Cal OL Commit Cindric Dominating on Both Sides of the Ball
In Skyline (Sammamish, WA) High School's dramatic rivalry school win over Eastlake last night, Cal commit Matthew Cindric's considerable skills were on full display on both sides of the ball in Skyline's 31-24 triple OT victory last night.
The 6-4/265 offensive tackle/defensive end dominated on both sides of the ball, allowing virtually no pass pressure, dominating on run blocking and wreaking havoc at defensive end, with constant pressure and two and half sacks along with another pair of tackles for loss on the night.
Part of a stellar offensive line class full of OT's, Cindric would be ideal at offensive guard, though the strength and motor he displayed at defensive end makes him an intriguing prospect on the other side of the ball, as well. He's already got a high FBS body and an offseason in the strength and conditioning program will only enhance his physical prowess.
The 2-way star was only off the field for a handful of plays, yet his motor ran high from start to finish.
"I've always been known to play the whole game," said Cindric after the game. "That's just what I do."
"He was virtually unblockable, especially late in the game," said Skyline defensive line coach Cameron Elisara. "
"I think Cal should be ecstatic to get a player like Matthew. I've coached for seven years and have coached a lot of players that have gone on to play D1 and he's the best leader and hardest-working player I've ever coached and I've coached some good ones.
"I played at the University of Washington and the player he reminds me most of is Daniel Te'o-Nesheim. Daniel Te'o-Nesheim was the first player I ever saw that never took a play off or a single rep, even in the weight room and Cindric is exactly the same -in practice, too. Even when he tweaked his mcl, he was on the sidelines doing pushups when we were practicing and he's played through it in games, too.
"He's one of the most self-motivated players I've ever been around.
"I'm surprised he's not being recruited more than he is on defense. He's a force. His technique, strength and leverage is better than many college players.
"If he doesn't play two ways, like a guy like Stanford's Owen Marecic a few years ago, he'll just go twice as hard on one side. There are intangibles and techniques he has down now that are things I didn't learn till I was a sophomore in college. His point of contact and body angle, disengaging, reading run-pass and adjusting accordingly, getting to the edge -he excels at all of that.
"It's great to have a guy that has a high motor on the offensive line but to find a guy with a motor like his on the defensive line is a real find because you're going to get productivity out of him on every single snap.
"When he hits quarterbacks -there are some guys when they hit quarterbacks, the QB bounces back up but when Cindric hits quarterback, his back is parallel to the ground, driving through them. He punishes them and he does it legally, where it's not going to draw a flag.
"I don't know if you noticed it but there were a lot of times when the quarterback would sit there and roll up his socks or do something else to buy time to recover after he hit him."
Cindric fired up his team throughout the game and following the dramatic victory, giving a passionate victory speech to his teammates.
"That's another thing about Matthew," said Elisara. "He's a natural-born leader with his work ethic but he was not the most vocal guy. That was not his thing. But he kind of realized coming into this year, he needed to be a more vocal leader and he's stepped up in that way, too. Everyone really respects him.
"Cindric's a smart kid -a 3.99 guy- so he's articulate and he gets the guys fired up. He's basically like another coach that plays. His maturity level -the O-Line coach and I joke that he's probably more mature than us.
"I'd be shocked if by the end of the Cal he's not a captain or all-league guy. I know at a minimum, he'll be an academic all-league guy."
Cindric's relationship with Cal offensive line coach Steve Greatwood has been strong before and since his commitment to Cal in August.
"It's going great," said Cindric of his relationship with Cal. "My relationship with Coach Greatwood has just deepened and we talk most every week.
"Just watching Cal, they've been performing well. That's positive to see with Coach Wilcox.
"Their program's definitely going in the right direction. It's just awesome."
To view Cindric's highlight clips on both sides of the ball as well as part of his postgame speech and a quick interview before the team boarded the bus home, use the embedded viewer below: