After taking two years off of playing football, 2018 Cranston West grad Matt Beyer will be hitting the gridiron once again as he committed to playing for Division III Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Mass.

Despite not strapping up the pads the past two seasons, Beyer has still worked hard to prepare himself for the day he returned. Since his senior year, he has lost 60 pounds and has also been coaching the West freshman team.

“To have the opportunity to go there and play, I am extremely grateful. I never stopped preparing for this, I continued to work, I stuck around the weight room, lost a bunch of weight my senior year and kept that going. I went to the gym almost every day and worked to get stronger,” said Beyer, who connected with the Bridgewater coaches. “One thing is that it is relatively close to where I live. Then also the coaching staff, they remind me so much of my high school coaching staff, the way they coach, the scheme, I really fell in love with it again.”

Beyer was the Falcons’ left tackle during his time at West, but the Bridgewater staff plans on trying him on the inside of the line, whether it be a guard or center.

Although it will be an adjustment, Beyer is confident that he will have success moving to the interior.

“Playing tackle you are almost like on an island, but on the inside you have help. It’s a smaller space, you have the center and sometimes the running back helping with protections. Moving to the inside will have its challenges but because of those reasons it could also be easier. I spent these past two years coaching the game as well, so I have been able to learn the game more and get an inside view. Making plays, diagnosing stuff, watching film, that was an extreme benefit. Not only that, but since I haven’t been playing my body is much healthier and not as banged up,” said Beyer.

Beyer expects the play speed to be faster than at the high school level.

“Definitely the speed, it’s going to be very fast. I think that I’ll be ready for it, but it still may take me by surprise, so I’ll have to be ready for that,” said Beyer.

As he gets ready to take the next step in his football career, he will remember the lessons he learned at West.

“Work ethic, it was always instilled in us to have a great work ethic. In the weight room, off the field, on the field, always give 110 percent. Trust in your teammates, you’re always going to need them, it’s not a one-man game. You’ll always need your teammates to support you and back you up,” said Beyer. “I’ll miss the people, definitely, I was so close to the coaches at West, the kids I used to play with. I’m going to miss them the most.”