HOMEDALE — Before his rookie season in the NFL wearing the Los Angeles Chargers’ powder blue, before he racked up 115 career tackles and 11.5 sacks while donning the blue and orange at Boise State, Scott Matlock wore the Homedale red.
And while his old No. 44 jersey may not fit him as well as it did back in his days as a Trojan, he was still able to put it on Thursday on the football field of his alma mater.
Matlock returned to Homedale High on Thursday to become the first former Trojan to have his number retired by the school. Joined by his older brother, Steven, and adoptive parents Mike and Donna Marose, who took him in after the death of both his parents , Matlock’s Homedale jersey was presented to him, along with a framed plaque highlighting his accomplishment. The ceremony took place during camp scrimmages at Homedale High.
Current players from Homedale’s football program lined up on both sides of him as Matlock walked from the locker room to the field to a round of applause, with Steven and the Maroses following behind him.
“It’s the biggest honor," Matlock said. “I’m just super thankful, super blessed and just proud of what I was able to accomplish and inspire other kids and players. I wasn’t really expecting for this to be as big as it was, so I’m just trying to take it in.”
But with everything Matlock has done for Homedale, it’s only appropriate that the school honored its 2018 graduate in a big way. With Matlock needing to report to Chargers camp next week, and life as an NFL player keeping him busy in the fall, Homedale was unable to have him back for a football game. But Homedale coach Matt Holtry knew he had to have his former player back sooner rather than later to get this honor. After all, it’s not every day a 4A school like Homedale produces an NFL player.
During the ceremony, Holtry referred to Matlock as a ‘once in a lifetime’ player.
“I said ‘once in a lifetime’ for a reason, he’s a once in a lifetime player," Holtry said. “He’s a special person and he helped set the standard for our program. You look at what we’ve done since his presence here, it’s been nothing but excellence and he helped set that.”
Matlock credits Homedale for playing a huge role in his success. After growing up in Boise he moved to the smaller community prior to his freshman year of high school.
“I think it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me,” Matlock said. “Growing up in Boise, it was just a culture shock. But looking back, I’m super grateful that I moved out here. Everything happens for a reason, and it was definitely different, but I think it was awesome.”
At Homedale he played both defensive line and tight end, earning first-team All-3A Snake River Valley conference honors at both his positions. But Holtry remembers Matlock telling about his determination of playing beyond high school, a dream largely inspired by Steven Matlock, who was then an offensive lineman at the University of Idaho.
“It could have been some false confidence, who knows,” Matlock joked about his attitude as a freshman. “Obviously looking up to my older brother, Steven, as he was playing, that really built the foundation of my motivation.”
His journey got him recognized as the Idaho Press’s 2018 Sports Stars Inspirational Athlete of the Year after he earned a full-ride scholarship at Boise State, where he went on to be a two-time All-Mountain West second team selection.
He was selected by the Chargers as the 200th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL draft. He appeared in 12 games as a rookie, making 14 tackles. He’s looking for bigger things in his upcoming second season.
“I want to go out and do my job,” Matlock said. “I believe that it definitely is going to be a breakout year, so I want to try and take that next step.”
And the more Matlock does in the NFL, the more it will shine a light on the Homedale community.
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