Matt Weiser passing along lessons about football, life that he learned at Conrad Weiser

Matt Weiser always knew he wanted to coach.

He just didn’t envision doing it at a small, all-boys Catholic high school just across the river from Canada, some 300 miles from home.

He was an All-State tight end at Conrad Weiser who went on to play at the University of Buffalo, fell in love with the area and now teaches English and coaches football in his adopted hometown.

“I love the opportunity to give back and share what I’ve learned in my playing days,” said the 28-year-old Weiser, who was named head coach at Bishop Timon-St. Jude High School in July.

He added the role of athletic director a few days ago.

“I had great coaches in high school that set me up to be successful,” Weiser said. “It’s fun for me to be able to share some knowledge and give back to these kids.”

Weiser lived out his sports dream, spending parts of three summers at training camps trying to make it to the NFL; now he’s helping younger football players realize their dreams.

He came to Timons, a highly rated academic institution on the south side of town, four years ago to work on the staff of Joe Licata, his quarterback with the Buffalo Bulls.

Now he succeeds him, after Licata returned to his alma mater to join the coaching staff there.

“(Matt’s) football and academic backgrounds are very impressive,” Licata told the Buffalo News, “and he continually promotes discipline both in the classroom and on the field. Matt’s hiring will be an easy transition for our program.”

Weiser helped Licata get kids at the school interested in the sport. When he joined the staff there were 22 players; he’s expecting to see 50 or more when camp opens.

“We’ve shown the kids the joy and excitement of playing football,” said Weiser. “They saw the energy we put in. We showed them how much we care about them and how much we want them to succeed. That’s helped get them excited about playing football.”

Weiser is trying to build the kind of program he was part of at Conrad Weiser from 2007-10. He was an integral figure during one of the best eras of Scouts football, helping them win 28 games over his final three seasons. They shared the Berks I-C title in 2008 and won it outright in 2009, his sophomore and junior years, respectively.

The league was in its heyday, with strong programs at Daniel Boone, Gov. Mifflin, Muhlenberg and Pottsville. They still they couldn’t contain the 6-5 Weiser, who was a physical mismatch for any defense.

He set seven Scouts receiving records, most of them his senior season in 2010 when he had 54 receptions for 1,049 yards and was named Berks Receiver of the Year — rare for a tight end.

He did the same kind of things at the University of Buffalo, where he was in the starting lineup by his redshirt sophomore season and left with program receiving records after making 63 grabs for 625 yards as a senior in 2015.

Weiser was signed by the San Diego Chargers the day after the 2016 NFL draft and had three shots at making an opening day roster, twice with the Chargers, once with the Tampa Bay Bucs. Each time he was released on the final day of roster cuts.

“It was brutal,” he said. “You’re so close to making it.”

He isn’t bitter about it; anything but.

“There were no regrets,” he said. “I gave everything I had. I did more than I ever thought I would in football. I was very happy with what I was able to accomplish and loved every minute of it.

“Growing up in Womelsdorf and Robesonia, it was always a dream (to play in the NFL). When you’re a little kid, you say you want to become a professional athlete but you don’t always think it’s going to happen.

“For me to actually put on those jerseys, be in NFL stadiums, be around guys like Antonio Gates, Phillip Rivers, Mike Evans, it was absolutely incredible.”

He’s using those rich experiences, plus what he learned in high school, to motivate and teach the kids at St. Timons. He credits his Weiser head coaches, Al Moyer in football and Russ Lowe in basketball, and his father Bill Weiser, the late pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Robesonia, for helping give him role models he can draw upon daily.

He wants his Timon Tigers to play “fast, physical football,” to respect the game and to have fun playing it.

“If you take away the fun of football, then you lose these kids,” he said.

He knows what football has done for his life and wants to pass that on.

“(My) No. 1 message (to the kids is) we’re preparing you to be successful on and off the field,” he said. “So many of the things you learn through sports translates to real life: Hard work, teamwork, accountability. All of those values translate.”