Cadet Returns Home for Hoco Football Game

Campolindo varsity football lost against Benicia High School with a score of 0-35 on October 8. While the loss was devastating for Campo’s homecoming game, 1 positive aspect of the game was the visit of Campo Alum Matai Bell, who was a previous varsity football tackle and current U.S. Army cadet attending West Point.

Bell said, “I’ve been missing this field ever since I left it, so just as soon as they gave me the chance to leave, that was the 1st thing I wanted to do: just come back here. I knew it was a home game. I just knew I had to come back here. Regardless of the score, I just wanted to see the people I played with ball out.”

Bell described his transition to military life, “So, [at] Campo, we always have this SEAL Fit training every summer and it’s basically like that every day going into the army. I knew it was gonna be hard but my expectations for it definitely were exceeded. I didn’t know it was gonna be this hard. Leaving this field, I never thought I’d miss it so much until I actually was in the area so coming back here was definitely a blessing for me.”

Former teammate Defensive Tackle Elijah Klock was surprised by Bell’s return. “He’s my best friend [and] I miss being beside him. We became so close and it meant the world seeing him. I didn’t know he was coming, so I saw him and I’m like ‘It’s Matai!’,” said Klock.

Bell said, “Seeing [teammates’] smiles on their faces was all I wanted to see, regardless of [the game] score, I just wanted to see them 1 more time.”

When asked if Bell wished he could’ve played in the game, he responded, “You have no idea. You have no idea. If I could put my pads on for this game, I promise you it would have been different.”