THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Permian High School Athletics

The slotbacks in Permian’s offensive scheme need to be versatile, handling such diverse duties as being the pitch man on the triple option, the lead blocker on toss sweeps and regularly running pass patterns. Justin Hammond met those needs and then some to earn All-Permian Basin Offensive Player of the Year honors. Hammond was the Panthers’ leading receiver with 46 receptions for 833 yards and 13 touchdowns, and second-leading rusher with 654 yards and five TDs on 92 carries. He also returned seven kickoffs for 253 yards, including a 100-yard touchdown return against El Paso Franklin, threw a touchdown pass on his only attempt and led the Panthers with 116 points scored. “He played so many roles on our football team,” Permian coach Jeff Ellison said. “What’s special about Justin is you see a kid like that continue to grow throughout his career and really cap it off with an outstanding senior year like he had. He was one of those guys that you’re lucky to coach and have on your football team. “He was a great leader. It really speaks highly about his character and who he is as a person, a young man that’s done a great job.” Ellison said Hammond’s skill set was almost a perfect fit for the position. “A lot of times, people think this offense is very vanilla, but that’s not the case, especially with a position like the slot position,” Ellison said. “You have to be a great blocker. You have to be a great runner. You’ve got to be able to catch and be a great route runner. “It’s not one-dimensional. They’ve got to be able to do everything. This allows a kid, especially a kid like Justin, to show his talents as a great football player.” And, had the situation called for it, Hammond’s abilities were available for use on defense, as well. “We didn’t use him, but we had him practicing both ways,” Ellison said. “If we’d needed him, he would have been in on defense.” Hammond’s performance filled a big hole left in Permian’s offense by the graduation of slotback Brother Miller, Permian’s leading receiver in 2017. Now, it’s the turn of Hammond’s successors to try to raise the bar once again. “When you talk about tradition and talk about all the things that happen at a place like Permian, all of those were started by somebody in front of you,” Ellison said. “Justin saw how Brother Miller worked and his production. He was shown how it was supposed to be done. “Now Justin has shown the next guy up how it should be, the expectations for that position. I think that’s crucial and I think that’s great for our football team to have that comeptition. The next guys up don’t want to disappoint the guys that were in the position before them.” After Permian opened the season with a 38-28 loss to DeSoto, Ellison said Hammond helped the Panthers get headed in the right direction in their second game at El Paso Franklin. Hammond caught eight pases for 147 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 58 yards on seven carries, but it was his return of the second-half kickoff for a touchdown that provided the spark to a 43-27 victory. “We were tied coming in at halftime and that wasn’t who we are,” Ellison said. “Really, that was kind of a turning point for our team as far as where we were going to go. Our backs were against the wall and we had to come out swinging. And Justin came out swinging. He took the kickoff back for a touchdown and it was on after that. “You could just see the determination in his eyes in the locker roomas far as ‘give me the ball and let me go to work.’” Hammond continued to provide highlight moments throughout Permian’s 8-4 season, which ended in the area round of the Class 6A Division I playoffs. Arguably the biggest was his 49-yard touchdown reception in the final minute to give Permian a 32-25 victory at Amarillo Tascosa. That wound up making the different in Permian’s playoff positioning as the Panthers, Tascosa and Midland Lee shared the District 2-6A championship. “He made big plays throughout the year,” Ellison said, “the play he made against Tascosa and plays he made against Midland Lee, Arlington Lamar. They were big-time games and he made big-time plays.” Hammond upped his game in the postseason, leading Permian in rushing in both playoff games. In a 42-0 bi-district victory over El Paso Coronado, he had touchdowns rushing, receiving and passing, accounting for 126 all-purpose yards as Permian led 35-0 at halftime. In the area game against Lamar, he rushed for 106 yards and a TD and caught seven passes for 77 yards and two scores. While Hammond’s on-field accomplishments were easily recognizable, Ellison said his off-field contributions were just as significant. “I think Justin is a guy who is an outstanding teammate,” Ellison said. “Some people do it for the pats on the back and the stats and things like that. Justin played hard and stepped up for his team. We talked about that as a football team. If you play hard, you’ll get all those awards and things at the end. “He cared about his teammates, winning for them and playing hard for them. He was a great football player for us throughout his career.”

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Permian High School Athletics

HAMMOND'S VERSATILITY PAID OFF FOR PERMIAN

SAM WALLER

Odessa American | 12/23/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Permian Athletics