NEW YORK - Illinois State freshman quarterback Matt Lancaster was chosen as one of the five National Football Foundation National High School Scholar-Athletes for 2009 for his accomplishments as an athlete, scholar and citizens while at West Lafayette High School in West Lafayette, Ind.
Selected from the 400,000 high school football players covered by the NFF Chapter Network, Lancaster and four more honorees will be recognized for their combined accomplishments during the NFF Chapter Awards Luncheon, presented by Sprinturf, on Tuesday at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.
"This is a great honor for Matt and we couldn't be more proud of him," Illinois State head coach Brock Spack said. "Matt was not only a tremendous three-sport athlete in high school, but he was an even better student in the classroom. I think he epitomizes what this award is all about and we are certainly happy to have him as a member of our football program here at ISU."
A standout in the classroom and on the playing field, Lancaster exemplified every aspect of term "student-athlete" during his successful career at West Lafayette High School. Lancaster threw for 2,349 yards and 30 touchdowns while rushing for 1,129 yards and another 17 touchdowns his senior year. Lancaster currently holds most of the offensive records at West Lafayette High School, including career total offense with a combined passing and rushing total of 7,457 yards.
In the classroom, Lancaster compiled an impressive 3.92 grade point average on a 4.0 scale while taking a class schedule loaded with advanced placement and honors courses. He was named to the Academic All-State team in not only football, but also in basketball and baseball. A member of the National Honor Society, he made the honor roll every semester and received an Academic Honors Diploma. Active in the community, Lancaster participated in hunger hikes, food drives, visiting the elderly, and summer tutoring. He also was a strong participant in his church and youth group.
In his first season in a Redbird uniform, Lancaster played in five games as a true freshman. He saw his first collegiate action at Illinois (Sept. 12) and threw for 42 yards on four completions. Lancaster scored his first career touchdown on a seven-yard bootleg against South Dakota State (Sept. 26), but saved his best performance for the last game of the season.
Against nationally-ranked Northern Iowa, Lancaster was thrown into action after starter Matt Brown suffered a knee injury. Lancaster managed the game for two quarters, but when Illinois State fell behind 20-16 with just 44 seconds left. The pressure did not phase Lancaster, though, as he led the Redbirds on a five-play, 59-yard drive that was capped off by an eight-yard touchdown strike from Lancaster to senior wide receiver Eyad Salem with 0.6 seconds left to give ISU a 22-20 upset victory.
First bestowed in 1991, the NFF National High School Scholar-Athlete Award has become one of the most prestigious high school honors in the country. Criteria for the award include, but are not limited to, academic achievement, athletic accolades and community involvement. The award is presented to college freshmen, but is solely based on their high school accomplishments.
Recent recipients of the NFF National High School Scholar-Athlete Awards include Andrew Luck, starting quarterback at Stanford, Bryant Browning, starting offensive tackle at Ohio State and Brandon Fisher, starting linebacker at Montana and a 2009 William V. Campbell Trophy semifinalist. Fisher is also the son of Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher.
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