Franklin midfielder Matt Weinstein was enjoying a fine junior season in 2014 and getting primed for an extended playoff run when an injury caused an immediate halt. Playing against Baltimore County rival Dulaney with three regular-season games left, he was streaking down the sideline when he fractured the growth plate in his hip. The rehab process was long and painful, but it made him recognize how much he loved playing sports. By the fall, he was ready to play soccer for the Indians and ended up as the team's leading scorer.
Lacrosse is Weinstein's top sport — he is set to play at Florida Tech — and he plans to make the most of his senior season. Weinstein, a three-year varsity player and two-year captain, prides himself on his performance at the faceoff X — he won 72.9 percent of the draws he took last season before getting injured — and his fine all-around play. He also finished with 11 goals, 18 assists and 60 ground balls in his junior season.
Weinstein, who plans to study business at Florida Tech, maintains a weighted 4.26 grade point average at Franklin. Two years ago, he started a lawn mowing business to earn extra money that he continues to grow.
What are you looking forward to the most this season?
I'm looking forward to beating the teams we lost to last year and going even further in the playoffs. It's going to take a big commitment from everybody. We had a lot of injuries last year, so we have to stay healthy and if everyone can stay healthy, we can go pretty far.
How has last season's injury affected you?
It was a long rehab — six weeks for it to heal to start the rehab and it was a couple months three times a week. I started paying closer attention to the stretching aspect and it has really showed.
What have you learned about yourself being a two-year captain in lacrosse and soccer at Franklin?
That's helped me. It showed me how to talk to my teammates and be able to help them through any issues they are going through. And it's been able to help me learn how to motivate other players, while helping myself. All that together makes the team better as a whole.
What's the one-on-one battle like at the faceoff X?
It's tough. It takes a lot out of you, especially in the fourth quarter when everybody is tired. You need that last possession, you need the ball for your team, you need that win — it's tough, but you've always got to keep fighting for it.
How has playing sports helped you grow as a person?
It's helped me to mature a lot because you need to become disciplined, listen to coaches and take the information they are giving you and produce it on the field. So that's helped me out a lot.
How did you decide on going to Florida Tech?
I had been looking at schools around here, but one of my good friends who plays there, his dad is really close with two of the coaches down there and kind of put my name out there. Everything just really worked out and I'm really looking forward to the experience down there.
How did your lawn mowing business begin and grow?
I kind of needed some money and a kid who was a few years older than me in my neighborhood had done some lawns, so I just decided to ask around and made a little business out of it. I have five or six different lawns at any given time. It's an easy way to make some money. It's just about putting yourself out there and going for it.
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