(File Photo of Busses Parked at South Side Area School District)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Hookstown, PA) A high school football player that stood out at South Side High School in Hookstown committed to Syracuse University to play college football there as a punter on Thursday. The commitment by Mateja Pavlovich to Syracuse University is rare air for South Side High School to get an athlete to commit to a Power football program. According to the South Side Area School District Athletic Department, the commitment by Pavlovich is potentially the first South Side football player to commit to a Power football program since the early 1980s. Aside to being a punter at South Side High School, he was a running back, tight end and kicker there during his four years there. He also got offers to be a punter at Robert Morris University, Bowling Green and West Virginia and as a linebacker at some Division II schools. He also got kicker offers in 2023, with Kentucky most notably. He also joins former South Side standouts to go to Division I programs, joining Harold Garren, who committed to the University of Virginia, Mark Shaw who committed to the University of Texas, El Paso (UTEP) and Doug Wassel, who committed to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).