whether he was run-blocking during two-a-days in August or pounding out extra reps in the weight room in January, his mindset stayed the same - all seasons led to football season. Winter was for getting stronger; summer for getting faster, and fall was for getting it all together.
Then there was spring, the farthest point between football seasons. Since his freshman year, Acosta has dedicated those four months to sport No. 2, throwing.
"I just picked it up along the way," said Acosta, who's in his fourth year of throwing discus and shotput for Live Oak High School. "It gave me something to do during the offseason. I was weightlifting a lot for it, so that helped me for football season. Throwing was just something I did on the side."
Acosta had success to go with it in 2007 when he won a conference title in discus as a junior. Still, it was on the side. That changed for Acosta in December, though, around the time Live Oak's magical run to the CIF-Central Coast Section championship game ended. He was coming off an all-league season as an offensive lineman and already getting excited for junior college football in fall.
But first, there was spring.
Acosta left the gridiron with one chapter left to his prep career - the story of a true competitor. If his effort says anything, it's that he plans to finish it.
"When I started this season, I thought, 'This is it for me,'" he said during Wednesday's Blossom Valley Athletic League dual meet with Leland. "I want to give it my best, and I expect to do even better this year."
Acosta hasn't been beaten by a league foe in discus this season. He's scored in every meet and bumped his personal best marks to 40 feet, nine inches in shotput and 135 feet even in discus.
He set the latter mark Wednesday, using a new technique he perfected this year.
"He's a work in progress," said Live Oak's discus coach Glen Webb. "When he first started throwing, he didn't really have any technique. Now he's using a more traditional method.
"He wanted to get better this year. We're just trying to make him more effective; get him longer distances."
Twenty minutes later, Acosta had a new PR. He set it with one of his final throws, spinning once, twice, then letting the steely disc fly from his left hand with a baritone grunt - the manliest five points you'll ever see.
"He puts everything into anything he does," said his father, Bob Acosta. "He's a good kid; a great competitor."
Most of Matt's acquaintances forget to mention his humbleness, which can be shaded by his wide-frame sunglasses, tightly fit A-shirt and off-centered baseball hat. The look screams "I'm good," but looks can be deceiving.
"He's completely unselfish; a true role model for his teammates," said Live Oak head coach Dean Raymond. "During the season, he comes straight to practice on time; he throws until the end, then goes straight home or straight to work."
Although discus is Acosta's projectile of choice, he takes equal pride in shotput, which he placed first in by almost two feet Wednesday.
"It's amazing how far he's come," said shotput coach Jimmy Mallette, a former teammate of Acosta. "He was a sophomore when I was a senior, and back then he just did it with brute strength. He's got great technique now, too."
The PRs and league accolades speak for themselves. Raymond takes particular note, rather, of Acosta's intangible impact.
"You're lucky to have kids like him on your team," Raymond said. "He's a great leader."
And like all great leaders, Acosta pushes himself first. He plans to repeat as conference champion in discus and compete for another title in shotput, CIF-CCS qualifying standards included.
It's a daunting set of expectations but one perfectly fit for a farewell season.
Scott J. Adams Scott J. Adams covers Morgan Hill sports for South Valley Newspapers. Send him an email or call him at 779-4106.
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