June 27, 2019 at 09:09AM
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There was once a time when Hannah Mattos didn't want to cheer.
She grew up a dancer, and at the start of her freshman year at Fairhaven High her parents, Jessica and Timothy Mattos, strongly encouraged her to try out for the cheerleading squad.
Sometimes, it turns out mom and dad know best.
Seven years later, Mattos has been named the new head coach of that same Blue Devils cheerleading squad.
"I did not want to cheer," Mattos recalled of herself as a freshman. "My parents wanted me to be involved in the school and that was the closest thing to dance. I fell in love with it."
Mattos went on to cheer for four years at Fairhaven High, helping the Blue Devils win a National Championship in 2016, her senior year.
Not long after graduating high school, Mattos became a member of the Boston Celtics' Green Team. Even while cheering at TD Garden, taking classes full-time toward a marketing degree at UMass Dartmouth and working at Matt's Blackboard in Rochester, she has also stayed close with the Fairhaven cheer program.
"I went to the competitions and became friends with my coaches (Meagan Rudenauer and Heather Costa), so I would help out," she said. "I wanted to be involved in any way I could. Paige Teixeira would come with me and once the coaches knew they wanted to step down, we started going to practices."
Teixeira, a fellow 2016 graduate who met Mattos and became close friends as freshmen cheer teammates, has been hired as the team's assistant coach. She said sitting in on those practices convinced her to take on the assistant position, all the while working toward her elementary education degree at Bridgewater State and working at the 99 Restaurant in Wareham.
"It definitely made me realize I would love to have a team on my shoulders and give back the way my coaches did for me," Teixeira said. "I love cheerleading."
Athletic director Chris Carrig expressed enthusiasm about turning the program over to Mattos and Teixeira.
"It is really exciting to be able to continue such a tradition of excellence in our cheer program by bringing on two former student athletes from the National Championship Team," he said. "Hannah's work with the Boston Celtics will certainly provide a unique perspective on how to drive an already booming program to even greater heights. Hannah and Paige both echoed how important a fun and competitive atmosphere was, and will work hard to build a close-knit team to continue the legacy they themselves were such a big part of."
Both Mattos and Teixeira emphasized how they view fun as an integral part of team building.
"My top thing is to have fun," Mattos said. "I want them to love the sport. I don't want it to be just about winning. When I was there we had fun and enjoyed it and that's why we won, because we wanted to work hard."
"We want to always have fun, no matter what," Teixeira added. "We want to win some championships, but my main focus is to have fun and be productive academically."
Mattos stressed how important her high school coaches were in molding her into an adult. She hopes to pay that forward.
"I'm excited to teach them life skills," she said. "My coaches taught me so much in real life, not just in sports. I'm looking to be that person for someone else."
Mattos and Teixeira will be taking over a program that finished second in Div. 3 at the 2019 state championships behind Dracut, and second at New Englands. The team recently moved up to Div. 3 after years in Div. 4 and co-ed. In 2018, the Blue Devils won their 11th state title.
"Fairhaven has a great legacy," Mattos said. "I'm very excited to keep that going and keep this team as successful as it was when I was on the team. We're definitely going to have some big shoes to fill, which is intimidating. But we know what they did that made them so successful. It's scary to see how high the bar is set, but I think we can do it.
"I'm just really excited for this season and I can't wait to see what the future brings for me and my team."
Follow Brendan Kurie on Twitter @BrendanKurieSCT
Let us bring the news to you! Stay informed at all times with our suite of email newsletters. Morning, Afternoon, Sports, Coastin', sign up for what suits your tastes at MyProfile.SouthCoastToday.com
There was once a time when Hannah Mattos didn't want to cheer.
She grew up a dancer, and at the start of her freshman year at Fairhaven High her parents, Jessica and Timothy Mattos, strongly encouraged her to try out for the cheerleading squad.
Sometimes, it turns out mom and dad know best.
Seven years later, Mattos has been named the new head coach of that same Blue Devils cheerleading squad.
"I did not want to cheer," Mattos recalled of herself as a freshman. "My parents wanted me to be involved in the school and that was the closest thing to dance. I fell in love with it."
Mattos went on to cheer for four years at Fairhaven High, helping the Blue Devils win a National Championship in 2016, her senior year.
Not long after graduating high school, Mattos became a member of the Boston Celtics' Green Team. Even while cheering at TD Garden, taking classes full-time toward a marketing degree at UMass Dartmouth and working at Matt's Blackboard in Rochester, she has also stayed close with the Fairhaven cheer program.
"I went to the competitions and became friends with my coaches (Meagan Rudenauer and Heather Costa), so I would help out," she said. "I wanted to be involved in any way I could. Paige Teixeira would come with me and once the coaches knew they wanted to step down, we started going to practices."
Teixeira, a fellow 2016 graduate who met Mattos and became close friends as freshmen cheer teammates, has been hired as the team's assistant coach. She said sitting in on those practices convinced her to take on the assistant position, all the while working toward her elementary education degree at Bridgewater State and working at the 99 Restaurant in Wareham.
"It definitely made me realize I would love to have a team on my shoulders and give back the way my coaches did for me," Teixeira said. "I love cheerleading."
Athletic director Chris Carrig expressed enthusiasm about turning the program over to Mattos and Teixeira.
"It is really exciting to be able to continue such a tradition of excellence in our cheer program by bringing on two former student athletes from the National Championship Team," he said. "Hannah's work with the Boston Celtics will certainly provide a unique perspective on how to drive an already booming program to even greater heights. Hannah and Paige both echoed how important a fun and competitive atmosphere was, and will work hard to build a close-knit team to continue the legacy they themselves were such a big part of."
Both Mattos and Teixeira emphasized how they view fun as an integral part of team building.
"My top thing is to have fun," Mattos said. "I want them to love the sport. I don't want it to be just about winning. When I was there we had fun and enjoyed it and that's why we won, because we wanted to work hard."
"We want to always have fun, no matter what," Teixeira added. "We want to win some championships, but my main focus is to have fun and be productive academically."
Mattos stressed how important her high school coaches were in molding her into an adult. She hopes to pay that forward.
"I'm excited to teach them life skills," she said. "My coaches taught me so much in real life, not just in sports. I'm looking to be that person for someone else."
Mattos and Teixeira will be taking over a program that finished second in Div. 3 at the 2019 state championships behind Dracut, and second at New Englands. The team recently moved up to Div. 3 after years in Div. 4 and co-ed. In 2018, the Blue Devils won their 11th state title.
"Fairhaven has a great legacy," Mattos said. "I'm very excited to keep that going and keep this team as successful as it was when I was on the team. We're definitely going to have some big shoes to fill, which is intimidating. But we know what they did that made them so successful. It's scary to see how high the bar is set, but I think we can do it.
"I'm just really excited for this season and I can't wait to see what the future brings for me and my team."
Follow Brendan Kurie on Twitter @BrendanKurieSCT