Old Colony's Matt McGuiggan is the 2022 Football Defensive Player of the Year
Old Colony head coach Brandon Mendez didn’t want Matt McGuiggan to play on defense this past fall.
Rather he wanted his senior quarterback to focus solely on the offensive end.
A determined McGuiggan persuaded Mendez into allowing him to play both ways.
“He wanted to take me off defense for my senior year because we knew we’d have a good season,” said McGuiggan. “You can’t take an all-state cornerback off the defense.
“I definitely tried to make the most of it. I knew if I didn’t, I would be sitting on the sidelines next to him waiting for offense. I had to make it impossible for him not to put me on defense.”
McGuiggan delivered one big play after another on defense to help the Cougars (10-1) capture their second straight Mayflower Athletic Conference crown and reach the Div. 8 Final Four for the first time in school history.
“He begged me the whole summer to let him play (defense),” Mendez said. “He’s one of the best defensive players so I’m glad that we did. He constantly made plays on the defensive side of the ball. He was good about not selling out and cheating and he was always around the ball.”
McGuiggan not only had 72 tackles and nine for loss, he defended 22 passes, had four interceptions, forced three fumbles, recovered two fumbles and blocked three punts. He also had a pick six and fumble recovery returned for a touchdown and recovered an onside kick.
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“I definitely loved playing there; it’s one of my favorite positions,” said McGuiggan of cornerback. “You get to make that occasional big hit and make a momentum-changing play.
“I just tried to go there and do whatever I could to get the ball back. I just tried to do whatever I could to make a change in the game.”
For the second straight year, McGuiggan was named the Mayflower Athletic Conference MVP. He was also named to the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association Division 8 All-State Defensive Team for the second year in a row in addition to earning Boston Globe All-Scholastics in 2022.
“He was constantly making plays for us and others took notice,” Mendez said.
McGuiggan helped put Old Colony football on the map with an upset win over GNB Voc-Tech that earned Mendez the Patriots Coach of the Week Award.
“I know no one was expecting us to win that game,” McGuiggan said. “The New Bedford Voke game is going to stand out for me for a while. It felt so great to win that game at the end.”
McGuiggan said he’s excited to have had a part in Old Colony’s historic season.
“The most wins in school history will be a good memory for sure,” he said. “A lot of those big wins over big schools and going to that Final Four.
“It’s everything you try to do when you are younger. I’m just glad that I could come to this school and do the things I wanted to do with football.”
McGuiggan followed the footsteps of his older brother, Ryan, into football and at Old Colony.
“Before I started playing football, my mom always told me that’s what I was always doing out in the yard,” he said. “We’d always be playing backyard football.
“I started playing football in the second grade (for the Carver Cowboys) and it’s been my passion ever since.”
The two shared the field during a COVID shortened Fall 2 season in the spring of 2021.
“It was a great time,” McGuiggan said. “I've followed in my brother's footsteps all my life and any big decisions I've had, I’ve tried to go to him.”
The 18-year-old McGuiggan has decided to follow Ryan, a 2021 Old Colony graduate, into the Army.
“I would love to go play college football, but college isn’t for me,” he said. “It’s something other than college. I love this country. I want to serve it and that kind of brotherhood the Army provides is what I’m going to need.”
ALL ABOUT MATT McGUIGGAN
WHY HE WAS SELECTED: McGuiggan made countless big plays to help the Cougars enjoy one of the program’s best seasons, winning the Mayflower Athletic Conference title and reaching the Div. 8 Final Four. … Old Rochester's Walter Rosher and Apponequet’s Jackson Gagnier were also considered for the top defensive honor.
KEY STATS: McGuiggan had 72 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 22 passes defended, four interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, three forced fumbles, two recovered fumbles, including one returned for a touchdown, three blocked punts and one recovered onside kick. … On offense, McGuiggan carried the ball 83 times for 552 yards (6.7 average) and scored eight touchdowns and five two-point conversions. He also completed 49 passes for 778 yards (15.9 average) with three touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions.
MVP MOMENT: After losing to Bristol-Plymouth his junior year, McGuiggan was instrumental in this year’s 34-30 win over the Craftsmen this year. He recovered his own onside kick and also blocked a punt that was returned to the 20-yard line, setting up a score. “When we needed a play, he made that play,” said Old Colony head coach Brandon Mendez.
DARTMOUTH HEAD COACH RICK WHITE: “I saw him at a camp in the summer and he’s the real deal.”
NOTES: McGuiggan said he’s thankful for the support of his parents, Jen and Kevin. “My mom and dad have always been the real motivation for everything,” he said. “They’ve done so much for me over the past 18 years.” … McGuiggan will represent Old Colony at the Shriner’s Game. … McGuiggan also plays basketball and baseball at Old Colony, where he studies welding. … McGuiggan lives in Carver.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Old Colony's McGuiggan is 2022 Football Defensive Player of the Year
