Ever since his junior season ended, Matt Bowes has been putting together a list of his greatest hits.
And he’s not a recording artist.
Bowes is a senior tight end and fullback at La Salle High School, and for the last year, he has spent a lot of time going over film of his football games. All of La Salle’s games are on the website Hudl, and Bowes has spent a lot of time picking out his best plays to send to college coaches.
Not only is he good at football, he’s a pretty good video editor and because of that, he’s starting to hear from a lot of schools.
“I’ve gotten two offers so far from Division I schools, Marist and Saint Francis, and I’ve heard from a lot of Division I schools around here,” said Bowes, a St. Christopher grad who lives in Somerton. “I like breaking down the film and putting highlights together. I like watching film to learn about football, too. We do a lot of it. I think it helps us learn a lot, and it makes us a better team.
“Usually after I send the film out, coaches will contact me over Twitter, and then we’ll go to messages or phone. I like it. It’s nice to hear from coaches because they want you. I’m enjoying the whole recruiting process. It’s fun to be wanted.”
College football programs want Bowes because he is very skilled and makes for a very good tight end for the Explorers.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder has soft hands and can make plays in the passing game, but he’s also a physical blocker who has helped the Explorers offense this year. That’s the reason he enjoys playing tight end.
“It’s my favorite position because you get to do a little bit of everything and I like that,” said Bowes, who has three catches, including a touchdown, to his credit this year. “I’ve played a little fullback and H-back this year, but I really enjoy tight end. I just like it because you get to do everything, and it helps me get better at everything. I like being versatile. I like to run, catch, block, do it all.
“It helps to play for La Salle because we do a lot of different things. I love blocking, both run and pass, but I also like going out for passes. The more you do both, the better you get. I’ve been having a lot of fun this year.”
La Salle has been playing all year, and it was the first Catholic League team to get started this year. The Explorers played three nonleague games, wins against Manheim Township, Delaware Valley and Downingtown East, before starting their Catholic League schedule. Their only setback was to St. Joe’s Prep in the league opener, but they recovered to knock off Archbishop Wood and Roman Catholic. They still have a game against Malvern Prep on Thanksgiving to play.
It wasn’t your typical season, but the Explorers enjoyed getting on the field, and Bowes is thankful he had another chance to play with his teammates.
“When we found out we were playing, we found out we were playing before the rest of the league was playing, so it was fun, but once we found out we were going to play in the Catholic League, we were all excited,” Bowes said. “You like to play against those teams because you know you’re going to have tough games. And it’s better to play against teams you know. It’s more fun.
“We were happy to get out there earlier, but it got a lot better when we started playing the other Catholic League teams. We knew we had a really good team this year, so we wanted a chance to play. It was hard at first because we didn’t know what was going to happen, nobody really did, but it worked out for us.
“The Catholic League is a historic league. I’m happy we got one last opportunity to play against those teams. I had my doubts over the summer, but it worked out.”
Now, the focus is on the future.
He plans on playing CYO basketball, a sport he played at La Salle, before stepping away to spend time training for football, and he still wants to maintain his grades, which are all A’s and B’s. But the main goal is to find the perfect place to excel in the classroom and on the football field next year.
“I want to play, I’m not too worried about what division, I just want to find a great place,” said Bowes, who will go in undecided on a major. “I would like to go to a school that’s kind of close. Driving distance would be good.”
That’s so he can stay in touch with his friends, and his family, who are very supportive.
His parents and his younger sisters Riley, a soccer player at Villa Joseph Marie, and Gabrielle, a basketball player at Germantown Academy, are very supportive of each other, and they’re always there to cheer each other on.
“They’re both good athletes,” Bowes said. “They come to my games and when I can make it with my schedule, I like going to their games. We all are very close.
“I’m lucky. I have great family, friends and coaches. I truly do appreciate it. And my teammates. They have all done so much for me and to help me.”
