Photo by Austin Carey for The Lafayette

Freshman wide receiver Matthew Scerbo has scored in three games for the football team this season.

Matthew Scerbo was named the LehighValleyLive.com “Athlete of the Year” just five months ago for dominating both the football field and basketball court at Phillipsburg High School. 

Now, the freshman wide receiver is still mossing defenders left and right in Lehigh Valley — just across the river.

“Definitely cool to be able to stay around what built you,” he said. 

Scerbo has appeared in nine games for the Leopards this year, earning time on special teams before becoming the premier jump-ball deep threat on offense. After breaking out against Fordham University with his first collegiate touchdown, Scerbo scored in the next two contests to compile a three-game touchdown streak.

Despite his instant success at the Division I level, however, Scerbo said he always envisioned himself ruling the hardwood instead.

“Basketball is my first love,” he said. “I’d say basketball actually got me to where I am today.”

Scerbo was introduced to both sports by his father when he was six years old. By middle school, his combo-guard ability had already landed him on the radar of Phillipsburg head basketball coach Todd Sigafoos, who plugged Scerbo into the starting lineup in his freshman season.

“His athleticism was off the charts,” Sigafoos said. “What’s the most impressive about him is just to be able to not pick a basketball up until November, focus on football all the way through, and then just hit the ground running.”

On the gridiron, Scerbo made the switch from running back to wide receiver ahead of his sophomore season and broke out with a seven-touchdown campaign. His performance earned him a camp invite at Lafayette College, where he was immediately extended his first Division I football offer.

“His ball skills were the thing that jumped out to me immediately,” wide receivers coach Ryan Roeder said. “The way he could track the ball, and the way he could go up and get the ball in addition to a guy with that type of length and size.”

With two years of high school athletics still left to go, Scerbo kept the offer in his back pocket before finally committing to Lafayette in his senior year.

“We didn’t really know what way my recruitment was going to go,” Scerbo said. “For them to stick with me throughout the entire process, I really appreciate.”

Scerbo capped off his high school football career with a sectional title after losing in the final round the previous two years. He graduated with 132 receptions for 2,275 yards and 24 touchdowns across three years of varsity football, leading Phillipsburg all-time in each category.

His final dance on the court was just as high a note, as Phillipsburg basketball managed a sectional title of their own, and Scerbo set the new all-time record in career points, finishing with 1,752.

“When he knew another big-time name was coming in the gym, he really rose above it and always outplayed them,” Sigafoos said. “He would give him that Scerbo swag and talk to him like ‘I’m doing this to you and this isn’t my number one sport.’”

Making the jump to the collegiate level, Scerbo became acclimated to College Hill in the offseason and turned heads in an already deep wide receiver room.

“He’s been a hard worker since the moment he walked in the door,” Roeder said. “He’s been willing to learn from the older guys right from the get-go and work at his craft.”

The “older guys” include senior wide receiver Elijah Steward, who said Scerbo has “gelled in perfectly.”

“He’s been asking 100 different questions,” Steward said. “Once he got comfortable, you could see he’s a playmaker.”

With Scerbo continuing to spark flashes as his rookie campaign winds down, the sky’s the limit over the next three years.

“The trust that they put in me definitely makes me want to get better,” Scerbo said. “I want to be able to keep doing that for my team in any way possible and keep it rolling.”