Blackfoot senior wide receiver Matt Peterson was receiving interest from Montana Western, the College of Idaho, Weber State and others.
But when Idaho State contacted the 6-foot-2 all-state wideout and offered a football scholarship, Peterson knew he wanted to be a Bengal.
“ISU was ultimately my top goal because I want to go into physical therapy and they have an excellent program there,” Peterson said Friday during a track meet at Highland High School. “So that was really nice that everything just worked out.”
The Peterson family has a long and storied athletic history with Idaho State. Both of Matt’s sisters, Stacey and Tia, played for ISU soccer and his cousin, Whitney Peterson, will be a senior this fall for Idaho State soccer. Stacey is the second-leading goal scorer in Bengals history.
“That was kind of cool that I could carry on the tradition,” Matt said.
While his sisters and cousin are soccer players, Matt’s No. 1 sport has been football since he started playing in fifth grade. Matt helped lead Blackfoot to a 10-1 record and a state runner-up finish as a senior, and was an All-Idaho First Team selection. He was an elite deep threat with size and speed to stretch opposing defenses, hauling down 52 catches for 780 yards and eight touchdowns.
At the same time the Broncos were charging to the 4A state championship game, Idaho State had its best season in a decade, going 8-4 overall and nearly qualifying for the FCS playoffs.
Matt, who had been to Idaho State football games in the past, witnessed a completely different kind of atmosphere when he attended ISU’s game against Weber State to close out the season.
“The energy in there is so loud and intense,” Matt said. “It’s really cool. There was a lot more people there, a lot louder and it was fun.”
ISU won that game 46-28, a resounding victory that sent the Bengals into the 2015 offseason ranked No. 25 in the nation. The fact the Bengals proved they could field a winning team helped further convince Matt that Idaho State was a right fit.
“You want to be successful wherever you go,” Matt said. “So that helped out a lot when they turned around their season and got things rolling again.”
Before Matt joins the football team — and possibly heads off on an LDS mission — he’s focused on track and field this spring. He could have chosen to start preparing full-time for football, but had unfinished business after taking second in state in the 300-meter hurdes and third in the long jump as a junior.
“I was so close to getting state championships in two events,” Matt said. “I can’t be satisfied with second place.”
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