By TODD KRISE

t_krise@ncnewsonline.com

Ricky Mathews likes to go camping.

But throw away the tent and marshmallows because the star Shenango High running back only needs one thing:

His cleats.

Mathews, Lawrence County’s leading rusher with 619 yards, attended five premiere football camps this past summer in preparation for the 2009 season.

“It helped a lot,” said Mathews, who collected 131 total yards and two touchdowns in the Wildcats’ win over Western Beaver.

The performance earned Mathews the Lawrence County Athlete of the Week award, as selected by the New Castle News sports staff. The award is sponsored by Washington Centre Physical Therapy.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior attended camps at the University of Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Penn State and Temple. However, where he learned the most came at the invitation-only Football University Camp held at Robert Morris.

FBU has 30 camps nationwide with the sole purpose of showcasing elite football talent to college and professional scouts.

“You learn different things,” Mathews said. “You get to learn from people who were pros; people who know exactly what they’re talking about. You get constructive criticism, which is really good.”

Shenango head coach Ryan Mayo said exposure is one of the main reasons why Mathews attended the camps.

“Ricky should be a college football player,” Mayo said. “It’s just a matter of improvement each season.”

Want to talk about improvement?

Go back to Week 1 against Riverview, where Mathews gained 121 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries.

The next week he scored two more times and collected 111 yards against Leechburg.

In Week 3, he tallied 209 yards and two touchdowns, while in Week 4 against Monaca he collected 153 yards on 10 carries and scored on two 65-yard runs.

In total, Mathews has 777 yards and nine touchdowns.

Last season, the running back compiled 595 total yards and four touchdowns.

It’s no coincidence that Mathews’ extra work in the summer has paid off.

“I got faster, but that comes with every year getting better and better,” he said. “It helped out with my vision for running the ball. My hands definitely improved for catching.”

Combine Mathews’ talents with junior standout Anthony Kosciuszko and Shenango statistically has the most potent backfield in the county.

“I’d say we’re the best in the state,” Mathews said. “That’s just how I feel.”

According to Shenango athletic director Jan Budai, the Wildcats never have produced two 1,000 rushers in the same season. Mathews and Kosciuszko (506 rushing yards) are on their way to accomplishing that feat.

The dynamic duo has played together since junior high, where Kosciuszko was bigger than his elder teammate.

“He shot up like I don’t even know,” Kosciuszko said. “He grew like seven inches in a year. It was amazing.”

And if you can’t tell the two apart through stats, don’t even try when looking at them side-by-side.

“People confuse us that don’t know us,” Mathews said. “It doesn’t bother me because we get along. He’s like my younger brother. I teach him as much as I can.”

Shenango (2-1, 4-1 overall) currently sits in a tie for second in the Big Seven Conference standings with county rival Laurel and South Side Beaver.

Although PIAA No. 1-ranked Rochester looms on Saturday, Mathews and Kosciuszko don’t fear the matchup.

“We just have to keep getting better every single week,” Mathews said. “We need to eliminate our mistakes, keep playing hard and I think we’ll be good and make the playoffs.”

And if not?

“I know I’ll definitely be disappointed because it’s my senior year,” he added. “We’re looking forward to it because we’ve had a really good year.”

*****

THE MATHEWS FILE

RICKY MATHEWS

POSITION: Running back, linebacker

TEAM: Shenango

GRADE: 12

KNOWN FOR: Mathews leads the county in rushing yards and scoring. He collected 131 total yards and two touchdowns against Western Beaver last week. He also has a team-leading 158 yards receiving.

PARENTS: Ricky and Denise Mathews

FAVORITE PRO PLAYER AND WHY: “Adrian Peterson, because he’s big, fast and he knows what he’s doing. He’s amazing.”

FAVORITE PRO TEAM AND WHY: “Pittsburgh Steelers, because they’re always a powerhouse. I’d probably say they have the hardest hitters in the NFL and I just like that.”

FUTURE PLANS: Mathews hopes to earn a football scholarship.