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‘Hutch’ hired as new Wellston football coach
By PAUL BOGGS
Sports Editor
WELLSTON — Chris Hutchinson has always bled Blue and Gold.
Now, he’ll have the chance to lead the Golden Rocket colors on the gridiron.
That’s because the Wellston City Schools Board of Education hired the 28-year-old Hutchinson as the new Wellston High School head football coach on Wednesday night, approving the former Golden Rocket running back in a unanimous vote.
His hiring was the only item on the agenda at a special Board meeting, which lasted a mere three minutes.
Hutchinson starred at Wellston in the late 1990s, and has served as an assistant with the last two Rocket staffs of Heath Hinton and Jason Mantell.
“Hutch†— as he is casually referred to — succeeds Mantell, who resigned on Jan. 12.
He said he is “excited†about taking over as head coach, and deemed his hiring “really a dream come true.â€
“It’s very special because it’s my home. It’s where I want to be and I don’t plan on going anywhere,†said Hutchinson in an interview following his hiring.
Hutchinson was expected to meet with his team today, and emphasized that “I am ready to get to work because we have a lot of work to do.â€
“We have a lot of great kids here. I’ve been around them, we just need to get more of them (out playing). We just need to get to work and get things going,†he said.
Hutchinson’s hiring is somewhat late in the typical time frame for naming new football coaches.
“I think we were a little longer later on than what we wanted to be with this hire,†said Wellston BOE President Terry Gill.
However, having served as a varsity assistant for four years, he is familiar with his team and its offseason activities, which includes the winter weightlifting program.
Hutchinson is highly-regarded for his work ethic, which he developed as a player under then-Wellston head coach Larry Blackstone.
Blackstone believed heavily in weightlifting and offseason work, and Hutchinson said he is “big on the weight room.â€
“We need to stay in the weight room and keep hitting the weight room,†he said. “I’ve been in there and feel like I have a good rapport with the kids.â€
Hutchinson played from 1996 thru 1999, captured all-Tri-Valley Conference Ohio Division and all-Southeast District honors, and rushed for over 3,000 yards in his decorated four-year Rocket career.
He played at Ohio University as well, before transferring to Morehead State, where he stood out at safety.
He returned to Wellston when Hinton was head coach, and served on Mantell’s staff for two years.
Hutchinson hesitated none when asked about the improvements the program must make in order to be successful.
Increased numbers is issue number one.
“The first thing we have to do is get more kids out,†he said. “We’ve had 35 or 40 kids the last few years. When I graduated here in 2000, we had 55 to 60 kids. We have to go recruit inside the school, and get kids out that need to be playing. I’d like to get 50 kids out this year.â€
Indeed, numbers have dipped and leveled out at Wellston, as have victories.
After a winless season in 1995, the Rockets did not suffer another losing campaign until a winless on-the-field fall in 2007.
Sandwiched in between were the school’s two TVC-Ohio titles in 2001 and 2002, and two state playoff berths in 2004 and 2006.
While Wellston went 4-6 in 2008, it slipped to a disappointing 3-7 last year.
Hutchinson hopes to restore the Rockets as a regular challenger for the TVC-Ohio championship and playoff berths.
Wellston was a winner of games when it successfully ran the football, which is what Hutchinson has planned.
He has played in multiple offensive systems, including Blackstone’s wing-T and the former Ohio University option under then-head coach JimGrobe.
“We’re going to run the ball,†he said. “It’s going to be some wing-T, some I-formation, we’re also going to run some spread and single-wing type stuff. We’re going to bring some of the option game fromOU too, and run the quarterback a little bit.â€
Hutchinson has assembled — and continues to do so — his staff, which will include Morgan Stevens, Travis Bethel, Scott Cooper and possibly Lance Phillips.
Phillips is the former Wellston star linebacker, who was a two-time Associated Press all-Southeast District Division IV Defensive Player of the Year.
Bethel is expected to help Hutchinson with the defense, which will feature fronts of “a 50 and 40†base.
“Travis (Bethel) is well-versed in the 40, and I like the slant-and-angle 50,†said Hutchinson. “And playing safety in the 4-3 (defense) atMorehead, that helped me a lot with coverage schemes.â€
He coached the defensive backs and running backs under Hinton and Mantell.
But now, he leads all aspects of the Blue and Gold.
“I’m planning on building this program and leading this program, and hopefully, be very successful,†said Hutchinson.
Hutchinson was hired, according to Gill, from “a large pool of applicants and a lot of good candidates.â€
Gill said a committee of eight individuals assisted in the process, including community members and former football players at Wellston.
One of the applicants was Oak Hill head coach Greg Phillips, who is from Wellston and coached there as an assistant in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Phillips ultimately turned the position down.
Another leading candidate was former Vinton County coach Matt Queen.
Hutchinson will be the eighth Wellston head coach in 20 seasons this fall.
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Wellston saved some money, but . . .