Stan Montgomery was the big man on campus.
And he worked extremely hard to change that.
Montgomery is a senior two-way lineman on the Archbishop Ryan High School football team, transferring into the school after starting his career at Archbishop Wood, where he went only a few days before switching schools.
When he got to Ryan, he was a 330-pounder who could star on the football field, but he wasn’t the player he wanted to be.
He played football his freshman year, then signed up for the wrestling team. The results were life changing.
“On the field, to begin with, I was 330 pounds when I got to Ryan,” Montgomery said of his transition. “I signed up for wrestling and I had to get down to 285. I got down to 270 and it happened fast. Like just a month or so. I cut like 60 pounds in close to a month, it was the hardest thing I ever did. At 15 years old, I worked hard.
“Then wrestling helped me a lot. My dad wanted me to wrestle. It’s helped in so many ways. That helped being more athletic. Hand fighting, hand placement that helped with stability with my body. I use the technique a good amount when playing football. You use a lot of the same things in both sports.”
That must mean Montgomery is a stud wrestler, because when it comes to playing football, few can compare to Montgomery, who will anchor both the offensive and defensive lines for the two-time defending Blue Division champions this fall.
Montgomery, a Northwood native, lines up at left tackle on offense and on defense, he can line up anywhere.
That can pose huge problems for offenses because the first thing most units will want to do is stop Montgomery from wrecking havoc.
It’s a lot easier said than done.
“We play a tough schedule, so we need to be ready, but I think it could be a good year,” Montgomery said. “I’m looking forward to taking it in. My senior year, it’d be nice to get a three-peat. We moved down to 3A for states, too, so hopefully that would help us out a little. It would be great to get a good deep playoff run in states. That would be a good way to end my senior year.”
It won’t be easy.
The Blue Division is always tough and the Raiders also have a brutal nonleague schedule ahead of them, but that will only prepare them for when the regular season starts and the Raiders look to defend their divisional championship.
It will also help Montgomery beyond high school.
Montgomery still has a big season ahead of him, but after he graduates from Ryan, he’s bound for Penn State, where he’ll continue his football career.
It’s a huge honor for Montgomery to play for the Nittany Lions. His family are huge Penn State supporters and he’s looking forward to tangling with some of the best linemen in the country.
When he gets to Penn State, it’s expected he’ll line up at defensive tackle, but he’s open to do whatever helps his team.
“I mean it was a mix of different things, and in the end, Penn State had everything I wanted,” Montgomery said. “Football is pretty big up there, and I have a lot of family who go to Penn State or graduated from there, it’s always been a big thing for my family. And academics are great, too. I can play high-level football and get a good job after football is done.”
When football is done, he’ll stick around the game.
He plans on majoring in sports medicine and when his playing days are over, he’ll still be around like-minded athletes.
“I wanted to be a surgeon when I was younger,” Montgomery said. ”After playing sports, I knew I wanted to stay in the medical field but stay with sports, too. Becoming a physical therapist or trainer allows me to do that, and it’s something I’m very interested in, the medicine part. And I’ll stay around the game.”
Montgomery does his best to make his parents proud, and he’s done just that.
His father is one of his biggest supporters. His mom did the same until she passed away less than a year ago.
Both have done everything they can to put Montgomery in position to succeed. He’s very much making them proud.
“My biggest thing is my family, my dad and my mom, making them proud,” he said. “I do everything to make my mom proud and of course my dad. My mom was a football fan. Dad is, too, he played at Northeast. He got hurt so my grandmom pulled him out.
“My dad has always been there for me when it comes to sports. Unfortunately my mom passed. Everything I do, I do for her. She’s always watching over me. My dad is there for me encouraging me. I’m very lucky to have them.” ••
