Greg Hutchins, a top kicker from Nova Scotia, will join the Ravens football team for the upcoming season.
Hutchins, a six-foot-three, 200-pound punter, will be a welcome addition to the team, according to Ravens football coach Steve Sumarah.
“Greg would probably be ranked as number one punter [and] kicker in the country coming in,” Sumarah said. “He’s been on Team Canada and he understands the pressures of the position.”
Hutchins started playing football in Grade 9 because he heard the team needed a kicker.
“I went to the first practice to play football and the head coach . . . was just like ‘alright, let’s see what you got.’ So I just picked the ball up and punted it and it turned over, spiral punt . . . it felt good,” Hutchins said.
His average punting distance is 45.5 yards according to his highlight reel.
Hutchins said he will have to adapt to Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) football, which is “faster paced” than high school football.
“I’ll have to train more and get bigger, faster and stronger to deal with the pressure,” he said. “My biggest challenge [is] probably competing with two other guys . . . I haven’t really competed against anyone, so training camp will be pretty interesting. Hopefully I get the starting spot,” he said.
In 2014 Michael Domagala was the Ravens kicker and punter. Domagala’s average punting distance was 34.9 yards according to OUA.ca.
Hutchins high school coach Michael McPherson described him as “a very dynamic player.”
“For an athlete his age, [Hutchins] possesses a very strong skill set specific to kicking and punting,” McPherson said. “He’s a phenomenal athlete.”
McPherson also said he is confident Hutchins will be able to adjust to Carleton and CIS football.
“I think for any athlete in any position, it certainly is a step
. . . but I think it’s one that Greg can obviously make,” McPherson added.
Hutchins said he chose to play for Carleton because he has played alongside several Ravens for Team Canada.
“All the other guys are really nice and really welcoming,” he said. “They’re one of the reasons why I feel very comfortable with going to Carleton next year.”
Hutchins also said he is looking forward to playing for Sumarah.
He said some players can be intimidated by their coaches. But he said he feels comfortable with Sumarah.
“He’s just such a nice guy, [he] just treats you like his own,” Hutchins said.
Hutchins said his biggest goal for the season is to help the team out as much as possible.
“I really want to just contribute to the team as much as I possibly can. If I can gain 75 to 100 yards per game of field position, that’ll be a good goal for me,” he said. “Maybe a couple of clutch field goal wins.”
