Gavin Hutz knew wins would be hard to come by.
He also knew that was a chance to shine.
Hutz is a senior at Father Judge High School, and this year he started at both wideout and on defense.
The Crusaders weren’t a bad football team. Not at all.
But when you play in the Catholic League Red Division, that means a lot of games against the best teams in the country.
This year, Judge played St. Joe’s Prep, La Salle and twice played Roman Catholic. Prep is always one of the best teams in the nation, and La Salle (6A) and Roman Catholic (5A) are each in the semifinals of the PIAA state tournament.
They also played Cardinal O’Hara, which is still alive in the 4A tournament, as well as Lansdale Catholic, a team Judge defeated, a team that is gunning for a 2A championship.
Other games included matchups with Archbishop Ryan and Bonner-Prendergast, meaning there were no easy wins on the Crusaders’ schedule.
Instead of worrying about getting beat or transferring, Hutz and his teammates decided to buckle their chinstraps and do their best against some of the finest football players in Pennsylvania.
Hutz doesn’t see it as a negative. He looks at it as a chance to shine.
“I love playing those teams,” said Hutz, who lives in Morrell Park. “Any time you can play the best competition in the state, in the hardest division in the country, you’re going to have fun. You see where you’re at and it let me see where I’m at.
“I’ve trained with a lot of them in the summer, it’s like that year round. I train with coaches, and we all worked over the summer to get better. We actually always have joint practices in the summer and work at getting better. So I love playing against the best. That’s the only way you’re going to get better.”
The Crusaders finished 0-5 in Red Division, but 3-3 in their other games. One of those games was a loss to Roman in the Catholic League 5A championship game.
“I mean in most games, we’re the underdog, but that just means you have to work harder,” Hutz said. “So it’s come back, get better at practice, one foot in front of the other and see where it takes us.
“There were some frustrating things because it’s not fun losing, but sometimes you just gotta deal with it and push forward in practice.”
While wins were hard to come by, memorable plays by Hutz weren’t.
He was one of Judge’s top offensive weapons, and anytime the ball came his way, he knew it was an audition. Every touch was a chance to show everyone what he could do.
He also had a great relationship with his coaches and as a student of the game, when he noticed something, he was quick to share the news with his mentors.
“I’m more of a receiver than a defensive back,” Hutz said. “That’s the one I focus on and put the most work into. This year we were kind of mostly run, it was 50-50, 60-40 run. If I was calling plays, as a receiver I would throw the ball. But I would always talk with the coaches. Definitely if I see a matchup, I’ll talk to the coaches. If I think we can win on this matchup, I’ll tell them, ‘Let’s take a shot at it.’ And they listened. I would always tell them what I saw.”
He learned a lot during the season that will help him in the future. But he’s still putting in the work.
Football season might be over, but Hutz is back at work with the Crusaders track team. He expects to compete all year in hopes of getting faster.
The ultimate goal is to continue his career, and he’s already hearing some coaches reach out. His goal is to play Division I, but he’s keeping all options open.
“I’m playing college football, I definitely want to play,” Hutz said. “I’m looking around. I’m hoping to get to an FCS at DI level, but I’ll play Division II and have a great year.
“I want to study business and sports management. When I get older, I want to get into the business world, run my own business and have a company. And sports is my passion, so if I could mix those two together. I would love to run my own business.”
If coaches love his football tape, they’ll love his transcripts even more. He gets first honors, has two advanced-placement courses and two other classes that could be turned into college credits. He’s ranked in the top 40 of his senior class.
Hutz hopes that the work he puts in both in the classroom and during the offseason will lead to offers. And if they come, he promises he’ll continue to put in that work to make their decision pay off.
“I’m always going to put my head down and work hard,” said Hutz, who credits his parents, his brother and his uncle for being supportive role models. “I pride myself on being the hardest worker in the room. Always 100 percent, without the work I put in, I know I wouldn’t be as good. You have to put the work in every day. That’s every aspect. On field, off field, practice, school, work. Whatever you have to do, you have to do.
“If a college takes a chance on me, they’ll get a guy who puts his head down and works and always gives 100 percent full effort. And I do well in school. At the end of the day, I’m a student-athlete, school comes in. If a school takes a chance, they’ll be happy.”
