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Rashad MathisValwood SchoolValdosta, Georgia by Phil Jones photography by Micki K Photography |
| When speaking to coaches, friends and others surrounding Rashad Mathis, one gets the feeling that the talented Valwood School multi-sport sophomore possesses the intangible “it” quality that sets him above the average student-athlete. Born in Texas, Mathis moved to Valdosta at an early age and began playing football at the Mildred Hunter Community Center. After two years of playing only football, Mathis developed an interest in basketball and began playing both sports while attending Southeast Elementary and Valdosta Middle School. He played quarterback and point guard and from the beginning was a standout in both sports. While Mathis was showing great promise as a two-sport athlete, he was also doing well in the classroom, maintaining an A/B average. His parents, Freddie and Reggie Mathis, wanted to make sure athletics didn’t deter their son from realizing his full academic potential, and they sought the best possible path to ensure his success. During the summer after Mathis finished eighth grade at Valdosta Middle School, the Mathis family was invited to attend an open house at Valwood School. The invitation came from family friend Carlos Jones, who attended the same church as the Mathis family and coached at Valwood. According to Mathis’s mother, the family was not looking to move. “We were very satisfied with the instructional curriculum at Valdosta Middle, and Rashad liked it there and was comfortable with everyone there. So, it wasn’t as if we were necessarily looking to move, but we did want to make sure that we explored all of our options with respect to the academics side.” Jones wanted the family to look at what Valwood had to offer. “I knew Rashad from church, and knew this was a very special young man,” he says. “He was so polite and smart, and of course, was a great athlete. So naturally, I wanted to invite him and his family to our (Valwood) open house.” Mathis and his family accepted Jones’s invitation and met the faculty, coaches and other students. It didn’t take long for his parents to like what they saw. According to his mother, Freddie, they were welcomed with open arms. “Everyone was so nice and inviting,” she says. “They welcomed us and made us feel so warm.” What most impressed his parents was Valwood’s interest in Mathis the student rather than Mathis the athlete. Mathis began ninth-grade classes when the school year began. His first meeting with Valwood coach Brannon Tidwell came in the weight room, before the season began. “I was immediately struck with his character and the way he carried himself. I was |
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impressed first with the person more so than the athlete I was talking to,” says Tidwell. “We knew as a coaching staff that Rashad had always played quarterback at Valdosta Middle, but we had J.B. Bronson as our quarterback and we were very pleased with his performance. So, we asked Rashad how he felt about not being able to play quarterback for the first time in his life. He didn’t hesitate, and he told us that he would do whatever we needed him to do for the team.”
Taking advantage of Mathis’s 6’3” stature, Tidwell decided to put him at wide receiver on offense and defensive back on defense. Although he had never played the position, Mathis took to his new role. “He is one of the best I have ever seen at going after the ball on offense and on defense. When the ball is in the air, he has that attack mode about him, and he won’t be denied,” says Tidwell. On the hard court, Jones liked Mathis’s height, but he really liked his ball-handling and leadership ability. “He is our point guard and sometimes shooting guard, and he’s tall for the point guard position,” Jones says. “But, he is a natural leader and has great vision, a skill that you can’t teach, so he is really a natural fit for the position.” Mathis’s stats back up the coaches’ assertions. On the football field this past season, Mathis helped the Valiants turn what had been a disappointing, one-win season into a campaign capped by a playoff run. Mathis ended the season with 55 catches for 1,155 yards and 13 touchdowns. On the hardwood, Mathis led Valwood with an average of 14.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. His performance landed a well-deserved selection as a first team All-Region selection – as a freshman. • | |
January 2012
Robert Preston Jr. 
Micki K Photography 
