And Matt Nagy was one of the best quarterbacks who ever took a snap for the Barons, so it’s no wonder Luke, a senior safety/wideout for Central, has nothing but fond memories.

“I remember coming here,” Luke said this week. “I still remember all of that stuff … watching Matt play quarterback and how he used to run the option.”

Luke was just a little kid then, and he lived with his dad, Bill, in New Jersey.

Matt, who had two unforgettable seasons as Central’s starting quarterback in 1994 and 1995, lived in Manheim with his mom, Gail, since his parents divorced when he was 2.

Luke and his sister, Jenna, who is a sophomore at Central, used to travel with Bill to Manheim to watch Matt play.

They also followed Matt during his standout college career at the University of Delaware, where he graduated as the program’s all-time leader in completions (502), passing yards (8,214) and touchdown passes (58).

And they’ve traveled around the country the last six years watching Matt play in the Arena Football League — the last two years in Georgia, where he led the Force to the ArenaBowl two years ago, and was the league’s top-ranked passer last season.

Matt will play for the Columbus Destroyers this season.

But now it’s Matt’s turn to watch.

After leading Central to the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 championship two times and to a pair of District 3 Triple-A championships, he’s getting to watch his stepbrother make some of his own memories while playing for the Barons.

Matt will be in Hanover tonight at 7:30 to watch Luke and the Barons (11-1 overall) take on South Western (11-1) in a District 3 Triple-A semifinal game.

“I guess you could say Luke had some tough shoes to fill, but he’s his own person,” Matt said this week. “I always try to relay to him to just be himself and to be his own person and to enjoy his experience in Manheim. That’s what he’s tried to do.”

Bill and his wife Sue packed up Luke and Jenna and moved to Manheim just a few weeks before Luke’s sophomore year. Luke spent that season on the JV team, and made his varsity debut last season as a reserve wideout.

He played wideout and defensive end his freshman season in New Jersey, and he played some quarterback — like his stepbrother — for Central’s JV team last fall.

But he’s never played varsity quarterback for the Barons, so he hasn’t had to fill Matt’s shoes in that category. But the pressure is there, he admitted, because of the name on the back of his jersey.

“It seems like after every game I have people come up to me and ask if I’m Matt Nagy’s brother,” Luke said. “And when I say that I am, they always ask me to say hello to him.

“Everyone sort of jokes around about me and my brother, and how he’s a professional athlete and how I have to live up to that. I just try not to think about it.

“But I will say this: Matt makes me want to be a better player.”

And like his stepbrother — who twice led Central to state-playoff games against Berwick — Luke just wants to help his team win.

He helped Central win its district quarterfinal game last Friday, when he swooped in and blocked Cory Albright’s 29-yard field goal attempt with 38 seconds to play in regulation to preserve a 19-all game and force overtime — where the Barons scored on their first play and topped Daniel Boone 26-19.

“When he blocked that field goal, I looked over at my dad and I was like, ‘That’s Luke! That’s Luke!’” Matt said. “That play made all of us very proud. It was great to see him help the team in a big way.

“When he blocked that field goal — he probably won’t admit it — that was a big-time play. That meant a lot to him, and it meant a lot to me because he’s had his ups and downs and that was a special play. It was special to me and to our whole family.”

Another player from the Nagy family has a shot to help the Barons get back to the district championship.

And if Luke can help Central win its 16th crown, one of the happiest fans in Manheim will be his stepbrother.

CONTACT US: jreinhart@LNPnews.com or 291-8779