MENIFEE – Winning a Super Bowl requires contributions from the entire roster, but make no mistake, the Los Angeles Rams were crystal clear about their intentions over the last 13 months: They were going to collect the biggest, brightest group of stars they could and see how far it would take them. Names like Cooper Kupp, Matthew Stafford, Odell Beckham Jr., Aaron Donald and Von Miller were stars that shined bright, but it took an entire team to carry the Rams to a 23-20 win over the Bengals for the franchise’s second Super Bowl.
Obviously, at any given point there must be 11 players on the offensive side of the ball and 11 players on the defensive side of the ball when playing football. One of the most overlooked positions is the long snapper. The guy that has to snap the ball to the place holder before a kicker tries for an extra point or field goal. It is a pretty crucial position; just ask Matthew Orzech, who now knows the position all too well.
Orzech is the long snapper for the Los Angeles Rams and is also a local native to the Menifee area. The Rams long snapper actually once played on the football and baseball fields at Paloma Valley High School and now is coming off the biggest stage of all, the Super Bowl, as a world champion. In his brief time in the NFL, Orzech has played for the Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins and the Tennessee Titans, before joining the L.A. Rams in 2021.
As a baseball and football player from Menifee, Orzech took his talents to Azusa Pacific University after he graduated from high school in 2013. Once he got on the football field, Orzech, who went to play as a receiver, wound up becoming the team’s long snapper.
The Azusa coach needed the position filled desperately and knew that with Matt’s baseball background he could adapt well. It didn’t take long, but he immediately asked if Matt would give long snapping a try. It took some work to perfect his craft, but that position enabled him to take his game all the way to the NFL, where he is now a Super Bowl champion.
Not only was he on point in the Super Bowl, but it was during the 2022 NFC Championship game vs. the San Francisco 49ers where it was up to him to help get the Rams to the Super Bowl. The Rams and 49ers were tied 17-17 in the 4th quarter when Orzech sent a perfect spiral to the place holder for kicker Matt Gay who placed what ended up being the game-winning field goal, sealing their journey to the Super Bowl at their home stadium.
To finish off their season, it took a precise 79-yard drive capped by Cooper Kupp’s 1-yard touchdown reception with 1:25 remaining for a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. In a venue built for champions, the Los Angeles Rams carried off the crown jewel with the help of Menifee’s Matthew Orzech and his long snapping abilities. The victory gives the Rams their first NFL title since the 1999 season, and their first representing Los Angeles since 1951.
JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia.com.
