Published: August 28, 2008 10:59 pm            

FOOTBALL: Hutchins is stronger than ever

Kokomo inside linebacker Curt Hutchins was right in the middle of the action against Mount Vernon of Fortville last week. He collected a team-high five tackles, 1 1/2 tackles for loss and an interception to help the Wildkats roll to a 43-7 win.

No surprise the 6-foot-3, 225-pound senior owned the top line on the tackle chart. After all, he led the Kats in tackles in the 2006 and ’07 seasons.

Hutchins quickly shares the credit for his success.

“It’s really a team effort. … The front line is everything for us linebackers. They keep the guards and tackles off of us so we can get to the backfield. They play a huge role in how well we play,” he said.

Hutchins comes by his appreciation for line play naturally. He started playing football in eighth grade and his size landed him at defensive end. He moved to linebacker in his freshman season while playing for the junior varsity team.

From there, he took off.

Hutchins cracked the varsity lineup as a sophomore and offered a bright spot in a 4-6 season. He had 18 tackles against Logansport, the second-best effort in school history. He finished with 100 total tackles including a then-school-record 57 assists.

Hutchins offered a strong encore in 2007 when the Kats, under first-year coach Brett Colby, broke out of a stretch of mediocre seasons to go 8-2 and win the North Central Conference championship. He made 109 total tackles including a school-record 65 assists. In addition, he had 7 1/2 tackles for loss, four fumble recoveries and three interceptions.

Hutchins tied his personal best when he made 18 tackles against Marion in the NCC finale, but his season hit a sour note the following week. Noblesville led Kokomo 14-7 late in first half of a Class 5A Sectional 4 game when he picked up a fumble and battled for yardage up the sideline. At some point, he broke his left arm in two places.

“I was thinking if I could get the fumble recovery and get it somewhat into scoring position, we could go into the second half [tied], a new game. So I was just trying to be a playmaker — a little bit too much, I guess,” Hutchins said.

“I had no idea it happened. I think I just had so much adrenaline pumping,” he said, adding he finally realized something was wrong when he went to clap his hands after flipping the ball to a referee. “To this day, I really don’t know how it broke.”

Hutchins needed a plate and 14 screws inserted to repair the breaks.

Hutchins didn’t play basketball in the winter. Instead, he devoted himself to the weight room at school and at a local gym. He focused on his lower body while his arm healed.

All the work paid off — he put on 20 to 25 pounds while also adding quickness.

“He has come back with flying colors,” Colby said. “Now, he looks like a linebacker walking around. He looks really good.”

Of course, Hutchins looks good on the field too where speed and intangibles are his best assets.

“He has a nose for the ball and he sees things really well. He is able to communicate with all the coaches when he has questions during a game situation or practice. He thinks things through — he has a great football mind,” Colby said.

“He is like a coach on the field.”

Hutchins is excited about the Kats’ prospects this fall. He wants to win another NCC championship and he is hungry to make some noise in the postseason. Tackles are nice, but wins are what he really wants.

Hutchins is also excited about his future possibilities. He aggressively hit the college camp circuit over the summer. In addition, he has a recruiting database that attempts to match him with interested schools.

“I’ve pursued the Division I level,” he said. “As of now, I haven’t committed anywhere so [the recruiting service] advised me to look lower. I’m happy with that — I just want to play football in college.”



Kats’ record book:

Most total tackles in single season since 1973

130: Joe Etherington, 1981

109: CURT HUTCHINS, 2007

108: Steve Williams, 1983

101: Alston Andrews, 2007

100: CURT HUTCHINS, 2006

96: Corby Smith, 1992

92: Ron McLochlin, 1988

90: Nick Cavazos, 1985

        

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