St. Cloud State center Scott Horvath (68) lines up on the ball with quarterback Phillip Klaphake (16) during their Nov. 20 game against Hillsdale at Husky Stadium. (Kimm Anderson, kanderson@stcloudtimes.com)
It's hard for this big brother to wear his little brother's team colors.
But it's pretty understandable why Matt Horvath wears Minnesota-Duluth paraphernalia when the Bulldogs play St. Cloud State in football.
Horvath was a starting offensive lineman for the Bulldogs when they won the national title in 2008.
But he has a little brother in Scott Horvath, who is the starting center for St. Cloud State.
Scott, a first team All-NSIC North Division pick this season at center, has started the past two years for the Huskies at that position.
Matt, who attended six SCSU games this year, will be in attendance for the second time this season in Duluth on Saturday when the Huskies take on the Bulldogs in the second round of the Division II playoffs at noon at Malosky Stadium.
He wore UMD colors in the teams' first game on Oct. 30 and he's been wavering on whether he'll be wearing maroon and gold this time around. Matt doesn't own any St. Cloud State clothes.
"I haven't decided yet," Matt said with a laugh. "Maybe I'll wear a little bit of both. It's a tough decision.
"Looking back, I'm trying to remember if Scott ever wore any UMD stuff when we were making that run in the playoffs in 2008. I don't think he did until the end."
Matt said he won't be crushed if Minnesota-Duluth loses to St. Cloud State. To him, it's a win-win.
"I'll be happy either way," said Matt, who now works at Pella Windows and Doors in Minneapolis. "I'd love for my brother to experience what I got to go through. Then again, it's my alma mater.
"These are two really good football teams that will be going at it. If the Huskies win, it's just meant to be."
It doesn't appear to bother Scott much that his brother isn't wearing red and black.
But he did point out that former Southern California linebacker turned Green Bay Packer Clay Matthews has worn rival Oregon Duck apparel since his little brother plays there.
"It's tough because you have to stay true to your school," Scott said. "I've always been nagging him to wear some SCSU gear.
"We're brothers, we're family. We'll find out what he does Saturday. He was wearing UMD apparel up there last time. I was giving him a hard time for that. After winning a national title for them, though, he probably wants to wear it even more."
Growing up
The two were on the same field in 2008 when Minnesota-Duluth came to St. Cloud State.
But Scott was a backup to then-starter Matt Bennek and didn't see the field. Matt was a senior at Eastview High School when Scott was a freshman.
But the two always practiced offensive line moves together growing up in the backyard with their dad, Mark.
Matt started when he was a sophomore at Eastview. Scott became a first team all-state selection during his junior and senior years.
During their junior seasons, their respective Eastview teams both made the state semifinals, but lost. Matt's team lost to Champlin Park and Scott's lost to Wayzata.
"I learned a lot from him," Scott said. "It was my goal going into high school to step up and be a leader like he was.
"I didn't want to fit into his shoes, but I wanted to have a career like he did. He was my older brother and I looked up to him. He knew what it was like and he was always a mentor to me."
Mark coached Matt and Scott on youth football teams. Mark played college football at Kent State so football always ran in the family.
After Matt went to UMD, Scott still sought advice from his brother. But when it came down to being recruited by Augustana, St. Cloud State and Minnesota-Duluth, Scott didn't want to follow his brother up north. Matt is glad his brother took his own path.
"It would've been easy for him to come up to Duluth and play behind me and learn from me," Matt said. "I kind of almost expected him to, but he wanted to do his own thing.
"He chose a different route and I'm glad to see where he's at. It's a true testament to him and St. Cloud State to get this far with all the adversity they've faced this season. That's pretty cool."
Scott never has looked back with his decision to come to St. Cloud.
"Duluth was definitely in the mix for me," he said. "I knew what the program had to offer and I attended a few of my brother's games.
"Ultimately it came down to what felt comfortable for me. St. Cloud had the major I wanted and the football program I wanted. The overall atmosphere was just for me."
It might be easy for Matt to brag about how his Bulldogs steamrolled their way to an undefeated season and the national title in 2008. But Scott said he doesn't talk about it too much, only when he asks.
"He never brags about it," Scott said. "After he was done with football, I'd ask him about the playoffs and everything he went through. With the situation I'm in now with my team, it's good to compare. They had similar expectations to what we do."
Well-respected
Scott's teammates definitely respect the way he's played this year. He's helped the Huskies to average 204.7 yards rushing a game this season along with getting the all-conference nod.
"He's a great center," SCSU quarterback Phillip Klaphake said. "I love how he can call out the protection assignments and make the right decision every time. I really trust him and the rest of the offensive line.
"Scott's a good player and fun to listen to. He and the rest of those guys are a bunch of goons. They make practice and games a lot of fun."
Sophomore left guard Andrew Beckmann plays next to Scott along the SCSU line. He's also amazed at how he handles himself with calling out protections.
"He's been a stud all year for us," Beckmann said. "We can always rely on Scott. When he goes 1-on-1 with somebody, he'll usually win the battle. He tells us what to do and he's a really good leader. We feed off him. He's a great guy and fun to play next to.
"I was really happy for him to get first team all-conference. He deserved it. He's handled guys on good teams all year."
After talking with former teammate and UMD nose guard Jim Kunz after the first St. Cloud State/UMD game, Matt couldn't have been much prouder of his younger brother.
"Jimmy said Scott was one of the better centers he's played against," said Matt, who helped coach the offensive line this year at Eastview. "Those are two strong players going up against each other. Scott's improved a ton over the past year.
"He was having knee problems all offseason and it was questionable how he would come out of it. He didn't lift any lower body. So he gained a lot of upper body strength and he went through the roof with that.
"First team all-conference was awesome. I was so happy for him. I got a lot of calls from the Duluth guys about it because he was the only non-UMD offensive lineman who was on the first team. I got a kick out of that."