2020-21 Matthew Hontz
Community Volunteer Awards
2020-21 Honoree
Inspiring Rancho Cordovan
Matthew Hontz
It was the great sportswriter Grantland Rice who once wrote:
“It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.”
Great competitors, of course, are wired to win. It is that desire to overcome an opponent and bask in the light of victory that drives them to victory and steers them from the sting of defeat.
But this story is about an athlete who lost a wrestling match. And in doing so, became the biggest winner of all.
2020 Cordova High School grad Matthew Hontz II is the kind of young man who has success written all over him. He has lived in Rancho Cordova since the day he was born. He understands how special and unique the people in the community are, and he is one of them. He was born that way.
But this is a sports story. So, we roll back time to the sixth grade, when on the recommendation of his father, Matthew took up wrestling. It turns out he was pretty good at it. Fast-forward and we learn he was the Cordova High School wrestling team captain for two years, qualified for the CIF Sac-Joaquin Wrestling Sections for three years, and has, as he put it: “survived four seasons in high school and three seasons in middle school wrestling,” facing opponents across the state and waking up at 5 a.m. every Saturday.
But Matthew is more than just a good athlete. He was student class president for four (yes -- all four!) years of high school, was involved with Interact Club and Spirit Club at Cordova High, was a competitive swimmer for two years, and, in his abundance of free time, volunteered with his church, St. John Vianney.
Despite all this, the spotlight is not something he relishes. Helping others shine in their own light is his real passion. So tonight, we are honoring Matthew for LOSING a wrestling match.
It was in 2020, when, about a week prior to the match, Matthew’s coach approached him and shared that there would be a wrestler with special needs in his weight class wrestling for Natomas High School in a regional tournament. At first, Matthew said he didn’t think much of it; he thought it was unusual because he’d never heard of a special athlete wrestling, but he also didn’t know what to expect. He and his coach talked about the possibilities and ultimately, Matthew agreed to take on the challenge.
As the tournament began, Matthew conferred with the two coaches – his and his opponents’ - and it wasn’t until then that he understood the full gravity of what he’d agreed to. The opponent he was about to wrestle had a physical disability.
In 2019, opponent Andrew was not able to walk – he was in a wheelchair and wore braces on his feet. He worked hard to strengthen his legs and literally get back on his feet. After spending a season on the football team, Andrew decided he wanted to wrestle; and his first match would be against Matthew.
At this point, Matthew realized the match wasn’t about him; it was about Andrew and what it would feel like to experience the thrill of victory after so much struggle.
The match unfolded, and Matthew made Andrew work for it. As they muscled their way through the holds, the match had the excitement of the Olympics. When the referee finally slapped the floor for the pin, it was not Matthew who had won, it was Andrew.
The Natomas High School coach was so moved by what he had seen, he reached out to the athletic director at Cordova High, and AD Beamish in turn passed it up the ranks, writing:
“Matt Hontz from Cordova agreed to wrestle a special needs wrestler from Natomas and instead of just laying down and allowing the boy to beat him easily, Matt made it look and feel like a real match. It is moments like these that make me proud to be athletic director at Cordova… Besides thanking Matt, I would also like to thank David Moore for all the work he puts in, not only on the wrestling side of things, but also for teaching our student athletes what it means to be good people.”
Matthew said this:
“I wanted to be that light in the world that has a lot of darkness and show people that sometimes it is better to surrender your pride. Part of being a leader is doing the right thing, especially when people aren’t expecting it.”
Please welcome an extraordinary young man who humbly teaches us an important lesson in the power of kindness. Meet Matthew Hontz II, an Inspiring Rancho Cordovan.
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