Hutcherson to serve as Valley’s Swiss-Army knife this season

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, August 23, 2018 | 6:12 PM

Valley senior football standout Noah Hutcherson has a knack for lighting up a room, and there’s no mistaking the 6-foot, 180-pounder when he steps off the bus and into the locker room when the Vikings are on the road either.

“The thing about ‘Hutch’ is that he dresses really preppy,” Valley coach Muzzy Colosimo said. “It’s different than his friends’ style. He’s the kind of kid that always wears a belt, dress shirt and looks nice. He’s the kind of kid that carries himself very well. He would impress you, and if you met him for the very first time you would say, ‘My god, this kid has his things together.’ ”

On offense, Hutcherson is the Vikings’ Swiss-Army knife. As a junior, he lined up at fullback, wide receiver and center, but tight end is where he makes his money. Hutcherson has the unique combination of size, speed, hands, the ability to run crisp routes, and above all else, toughness.

“He can move to a lot of places because he’s that gifted of an athlete,” Colosimo said. “He’s the one that gets into the huddle and gets into somebody’s face. He’s also the one that if someone attacks one of his teammates, he’s gonna run over and get involved. He’s a true team player.”

Things have come to a head for Valley this year. The Vikings have a lot of experienced skill players and high expectations that include making a run into the postseason.

With the development of the skilled players and great size and depth on the offensive line, Hutcherson is expected to help block for longtime friend and teammate Deonte Ross.

“(Blocking) is second nature,” Hutcherson said. “I’ve been blocking for (Ross) forever. If our line does what it’s supposed to do, we’re going to have a real good year.”

Colosimo said Hutcherson’s skill set is too good to ignore and has drawn up some offensive plays where his tight end will move out to wide receiver.

“He’s very smart and he is very good at getting the attention of the quarterback to get him the ball,” Colosimo said. “His hands are great, he runs very precise routes and he is physical like you wouldn’t believe.”

That physicality Hutcherson brings to the field is a result of competing in wrestling since his elementary school days.

But even with all the flexibility Hutcherson brings to the offense, he’s destined to play at the next level on defense. Hutcherson is an outside linebacker with his hand on the ground in Valley’s 4-4 defense. Colosimo flips his star defensive end to the “open side” of the field on each play.

“If you look at him at defensive end, he’s very good at running people down from behind,” Colosimo said. “He’s very good at redirecting, and he can take on bigger kids and be quick enough to get around people.”

According to Colosimo, Hutcherson led all high school players in the state in sacks. He has a handful of moves to use against offensive lineman with the most recent being a lightning fast spin move.

“He would have had the most in the state; he had 20 sacks,” Colosimo said.

Hutcherson believes that his success on the defensive side of the ball is directly related to him competing in wrestling.

“My attitude and aggressiveness is from wrestling,” Hutcherson said. “Everything I do on the field comes from wrestling.”

There’s a chance he’ll be playing college football next season, too. Stony Brook has shown interest, along with a few other schools. Colosimo said he expects for his phone to start ringing off the hook after the third week of the regular season when college coaches can have time to look at Hutcherson’s tape.

William Whalen is a freelance writer.

Tags: Valley