanted to feel like I was following in his footsteps.” Matthew Stewart Desales senior defensive end on his dad, Matt, who was an All-ohio linebacker and 1,500-yard running back on the Desales state runner-up team in 1996
Matt Stewart was rendered speechless when his son Matthew took the field for Desales’ season-opening football game at Watterson wearing his father’s long-retired jersey No. 26.
Matthew had previously worn No. 27 throughout his career.
“It was a nice surprise, that’s for sure,” said the elder Stewart, who was an All-ohio linebacker and 1,500-yard running back on the Desales state runnerup team in 1996. He went on to star at Vanderbilt and spent seven seasons in the NFL with Atlanta and Cleveland.
Around Desales, the Stewart name is royalty.
But the younger Stewart, a senior defensive end, always has been determined to blaze his own trail, evidenced in part by the fact he goes by the name Matthew.
“Before I got to Desales, I didn’t realize Dad was such a legend here,” Matthew said. “He was a great player and I want to be great, but I never wanted to feel like I was following in his footsteps.
“Since this is my last year ever playing football (Matthew plans to attend either Notre Dame or Vanderbilt on an ROTC scholarship), I thought wearing Dad’s number would be a cool way to honor the person who has played such an important role in my life.”
When Desales (9-1) faces Chardon (11-0) in the Division III state championship game at 6:15 p.m. Saturday at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon, Matthew will have a chance to achieve something his father didn’t.
“Being able to one-up Dad would be something I could brag about forever,” Matthew said. “Dad has told me about his senior season, but not so much about the state championship game since they lost (to Cleveland Benedictine 14-3). We used to sit together and watch a DVD of that season together, but he’s not the kind of person who shoves football down my throat. He respects that I’m my own person.”
Matthew has recorded 55 tackles (12.5 for loss) with 8.5 sacks for a stout Desales defense.
Matt Stewart said it has brought back fond memories watching Matthew and his son Cedric, a sophomore tight end/ defensive lineman, chase a state title. Cedric has inherited his brother’s jersey No. 27.
“My wife (Betsy) and I always dreamed of our kids going to Desales and enjoying the same kind of experience we did,” he said. “The football part of it just happened, and we couldn’t be more excited.”
There are multigenerational ties throughout the Desales program with teams that won state championships (1985, 1997 and 1998) and five that were runners-up. Coincidentally, the 1985 team – which finished 14-0 – is holding its 35-year reunion.
Matt Barber was a tight end on the 1985 championship team, and now his son Nate, a senior receiver, will try to match the feat.
“I’ve seen Dad’s state championship ring, but he really hasn’t talked about the game with me this week,” Nate said. “He realizes it’s my game, my team, and he knows I’ve got enough to think about already. I wouldn’t be surprised if he said something to me Friday or Saturday, though, to hype me up.”
Jamie Cua was the star running back on the 1985 team.
Now, his nephew Mateo Cua is trying for a title.
“My dad was a wrestler, but he’s always telling me stories about that team and uncle Jamie,” Cua said. “I have 36 cousins and a whole bunch of them have played football here. To be part of all the history and tradition of this program is really special.”
Sophomore defensive back Nicky Pentello’s father, Rocky, coached on the 1995 staff.
Current assistant Tyler Gantz coached on the 1997 and 1998 teams and now has two sons, Jackson and Beau, on the team.
Desales coach Ryan Wiggins played on the 1996 runner-up team with Stewart, and was an assistant on the 1997 and 1998 champions, as well as the 2001 and 2005 runners-up. He was head coach in the Stallions’ last title game appearance, in 2009, a 35-7 loss to Youngstown Mooney.
“Having spent so many years here, it’s amazing that I’ve played with so many of our players’ brothers, uncles and dads,” Wiggins said. “Matt Stewart and I grew up on the same street and went to school together for 12 years. Now, here I am coaching his sons.”
The many legacies at Desales are a testament to positive experiences had by students and players there.
“When you come to Desales, it’s a goal to play in a state championship game,” said Barber, whose mother, Julie, is a Hall of Fame softball coach at the school. “That level of excellence is something we expect because we’ve seen others before us experience it.” sblackledge@dispatch.com @Blackiepreps