Arizona 2027 QB Matthew Avelar gets Salpointe Catholic varsity call

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG

There are many pivotal moments in a football career that one never forgets; the call up to the varsity level as an underclassman is one of them. At Salpointe Catholic High School (Tucson, Ariz.), Matthew Avelar (6-2, 195) achieved that big milestone during his freshman season taking his career on the gridiron to that next step.

The call to join the Lancers’ varsity squad was detailed.

“They moved me to varsity last week,” Avelar said. “I played most of the season with my freshman team. Last week, I played freshmen and varsity, this week I am only on varsity.”

The experience spinning it for the freshman squad was covered.

“We did really well,” Avelar stated. “Our record is 7-1. We lost to Liberty, a school in Phoenix. My season with the freshman team went really well. My OC, he knows what I can do. He put a lot of passing in the offense. We ran a lot of passing plays. I had six touchdowns against Shadow Ridge; that was really cool. It was a good experience.”

Avelar spoke about executing the Lancers’ offense, “We run a Spread, and we run the ball every now and then.”

Extra work outside of practice was put into Avelar’s game to push his varsity trajectory forward.

“I train with Ground Up QB,” Avelar shared. “Coach Anderson, he’s been helping me with my hips when I throw the ball. I have a strong upper body, right now I am throwing all upper body. He’s helping me use my hips to have even stronger throws.”

Catching up to the speed and intensity of top Arizona high school football has been an ongoing process.

“I have been practicing with varsity for two or three weeks,” Avelar said. “As soon as I got up there, they were telling me varsity will be a lot different. You have to take the lead; you have to get the guys to listen to you. As soon as I got up there, I was ready to throw. I did whatever they asked, and I have done what I could do to move up the depth chart.”

The Lancers are on the road this week taking on powerhouse Saguaro; there’s a chance Avelar could get some snaps.

“Last week, I wasn’t able to get on the field but this week I think I will,” Avelar stated. “Our varsity QB is a senior and they want me to get some reps for next year.”

To earn that spot on the varsity roster, Avelar was asked about what he does well on the gridiron.

“I love to make plays, and I love to run the ball,” Avelar shared. “I am good at scrambling. I base my running skills off Bijan Robinson (Atlanta Falcons); he went to Salpointe. I base my running skills off him. He was unstoppable. That is my mindset when running the ball.

“My accuracy has gotten a lot better. I am putting the ball on the mark off the run, the arm strength comes in helpful throwing on the run.”

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