College football: West Salem’s Matt Bigley off to SE Missouri State | College

“I had to take things more serious than I was and work harder if I wanted to do something with football.”

Bigley worked on his speed and strength like he hadn’t before as he plotted his next move. If he wasn’t going to get the chance to play the role he wanted at UW-L, he’d have to find a new home.

A discussion with his parents brought up the topic of junior college, so Bigley started looking into it.

“I contacted some junior colleges in Iowa and Kansas, and Ellsworth got back to me and wanted me to come and play there,” Bigley said. “They said I would be a big piece of their defense, that I could make a name for myself and accomplish what I wanted to accomplish.”

Bigley was inserted at weakside linebacker in the Panthers’ 4-3 defense and worked his way into a starting position. The opportunity gave Bigley the chance to showcase his ability to stuff the run and work to become better in pass coverage.

“When he was here, he was big for us and big for the area as more of a cover linebacker or bigger secondary player,” West Salem coach Justin Jehn said. “I think he is very improved in speed.

“When he was here, we strongly encouraged him to go out for track, but he’s so attached the weight room, it was a tough thing to get him away from. It’s been great to see him make these kinds of gains with his game.”