Matthew Stam decided a little while ago he was going to follow the family path to the Guelph Gryphons varsity football squad.
Now the receiver is to join the team for which his father Gerrit Stam was a standout running back just before the turn of the century and on which his brother Nathan Stam is a defensive back as the winner of this year’s Fitzy, the Nick FitzGibbon Award that is presented annually to the most outstanding player in the local District 10 high school football league.
"It's just such an honor to be, not only being given the award by Nick FitzGibbon, but also just being talked with in my names of guys like that, I think, just legends of the sport here in Guelph and football overall,” Stam said. “It's amazing to be mentioned with guys like that."
Stam is the 14th recipient of the award and fourth from the Centennial CVI Spartans with Jackson Leshuk (2023), Daniel Brown (2019), and Ben Cross (2015) being the other Spartans to win the Fitzy. Other victors include current Baltimore Raven Tavius Robinson (2017 with Guelph CVI), former CFL player Nick Parisotto (2013 with Lourdes), GCVI’s Simon Chaves in 2016 who played with the Toronto Argos this year and Tanner Nelmes of St. James who played for the Laurier Golden Hawks in this year’s Vanier Cup national university football championship game in 2018.
The award, handed out last week, capped off a season that saw Stam help Centennial capture the D10, CWOSSA and Ontario provincial high school (OFSAA) Southern Bowl championships. The CWOSSA and OFSAA Bowl titles were the first in school history.
“If you don't really game plan for him, he is going to cause problems,” Centennial head coach Zach Pollari said. “It's just great to see. It's been such a pleasure to coach him and work with him. His parents have done a great job raising him and I'm just really excited to follow his career and see what happens.”
In the Southern Bowl, Stam caught two touchdowns, had another one on a punt return nullified due to a penalty and also had an interception playing on defence.
"It still hasn't really set in, I'm kind of speechless over that game,” Stam said. “It was a pretty amazing thing to do, I think, with not only being the first Centennial team to be there, but the first D10 team to ever really win OFSSA. I think that was just an amazing accomplishment that I'll forever be grateful for."
Surprisingly, the Grade 12 student hasn’t been playing football that long.
“Matt came to us in Grade 9. It was his first year playing football,” Pollari said. “He joined the team in the fall and then came out in spring as well for our junior program and his development has just been incredible. Over the years, he's played Team Ontario and played summer football this year as well – just does all the right things. Great kid in classroom, great kid in school and, obviously, he's just outstanding on football fields.”
Of course, Stam received plenty of tips from his father.
"My dad, he put the ball in my hands as a young kid, and you know, even just learning the basics of a basic post or corner route, obviously, me playing receiver,” Stam said. “Learning how to run, learning how to run properly with the football, tuck the football away, ball security, like he always says, and stuff like that. He introduced me to the game of football and I think it's going to be pretty awesome him coming to watch me here for the next four years."
While his father is a proud Gryphon alumnus, he put no pressure on Stam to make the University of Guelph the next step in his life.
"My dad's always been a guy who just told me to go wherever it makes you happy, go to the right spot for you,” Stam said. “I think he didn't really want to influence my decision that much, but at the end of the day, when I did tell him that I was choosing Guelph, you could definitely tell he was pretty happy to come here and be able to watch not only me, but my brother as well. It was a pretty awesome moment."
For Stam, the University of Guelph just felt like the right place for him.
"At the end of the day, Guelph's just home,” Stam said. “I visited a ton of different universities, and there was definitely some great options for me, but at the end of the day, Guelph just had that home feel, regardless of being here. I really always just love the university here in Guelph, loved coming to games as a kid and just can't wait to see what I can do here for the next four years."
Something that isn’t likely to change for Stam at the university level is his workouts with his brother Nathan.
"Nate, he's a very hard worker,” Stam said. “I think he's probably the hardest worker of all of us, but he's been battling so much different injuries with different things in his shoulder and stuff like that. He's been getting more and more shots as well. He had a great season this year staying healthy, which is all we can ask for and he's looking to start next year and hopefully get his shot at making a name for himself as well."
Those workouts can get a little heated, in a brotherly way.
"Yeah, this summer, last summer and probably even the summer before, we were always on each other and working with each other,” Stam said. “It can get competitive sometimes as our brotherly nature gets in there, but at the end of the day, it's all good competition. We just want what's best for each other, success for each other. I hope to win a Vanier with Nate."
Stam’s on-field time with the Gryphons will likely be limited to being a receiver, although time on special teams can’t be ruled out.
"Me and Mark Surya, the head coach, have talked a little bit about what my role can be here and being a receiver here,” Stam said. “My goal for Guelph is to win that Vanier. I’ve definitely shown that I've won at the high school level, but I think winning a Vanier with guys like (Centennial teammates) Jackson Leshuk and Shay Scott, guys who have committed here with me, I think it would be truly special."
Stam has about eight months to prepare for his first training camp with the Gryphons and he knows what he’ll make his top priority in the workouts he has between now and the opening of camp in the middle of August.
"I think one thing that really stands out for me is my speed,” Stam said. “I really always try to hone those speed and play-making abilities that I do have. I think for the university level the big thing for me is just putting on that size and that weight and I've already started. The day after OFSAA, I was in the gym trying to get back on that weight and back on that muscle. I have great coaches here (at the University of Guerlph) like Alex Charette, the strength and conditioning coach, that are going to help me get to that university level-ready body and be ready to go."
And Pollari has a little advice for the Gryphon coaches, not that they need it.
“You just get Matt Stam touches, that's what it's all about,” he said. “They're getting a dynamic player that is going to make plays. Get him touches, he's going to make plays and he's going to be a great locker room guy and just a great asset to the team.”
Other major award winners in the D10 league were receiver Peyton Cummings of the St. James Lions as offensive player of the year, linebacker Leshuk of Centennial as defensive player of the year, two-way lineman Logan Leger of Centennial as lineman of the year, Zac Conroy of the Ross Royals as special teams player of the year, running back Gabryel Wasmund of St. James as rookie of the year and coach Pollari as leadership award winner.
