Mater Dei’s Chris “Boom” Snyder recaps SDSU visit
Credit: Twitter @chr1zzss
In May 2002, American rock band P.O.D. released “Boom,” the third single from their second major studio album, “Satellite.” At the 1:52 mark in the song, the music drops to a hum. Over the next 50 seconds, softly at first before rising to a roar, lead singer Sonny Sandoval’s unmistakable voice rings out a dozen times. Is that all you got? I’ll take your best shot.
Those two lines encapsulate the posture Mater Dei High School (Chula Vista) defensive back Chris Snyder brings to everything he does.
“What makes him so good is his competitive mindset,” Snyder’s teammate Isaiah Buxton told EVT. “He has the mentality, ‘I am better than the guy in front of me,’ all the time. But to sum it all up. Chris is just a dog. He does what he needs to do to win. Simple.”
Like P.O.D’s anthem, Snyder’s nickname is “Boom.” Everything about his game lives up to his alias.
He lines up everywhere for the Crusaders. Buxton called him a “Swiss-Army knife.” Whether it’s cutting across a defender on a post route as a receiver, taking a hand-off as a running back, lining up in the box as a safety, or playing on an island as a corner, everything Snyder does screams, “Boom.” The rising senior stands 6’0” and weighs 185 pounds. He uses that frame to punish his opposition.
The 3-star class of 2023 prospect holds an offer from SDSU and took an unofficial visit to the Mesa over the weekend. The Aztecs are recruiting him as a boundary warrior safety in the mold of Tariq Thompson. In addition to the Aztecs, Snyder listed UCLA, Washington State, and Fresno State as the universities recruiting him the hardest.
“I like (SDSU),” Snyder said, recapping his visit. “The feeling of staying home isn’t too bad. There’s nothing like it. But the coaching staff hasn’t always shown the strongest of interest, which is something that could be better. … It would be a great feeling to be playing and look up to the stands and see my family right there, along with all of my friends and community coming to support.”
Mater Dei High School Football
The lyrics from the chorus of P.O.D.’s hit song reads
Boom! Here comes the Boom!
Ready or not, here comes the boys from the South
Boom! Here comes the Boom!
How you like me now?
High school football in San Diego is dominated by schools in the north and central parts of the county. This year, Mater Dei Catholic, led by Snyder, will take on the best in the region. They play Cathedral Catholic, Carlsbad, Lincoln, and St. Augustine, all before the calendar turns to October. The traditional powers are on notice. Ready or not, here comes the boys from the South.
“(Boom) can literally do it all as far as he could be a shutdown corner if that’s what the team needed,” Thelis Rubin Braswell, Snyder’s position coach at Mater Dei, explained. “Just as equally, he has a toughness, an intestinal fortitude. You can play him in the box. He is a thumper, one of our hardest hitters on the team. That’s one of the things we’re taking advantage of this year. … bringing him in the box is having that toughness that he brings because he can definitely do it in college if that’s what San Diego State needs.”
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By moving Snyder closer to the line of scrimmage, Mater Dei is giving him invaluable experience. Cathedral Catholic, Mater Dei’s first opponent, loves to pound the ball in the running game. If Snyder proves adept at stopping the Dons, he will have all the skills of the perfect 3-3-5 safety. He can cover like a corner and tackle like a strong safety.
“I have always worked hard in the off-season, so coming off a state championship made me just kick it up another notch…,” Snyder said. “(I’m) just ready for this final ride. It’s been a journey, and I got a lot of doubters I need to prove wrong.”
Led by their Boom, Mater Dei looks to build off an undefeated 2021 that culminated in a state title. With Snyder on their roster, it is no surprise the Crusaders are enjoying this level of success. Wherever Snyder has played, he has won. For three seasons, he was part of the Eastlake Panthers, a local youth football team. Over a five-year span, the Panthers went 50-0 and won five consecutive championships.
What it takes to win is seldom taught. It is learned through experience. No matter where Snyder decides to go for college, the school’s DNA will add a winner. As much as anything he brings on the field. It is the way he carries himself off of it that makes Snyder special.
“Man, he is a wonderful person on and off the field,” Buxton said about Snyder. “He is a great leader. When I first transferred to Mater Dei my sophomore year, he took me under his wing to make sure I had everything down. He wasn’t selfish. When I had questions, he made sure I understood the schemes and techniques. If I didn’t know a drill, he would show me on the side to make sure I knew how to do it.”
Braswell echoed Buxton’s praise.
“We all call him, ‘Boom.’ … He is a defensive back extraordinaire and a real cerebral and good kid. You can tell he was raised right … He’s just a hard worker, real humble, and extremely, extremely competitive. If the football thing doesn’t work out, I fully expect him to be like a congressman or something. He’s really engaging. … When you see a kid working hard who is talented, that elevates everyone else. I couldn’t say anything but glowing things about Chris.”
P.O.D. was formed in San Diego. Sandoval is from Otay Mesa, just a short drive from Mater Dei. When the time came for the band to film the music video for “Boom,” they chose San Diego State, staging a mock ping-pong tournament on the floor of then Cox Arena.
The Aztecs want Snyder to make the same decision. They hope that in choosing SDSU, he creates for himself the opportunity to run out of the tunnel at Snapdragon Stadium, look up and see all of his doubters in attendance.
Boom! Here comes the Boom!
How you like me now?
My earliest sport’s memory involve tailgating at the Murph, running down the circular exit ramps, and seeing the Padres, Chargers and Aztecs play. As a second generation Aztec, I am passionate about all things SDSU. Other interests include raising my four children, being a great husband and teaching high school.