Hutto football boasts the state's No. 1 high school quarterback, No. 1 wide receiver
HUTTO — Will Hammond said he wasn't surprised that he finished the regular season as the No. 1 passer in Texas high school football. For that matter, his Hutto teammate Alex Green wasn't surprised he finished No. 1 in the state in receiving yards, either.
To paraphrase great athletes such as Muhammad Ali, Pete Rose and Dizzy Dean — and countless others who believed in themselves — it's not bragging if you can back it up.
In an otherwise disappointing year for Hutto football — by Hippos standards — its Hammond-Green combo was must-see entertainment in this city of 37,226 some 30 miles northeast of Austin. Hutto, which finished with a 4-6 record and a fourth-place finish in District 12-6A, has a date with the state's No. 5 ranked team, Duncanville, Friday night.
The Hippos are like a box of chocolates: you never know what you'll get
You never know what you might get when you see a Hutto game. No one who attended the 82-80 loss to Liberty Hill will forget how Hammond threw for 719 yards, which ranks third-best in state history, and accounted for 10 touchdowns. Green had 275 yards and a touchdown that night and has eclipsed 300 yards in two other games.
After Tuesday morning's practice, Hammond was asked this question: If someone had told you before the season that you would lead the state with 3,701 yards, would you have believed it?
"I would have believed them," said Hammond, who's bound for Texas Tech. "I believed in all the hard work the whole offense did in the offseason."
Hammond had a hunch that 2023 would be special after he passed for 2,763 yards and 30 touchdowns as a junior. Green, meanwhile, might be a bigger surprise after catching 43 passes for 900 yards and nine touchdowns last year.
Green's 2023 numbers blow away his junior contributions: 97 catches, 1,976 yards, 19 touchdowns. According to MaxPreps, his average of 197.6 yards a game leads the nation.
"Some people might be surprised about Alex's (two) 300-yard games," Hammond said. "Catching for 300 yards is pretty spectacular."
While Hammond had multiple offers from big-time college football teams, Green has not attained the same attention. However, he received an offer from Northwestern last week and New Mexico State on Tuesday.
"My ball skills have improved over the last year," he said. "And my vertical (leap) too. I've become more of a leader this year. Last year I showed leadership by my play. This year I'm showing leadership with words and actions."
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Making a connection is what it's all about
With an offense that averages 45.4 points a game, Hutto should have had a better season than its 4-6 record indicates. The Hippos were held back by a defense that allowed 47.1 points a game.
Hammond and Green agreed their mutual success originated when they began to play on the same team in middle school. Green claims he can predict what Hammond will do with the football before plays develop.
"Will knows where to put the ball in the right situations," he said. "He has perfect touch on the ball and he knows when to air it out and when to put some zip on the ball."
Green said he was disappointed last week because the white athletic gloves he has used all year were torn in a game against Weiss. He's breaking in a new pair before the team heads to Duncanville.
"There were memories in those gloves, but I'm the person who makes the gloves work," he said.
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Hutto coach Will Compton has seen both players blossom during his two seasons with the Hippos. Hammond and Green have natural ability, but it's their work ethic that puts them into a higher class.
"The combo works because they are two guys that are extremely hard workers and are self motivated to do whatever is needed to make the team better," Compton said. "Through it all, they have been each other's biggest fan."
While Hammond and Green say they haven't been surprised by their individual achievements, the coach has a different take. He said he was "shocked" that Hammond had 800 all-purpose yards in the loss to Liberty Hill and that Green had a pair of 300-yard games.
Being a Hippo has created fond memories. And both said they are proud of their unusual mascot.
"It's kind of cool," Hammond said. "When people at (football) camps would hear I'm from Hutto, they'd say something about being a Hippo. And for the rest of camp, they'd call me Mr. Hippo."
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Hutto football has Texas' No. 1 HS quarterback and No. 1 wide receiver
