Seaford all-around standout Matt Kind named Jay Fiedler Top Scholar Athlete
Matthew Kind of Seaford, left, pursues Chase Samelson of Lynbrook during a Nassau Conference IV football semifinal at Hofstra University on Nov. 15, 2025. Credit: David Meisenholder
Matt Kind spent last football season opening holes, protecting his quarterback, sacking other quarterbacks and serving as a captain for Seaford’s Nassau Conference IV championship team. He’s thinking about being the captain for a different kind of team someday.
“My goal is to pursue law school and obtain a law degree,” Kind said. “I see myself leading my own office and firm one day and leading a team of others, and each day going into work and inspiring others to want to inspire others themselves.
“It’s like a chain of inspiration,” he added with a big laugh.
Kind is kind of inspiring already.
He was named Friday night as the Jay Fiedler Top Scholar Athlete in association with the athletic/academic/character standouts that make up the Golden 11 chosen by the Nassau County chapter of the National Football Foundation. There are actually 12 standouts chosen for the Golden 11 and one is selected for the award.
“It’s a tremendous accomplishment and, quite frankly, it’s not necessarily a surprise to us in the sense that this kid works extremely hard on and off the field,” Seaford athletic director Kevin Witt said. “. . . He’s everyone’s favorite person. When I say that, I mean school aides, teachers, coaches, everybody. He always has a smile on his face, always looking out for people.”
His community service includes serving as a coach at a summer baseball camp for special needs kids in Levittown, volunteering to clean up the beaches in Long Beach and helping put up a 9/11 flag in front of the school each year and setting up his own flag in his neighborhood with his family.
Academically, he’s the valedictorian. His weighted GPA stood at 107.47 through his junior year and at 99.51 unweighted.
Final score on his SAT: 1,560. Final score on his ACT: a perfect 36.
“It shows a well-rounded character and you’re able to be determined and committed in the classroom,” Kind said. “. . . Your athletics is a supplement to that. It adds on to that genuine curiosity to want to better yourself.”
He’s in his third year manning first base for the varsity baseball team, and the lefty is also a starting pitcher this season. The 6-1, 215-pound Kind was a two-year starter for the varsity football team at right guard and defensive end.
“He dominated on the offensive line, definitely the anchor,” Seaford coach Mike McHugh said. “A lot of the play calls went through Matt. Extremely great puller . . . On the defensive side of the ball, he was a strong leader. Identified offensive formations for us.”
Kind posted 12 sacks for the 10-2 Vikings, who beat Plainedge in the Nassau IV final. Seaford’s previous season ended in the semis against Plainedge on a Hail Mary.
“To me, that [title] means so much because that was a game that many people, including people from our hometown, did not believe in us,” Kind said. “That game was a huge opportunity for us to prove ourselves and prove our grit, and that’s what we did.
“It was a redemption tour from [2024]. We started this redemption tour after we lost to Plainedge. We had a goal in mind for over a year and we accomplished it, which I’m so proud of.”
Kind will attend Richmond and focus on academics, not athletics. He has been named a Richmond Scholar. That means a full scholarship — everything covered. He will have a double major, Cognitive Science and Leadership Studies, going on a pre-law track.
First, though, he’s looking forward to his valedictory speech.
“I see it as a great opportunity to inspire my classmates,” Kind said. “It’s not just my fellow classmates. It’s the parents and the community members as well. I think it’s a true honor to be put in that spot and to have the privilege to share my message and to share my experience throughout high school so I could try to inspire others to follow that same path.”
Nassau football's scholar athletes are, from left to right, back row; Lukas Rinaldi of New Hyde Park, Matt Kind of Seaford, Jayden Johnson of South Side, Zach Olson of Garden City, Tim Miller of Long Beach, Joe Nicholson of Wantagh. Front row, left to right; Liam Baker of Locust Valley, Timothy Stanley of Division, Timmy Lynch of Calhoun, Chase Samuelson of Lynbrook , Michael Asselta of Port Washington at the Crest Hollow Country Club on Dec.10, 2025. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
The Golden 11 also includes: Port Washington’s Michael Asselta; Locust Valley’s Liam Baker; Oceanside’s Nick Greco; South Side’s Jayden Johnson; Calhoun’s Timmy Lynch; Long Beach’s Tim Miller; Wantagh’s Joe Nicholson; Garden City’s Zach Olson; New Hyde Park’s Lukas Rinaldi; Lynbrook’s Chase Samelson; and Division’s Tim Stanley.
