Mathis getting mighty offers from Division I schools, Sports
The Bulldog running back is receiving early offers from D-I schools.
There are only a few things in life that Cedartown’s Tony Mathis Jr. loves more than football.
He’s been playing the game since he was four years old, starting in the back yard with his older brothers and then moving onto the recreation leagues before he became a Bulldog for Cedartown Middle and High School.
Since he stepped onto the field at Doc Ayers Field for the first time, Cedartown fans knew that Mathis was going to be something special. And in the weight room this spring at Cedartown High School, Mathis is putting in the extra time in strength training and conditioning to make sure that when he looks up at the scoreboard next season, the numbers on it will always be higher for the Bulldogs than the other teams they’ll face.
“I don’t like losing, but I love winning,” he said. “I love putting in extra work because I know it has to pay off no matter what.”
Mathis, Cedartown’s junior running back who will be rising to a senior leader on the team this fall, can already feel accomplished about a big 2017 season. The team finished 10-2 with a second place finish in 5-AAAA, plus a second round playoff appearance.
‘I feel real excited. I know it was going to come sooner or later. We’ve been putting in a lot of work (on recruitment) lately. So it was just a matter of time.’
Tony Mathis
Cedartown football player
All that after a 2016 season finishing with just four wins.
The difference a year can make shows in the accolades Mathis has received in past months following the football season’s end.
He was a All- Region team offensive player for 5-AAAA football for the year.
He had a combined 1,844 yards in running, pass returns and kickoff returns for and combined for 20 touchdowns in the regular and postseason, adding to already impressive totals during his career as a Bulldog.
“Before we even went into the season, we knew it was going to be a winning season,” Mathis said. “We took it week by week. We worried about the team we had that week, and we never overlooked any teams. I thought we did pretty good this year.”
Now he’s is getting increased attention from schools across the country looking ahead to what he can bring to a team after he graduates in 2019.
Mathis is now considering around a dozen offers, including a few Division I programs, which among the list includes the University of West Virginia and Purdue University.
Expect that number to grow in the months to come.
“I feel real excited. I know it was going to come sooner or later,” Mathis said. “We’ve been putting in a lot of work (on recruitment) lately. So it was just a matter of time.”
He was proud of the latest Division I offers, and said that “I was excited when they called,” but he’s remaining down to earth about the whole process.
Mathis hasn’t come close to a decision about where he might go once he graduates from Cedartown High School, but he knows one thing for sure: it’ll be the perfect fit for him as a student.
“I look at whatever makes me feel like I’m at home,” he said.
Mainly the only thing Mathis is really focused on at the moment are the same things every junior in high school enjoys: hanging out with his friends, keeping his grades up, and watching a lot of sports.
“I love sports,” he said. “I only play football and run track, but I love watching basketball and everything.”
Mathis and his team- mates just finished their third meet of the season on Thursday at Rome High School, and had another coming up on Tuesday after press time at home hosting several area teams.
The track and field work adds to the time he’s spending in the weight room at CHS. And he’s joined by someone who has already been on the college journey.
Mathis and other players have been working out alongside Georgia Bulldog star and NFL hopeful Nick Chubb in past months as Chubb sought to get in perfect shape for the NFL’s Combine that started in late February.
That experience provided Mathis with a valuable opportunity to learn what playing on a bigger stage is like, along with lessons he can apply both on and off the field.
However for now, Mathis is keeping his sights squarely focused on the upcoming 2018 season for the Bulldogs starting in August.
Mathis will have all spring and summer to work on a key area he hopes will make him a better player overall.
“I want to gain some more weight, but I want to gain good weight while keeping my speed,” he said.
Additionally Mathis said “I want to work on my route running,” since he added that he expects he’ll be catching the ball more this season, though probably not as much as he’ll be running with it from behind the offensive line.
Each week Mathis said he’s seeing the improvement he wants. He’s healthy, fast and continues to increase the maximum amount of weight he can lift.
He is looking forward to getting back onto the gridiron and showing what he can do.
If football shouldn’t work out for Mathis in the future for whatever reason, he has a Plan B. Since 8th grade, Mathis has been one of several students enrolled in a criminal justice program through Cedartown High School and the Polk County College and Career Academy.
He finishes the work on that program this spring before going into his senior year.
So should football not work out for him in the future, he feels that serving as a police officer is a good alternative.
“It’s something I can do for the country, I’m always looking to do something to help forward (a better world),” he said.