Hutto, new football coach Will Compton off to quick start in summer workouts

HUTTO — It’s been a quick adjustment for Hutto and new head coach Will Compton, who took over the program in late spring.

Well, maybe quick is the wrong word. How about fast? Or brisk? Perhaps vigorous?

Choose any adjective, because they all apply to how Compton orchestrates his practices and preseason summer workouts.

Have any doubts? Just ask any Hippo.

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“Not only do I see it, but I feel it,” said Jalon Banks, a third-year running back and one of a strong core of Hutto seniors. “I mean, I’m tired. At practice, we go game speed every rep. You go hard in practice, the games should be easy.”

Quarterback Will Hammond, a junior who seized the starting job a year ago, quickly attests to the juice that Compton has brought to the program.

“There’s not a lot of room for BS,” Hammond said after a recent workout on the first day of school Monday. “Coach makes sure everyone is holding themselves accountable. From day one, he’s bringing a ton of energy and pushing us to execute. That’s the name of the game; execute, and we’ll win some ball games.”

Linebacker Brody Bujnoch, a fourth-year varsity player, is a bit blunter about Compton’s intensity — even as he describes his coach with a grin.

“It’s his insanity,” said Bujnoch, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound middle linebacker with more than 200 career tackles who plays with a wild streak himself. “I mean, I can’t wait to see Coach at our first game. He’ll be bouncing off the walls. I wouldn’t be surprised if he just explodes on the field.”

Compton only grins at his players’ descriptions — and he certainly doesn’t dispute them. But establishing your own personality on a program matters as much as any schematic switches or playbook principles, said Compton.

“What we do as a coaching staff, it’s intense,” he said. “Everything is intentional. We coach up all the little details, from varsity to the freshmen C team. And the players have bought into everything we do, and they hold each other accountable. It’s been a great start.”

A former defensive lineman for his father and head coach in the scrappy West Texas town of Seagraves, Compton transitioned to the offensive line at Angelo State. He’s been an offensive-minded coach throughout his two-decade career, which included a three-year stint as Bryan Rudder’s head coach from 2014-16.

Most recently, Compton served as the offensive coordinator at Johnson, which went 9-2 last season while averaging 239 yards passing, 200 yards rushing and 43.5 points per game.

Such production should fit well with Hutto’s identity as a program. The Hippos have scored at least 300 points in all but one season since 2014. Not coincidentally, the Hippos have reached the playoffs in every one of those 300-pont seasons. Three of those playoff berths came under Brad La Plante, who’s now the athletic director for the Hutto school district.

“They like points on the board here,” Compton said.

Offensively, Hutto fans may see a bit more passing than last season as well as more offensive snaps. They may also see more of Hammond in the run game, even though the 6-2, 190-pounder did run for 419 yards and eight touchdowns a year ago.

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“You don’t have to be like Lamar Jackson, but you still have to make plays outside of the pocket,” Hammond said. “We’ve watched a lot of film of what Johnson did a year ago, and we’re really going all-in on the terminology and all the little things. I feel like guys are picking it up quickly. I can’t wait for the season.”

And he can’t wait to see Compton in game action when the Hippos travel to San Marcos for the season opener on Aug. 26.

Culture club

Some of the other new head coaches in the Austin area also stress the importance of establishing their respective culture, especially as they reshape the identity of their respective programs.

Derrick Lewis, a former NFL wide receiver and special teams standout, has taken over LASA’s fledging program as it readies for its varsity debut. While Lewis says he’s spending plenty of time emphasizing the fundamentals such as “pad level, hand use and learning about leverage,” he’s also been pleased with the quick improvement by his club the first couple of weeks of fall camp.

“These kids are learning the playbook faster than I can teach it,” said Lewis, who served as the offensive coordinator for Del Valle last season. “They’re blank slates ready to learn.”

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While Lewis acknowledges that LASA — one of the top academic public schools in the nation that’s now housed on the former campus of Eastside High School — boasts plenty of sharp students, he also players such as linebacker Logan Abounader, quarterback Roman Edwards, receiver Andy Wang and defensive end Jack Woytek boast overlooked athleticism.

“I’m going to lean on their intellect with presnap movement, shifts, snap count, all of that,” he said. “I think there’s a misconception about what type of players we have. We have some talented guys, and they want to make a name for themselves.”

Across town, new Anderson coach Donald Hatcher takes over a program trying to reestablish some consistency. The Trojans are on their sixth head coach in the past decade and have had just one winning season since the program’s high-water mark of 10 wins in 2010.

“I want them to have a lot of energy and have a lot of fun,” said Hatcher, a first-time head coach who’s worked as an assistant for two decades at successful programs like LBJ, DeSoto and Little Elm. “Especially for the older guys, it’s their senior year and they’ve gone through a few coaches. It’s time to have some fun.”

Even though Hatcher has just had a few week to work with his team on the field, he’s already gained some valuable insight into his squad. Not one player has been late for his team’s 6:45 a.m. workouts this month, he said. They embraced the midnight practice that kicked off summer camp on Aug. 1, and they willingly took part in a campus cleanup conducted by the football team.

“The biggest thing I’ve seen with these kids is that they are eager to get better each day,” Hatcher said. “They want to be good.”

New faces, new places

From Class 6A to the small towns, multiple Austin-area teams have a new head coach for the 2022 football season.

Anderson: Former Little Elm defensive coordinator Donald Hatcher replaces interim head coach Roderick Thompson for 6A team after a 3-7 season.

Austin High: Defensive coordinator Bernard Riley is promoted to replace Mike Rosenthal, who went 44-59 in 10 years as head coach at the 6A school.

Westlake: With the retirement of hall-of-fame coach Todd Dodge, defensive coordinator Tony Salazar takes over a program that has won three consecutive 6A state titles.

Hutto: Former Johnson OC Will Compton takes over for Brad LaPlante, who became the full-time athletic director for the 6A school.

East View: Former Willis head coach and Lake Travis OC Mike Wall takes over for Jerod Fikac, who went 17-16 in three seasons for the 5A DI school.

Hendrickson: OC Doug Pearce takes over for longtime coach Chip Killian, who went 100-58 in 14 seasons for the 5A DI program.

LASA: Former Del Valle defensive coordinator Derrick Lewis takes over for Bryan Crews, the former football coach and athletic coordinator who recently left to take a position at El Paso Mountain View.

Navarro: Larry Lumbreras joined the staff at Leander in the summer after two wins in three seasons, and OC Sebastian Velasquez takes over the 5A DII program.

Bastrop: Former Marshall head coach Jake Griedl takes over the 5A DII program from Todd Patmon, who was let go after nine seasons.

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Austin Achieve: DC Joe Dimaio takes over for Mason McKee, the chief academic officer for the 4A DII charter school who will remain with the program as an assistant.

Giddings: Wade Griffin leaves for Weimar after a 28-20 record in four seasons, and OC Mike Adams takes over the 4A DII program.

Blanco: Former Vanderbilt Industrial head coach Jamie Dixon takes over for retired Bill Tesch at the 3A DI program.

Johnson City LBJ: Bryan OC Nelson Kortis replaces David T. Sine, who retired after a 17-26 record in four seasons at the 2A DI school.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Hutto, new football coach Will Compton off to quick start in summer workouts