The Haverford School’s Matt Pante planned a path to the next level, and Cornell took notice of the O-lineman

Greg Isdaner remembers posing a question to his offensive line group shortly after arriving at the Haverford School as an assistant coach. Isdaner, who played guard in at West Virginia and later professionally with the Eagles, asked if any of the linemen could snap the football.

When Matt Pante raised his hand, Isdaner didn’t hesitate, and he named the 6-foot-5 sophomore the Fords’ new center.

The moment was just a small part of a season that Isdaner refers to as a scatter operation. The chaos of the pandemic season and fast-paced nature of the weekly game schedule prevented Isdaner and his group of linemen from getting to know one another. That changed, however, during Isdaner’s first offseason with the group.

It was then that Isdaner observed the camaraderie that his offensive line group had developed. At the center of that tight bond off the field was the same player who had raised his hand in practice earlier that fall.

“The first thing that I noticed was I got a great group of football guys, and Matt’s the leader of that group up front,” Isdaner said.

“Matt leads that group of guys so well in terms of his demeanor, his ability to connect with anybody, no matter their ability level or their size.”

Part of what helped Pante establish himself as a leader for the Fords is his holistic view of the center position. Pante views leadership as a part of the responsibilities of the center, and he doesn’t take for granted the trust that Isdaner and head coach Brian Martin have placed in him to make the calls for the offensive line.

Pante also comes from a football family, with his father, Tony, having played two seasons at Lafayette and his cousin, Jack Lamb, having played at Notre Dame. Growing up with a football background, Pante became used to sharing his love of the game with those around him. Early in his life, that involved watching and talking football with his father. At Haverford, Pante has been able to extend that to include his teammates.

“I think what makes us so efficient together is that we hang out all the time, and we watch all the same stuff,” Pante said. “We’re all football nerds, and we love watching film and talking about football. … It’s just constantly talking about football I feel like helps us a ton.”

Said Tony Pante: “I know he really likes that camaraderie of working together through the summer and now working into the season. We have probably 15 of the guys at the house every Saturday after a game, and we’re watching football and we’re talking about it.”

Pante doesn’t just watch football for entertainment, either. Much of his focus is on improving his technique to match what he sees college and professional players doing on TV.

“Even watching what [linemen] are doing in the NFL, like if they take a certain step on an inside zone play, I’ll be like, ‘Maybe that’s what I should do,’” Pante said. “Because those guys are playing at the highest level, and they’re the best at their position, I should probably try to work on that.”

It’s through that commitment to technique that he developed into a Division I recruit.

“From his footwork to his hand placement,” Martin said. “That, in itself right there, is what I’ve seen a big improvement in [since] sophomore year.”

Playing at the next level wasn’t always a given for Pante, whose recruitment got off to a late start. After his junior season, he didn’t have any Division I offers.

Knowing that he wanted to reach that level, Pante outlined everything he was looking for in a program — from the level of competition to the level of academics. It was after that reflection that the Media native saw the path he needed to take.

“I wrote down my goals of where do I want to be and [got] myself in the best situation possible for the summer camps because I knew that was pretty much going to be my only shot to get offers and get in front of these coaches,” Pante said.

Pante followed his plan and attended eight camps from May through July. It was a challenging process, one that often involved four-hour trips each way in addition to several hours of workouts.

“During that offseason, it was definitely the hardest I’ve ever worked,” Pante said. “Those camps are brutal. You’re going against some great competition, and all these people have the same goals that you have. So you basically have to do whatever it takes to stand out.”

Pante’s commitment to the process worked, and in late June, he drew his first offer from Bucknell. A few weeks later, he picked up an offer from the Cornell program he eventually committed to.

It was at the first exposure camp that Pante attended that summer — which was sponsored by Big Red coach David Archer — that he made his first connection with Cornell. At that camp, Pante had the chance to run drills with Big Red offensive line coach Sean Cascarano.

Cornell’s coaching philosophy fit what Pante was looking for, and its academic offerings, specifically the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, proved to be the key for Pante.

“I feel like getting a degree from Cornell is just on another level,” Pante said. “It’s always about being a student-athlete and that four-for-40 mindset where you play for four years and then you have your 40 years after that which your college sets you up with.”

Committing before his senior season always was the goal for Pante, and once he was accepted into Dyson, he made his commitment official. After that, Pante placed all his focus on his goals for his final season at the Haverford School.

“That’s why I wanted to commit early before our season, so I could be on with my teammates and win the Inter-Ac this year,” Pante said. The Fords finished a 5-0 in league play and a perfect 10-0 this season.