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There was a time, not that long ago, when Matt Gibson couldn't have walked into a locker room stuffed with 60 football players.
"No way," Solanco's senior said. "I always knew there was something wrong … I can't really explain it. I had some good times and some bad times. I'm very glad that I've been able to overcome so much."
Gibson — "Gibby" to his friends — is coping with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of an autism spectrum disorder. People with Asperger's have a difficult time with social interaction and nonverbal communication.
And if you're a teenager going through high school, it's all about social interactions and nonverbal communications.
So it's not that Gibson didn't want to step into a locker room stuffed with 60 football players; he just couldn't look those guys in the face, shake their hands or even communicate with them.
That changed when Gibson arrived at Solanco for ninth grade, and he decided to face his fears and go out for the football team.
"He had never played a down of organized football — nothing," Solanco coach Joe Pearson said. "He just loved football."
After his sophomore season — when Solanco shared the Section Two championship and advanced to the District 3 playoffs — Gibson won the team's Varsity Letter Award, which was given to a Solanco player who didn't get a varsity letter.
"His teammates voted for him," Pearson said. "That says a lot about where he was. I think that spoke volumes."
Gibson has spent the last two years tackling his Asperger's head-on.
He is a weight-room fanatic and part of Solanco's successful powerlifting program. He's gone from a 5-foot-8, 260-pound freshman — "I was a pudgy kid," Gibson said, chuckling — to a 6-1, 215-pound lean and mean senior.
Gibson was quick to credit former Solanco standouts Henry Glackin and Bryan Boulden, plus local strength coach guru Russ McDonnell for his transformation — and for getting him focused, which is a big area of concern with Asperger's.
Gibson, who lives in Quarryville with his parents, Donald and Robin, sisters Katrina and Andrea and brother Jeremy, is a special teams player for the Golden Mules.
He gets in varsity games to play offensive tackle for the extra-point team and serve as a wedge-buster for the kickoff return team. His specialty is the scout team during the week, where he can show off his knowledge of the playbook and help his team get ready for the next opponent.
Last week, Gibson flattened senior quarterback Justin Zellman four times in one practice. And he's always the first player in line for a drill, and usually the guy out front during sprinting sessions.
"He's not here to wear a jersey," Solanco senior center Andrew Ausel said. "He's here to get better and help make the team better."
While coping with Asperger's.
"Gibby used to be scared just to talk to people," Solanco senior Brock Snider said. "Now he's the first guy to give you a high-five after every play. Before, he couldn't focus. Now he's probably the most focused guy on our team."
Asperger's has not only challenged that focus, but Gibson's sister, Katrina, was recently diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and she's been shuttling back and forth between Quarryville and Hershey Medical Center receiving treatment for a tumor on her lungs.
Which makes Gibson's newfound focus and ability to play despite battling this disorder even more incredible.
"His willpower is unbelievable," Zellman said. "If each one of us had his willpower and his work ethic, our team would be unbelievable. With all of his difficulties … he's amazing. He's the hardest-working kid on our team. I root for him because of his dedication."
Gibson has shown so much dedication to Solanco's football program — while fighting his own battles along the way — that Pearson nominated him for the first Rudy Award, named for former Notre Dame player Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger.
The award, which is to be presented annually, will go to a prep athlete that shows character, courage, contribution and commitment.
Gibson is one of 155 nationwide nominees, and you can find out more about the award, and vote, at highschoolrudyawards.com.
"Part of what Matt is going through is a social disconnection," Pearson said, "but the kids have really taken in Matt. They've really grasped him. He's one of them."
A varsity football player — Gibson's dream.
"It's powerful to see that you can become what you want to become, and Gibby went out and did it," Ausel said. "It's amazing when you see the whole picture of what he's done the last four years. He wasn't a football player when he started, and now everyone knows that he plays football and that he's a big part of our team."
And the Asperger's?
"I've been able to become very social and friendlier and talkative and I can make eye contact now," said Gibson, who hopes to go to college and study kinesiology. "I used to look up to these guys, and they've taken me in and made me their own. They've made me feel really good about myself."
jreinhart@lnpnews.com; LancSports.com
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