Lehigh University Athletics
Cohen shows the way
8/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
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By Keith Groller
Of the Morning Call
Ask an athlete to tell you what makes him or her tick and you're bound to get a litany of awards, career highlights and an assortment of braggadocio. Ask Matt Cohen the same question and you'll get something much less showy. ''My ability to adapt,'' he said, when asked the question.
That's what makes the former Central Catholic High School and current Lehigh University football star most proud.
Give him any situation, any dose of adversity or challenge, and he'll deal with it.
Hand him a barrage of injuries in high school and he'll persevere and shine.
Switch him to defense after being a 1,000-yard rushing star at CCHS and he'll just go out and become the best defensive player he can be.
Give him a challenging academic load that at first had him flummoxed, and he'll just keep working at it to the point where his GPA is something to put high on a resume.
Give him the biggest and strongest opposing lineman to deal with and Cohen will cast them aside to get to the ball.
Give him the role of captain on a defense that has holes to fill and Cohen will make everyone around him rise to his level of intensity and passion.
This soft-spoken, but very determined young man is a fitting choice as co-captain along with defensive tackle B.J. Benning for the 2009 Lehigh team, a squad that may very well develop Cohen's philosophy of doing things first and talking later.
In his eighth year on the local football stage, Cohen will be a focal point for Lehigh as it tries to snap out of the doldrums of back-to-back 5-6 seasons and attempts to return to its place at the top of the Patriot League standings.
Team leader is a role that suits Cohen, a three-time preseason All-America choice at outside linebacker.
''I've always just had the confidence that, once I get my feet under me, I can go out and accomplish anything,'' Cohen said as Lehigh's season opener against Central Connecticut State on Saturday draws closer.
Cohen thought basketball was his best sport, but after an injury-plagued career at CCHS, football became his focus.
He was a 1,000-yard rusher with the Vikings, led them to an Eastern Conference title as a senior, and was recruited by several schools to carry the ball.
But Lehigh, which had just hired Andy Coen as its head coach and Donnie Roberts -- Cohen's high school coach at Central -- as a defensive assistant, saw his potential on the tackling side of the ball.
''Even when he was 14 and a freshman at Central, we could see certain things,'' Roberts said. ''We could see he could run. In fact, we had him at wide receiver. But we also saw him on the kickoff team and he wasn't afraid to hit people.
''He played tough through injuries. He had the determination even back then to be a good football player.''
Cohen grew up on Allentown's East Side near Keck Park and didn't let a divorce between his parents get him down.
His mother, Carol, was highly influential in his upbringing, always staying after him to hit the books, and not the streets.
''Carol has been a very strong, demanding mother and Matthew and his brother Chris responded to that very well,'' Roberts said. ''When we got him, we knew there wouldn't be any issues. Carol loves him to death, but has always been on him, challenging him. He comes from a very good family and mom, dad and his stepfather have always made sure he did the right thing.''
Cohen acknowledges his mother's positive impact and said without her -- ''things could have gone either way'' -- but said his father, Robert, also instilled in him the idea of ''taking pride in everything you do.''
Cohen takes pride in his role on the current Lehigh squad. As a senior, he wants to leave his mark on the program by leading the team back to prominence.
He believes it's going to happen.
''We're ready to have a great year and get rid of those close fourth-quarter losses that we've had the last few years,'' he said. ''You can only talk about it so much. You have to go out there and make a play here and there.
''I love the older guys we've had the last couple of years, guys like Tim Diamond and Brendan VanAckeren, but this senior group is the first group that Coach Coen recruited and we're seeing a different mindset with the last few classes of recruits.''
Cohen knows how important he is.
He's at the heart of the defense and must use his 6-foot-1, 230-pound body to create havoc for the opposing offense.
Last year, he led the Patriot League with 6.5 sacks and tackles for loss (17) and had 53 total tackles overall while also intercepting three passes and recovering a fumble.
Those numbers earned him a variety of postseason and preseason accolades.
''Matthew remains humble,'' Roberts said. ''He'll never change. He always wants to learn, wants to get better.''
When it's over, Cohen said, he may explore the possibility of playing at the next level. And if that doesn't work out, an accounting degree from Lehigh isn't a bad fallback position at all.
But for now, all he's thinking about is winning games and hopefully a title.
''That's what I came here for,'' he said.
This story originally appeared in the Sunday, August 30, 2009 edition of The Morning Call. Used with permission.
