HOWLAND - As summer begins to take hold of the Mahoning Valley, with football season slowly coming into view, there's still time for area talents to find a new home.
One of those is now former Howland linebacker Matthew Chambers, who took his time to find what was his perfect place of higher education and next level football destination in Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea.
"I'm very excited about the college I chose," Chambers said. "It was a long process and it was a hard decision, but I'm glad I chose B-W and I'm excited to get there. The academics are great and the location, being in Cleveland, there was a lot of opportunities. they also have a great football tradition.
"For me, it was more about finding that perfect fit, academically, socially and for football. When I put those three together, I finally found the right college choice."
Chambers will not be alone when it comes to the area football scene on the field for the Yellow Jackets. He won't even be alone when he brushes his teeth in the morning. Once he gets to B-W in the fall, Chambers will be rooming with Girard linebacker Mike Stacchiotti, who made his commitment a few weeks earlier.
For Howland coach Dick Angle, the coming together of two like-minded defensive stars can spell nothing but success at the next level.
I think it will be great for both of them because it's a big step," Angle said. "I can remember leaving grade school to high school then to another state for school and it's a little eerie. So if you have a buddy on the left side, it makes it a lot easier for you to stand your own on the right. I think it's important and they'll feed off each other and have great careers and the most important thing will be that they will graduate."
But how did two players from two area high schools that didn't exactly have campouts in the summer with each other find each other at B-W?
"I had met Mike through the Trumbull County-Mahoning County game and he was a real nice kid," Chambers said. "When I figured out he was going to B-W and he was a linebacker and we'd be thrown into the right thing, I knew we could work together and have a lot of success. I feel that we know the area football and how tough it is and to get through it. That makes it better for us. If I'm working hard, he's working hard. We have the same football mentality and the same goals."