ATHLETE OF THE WEEK : Hite Takes Advantage of Hart’s ‘Flat’ Offense to Run Off With a Dozen Passes

Chris Hite, like most tailbacks, yearns to take the pitchout and run.

And run.

But he rarely gets the opportunity in Hart’s pass-oriented offense. How does he cope?

“I run with it after I catch it,” Hite said.

Hite is the Valley’s leading receiver with 78 receptions for 1,003 yards and 16 touchdowns.

In Hart’s 52-12 Northwestern Conference quarterfinal victory over Verbum Dei last week, the 5-10, 175-pound senior made 12 catches for 162 yards and touchdowns of one and 29 yards.

“We run a lot of short flat patterns,” said Hite, who also scored on a 12-yard run. “That’s what fits into our offense. We have Jim Bonds and he’s a great quarterback.”

And Hite, who is quick on his feet, has been a great receiver all season. He was the only Hart player capable of outrunning Verbum Dei.

“They were real fast overall,” Hite said. “Our receivers didn’t have the speed to really do it. I knew I had to go full speed.”

Hart Coach Rick Scott, who said “Verbum Dei’s linemen are faster than our backs,” had planned to make Hite the team’s primary receiver.

“We had to,” Scott said. “He can do so many things. We can hide him in the line. And then he reads the defense so well, because he’s such a smart player. It was up to him to make the plays.”

And, as has been the case all season, he did.

“I was really happy with my performance,” Hite said. “Twelve catches is a lot.”

Especially for a tailback who’d just as soon be running.