Remembering Matthew Hutchings impact as the Head Coach of Trojan Football

After five years as the head coach of the  Trojan football program, Matt Hutchings announced in a private meeting to coaches and players that he was stepping down to spend more time with his family on Jan. 6.

Before Hutchings arrived in 2018, Midlothian was one of the worst teams in the Dominion District, with a record of  record of 30-60 in the 10 years prior to his arrival.  He quickly turned the Trojans from basement dwellers to playoff contenders with a record of of 29-19 during his stay, several playoff appearances, and first playoff victory since the 1980s.  Losing streaks to Dominion District foes Manchester and L.C Bird came to an end with Hutchings at the helm when the Trojans took down the Lancers in 2021, ending a 20 game losing streak, and in 2022 when the Skyhawks fell to the Trojans for the first time since 1986.

Players, Coaches, and Faculty Members expressed the level of importance that Coach Hutchings had on this team throughout the past half decade.

“I have improved on and off the field physically and a large part of that is because of Coach Hutch,” Junior Gio Semidey said.

Hutchings always told his players “don’t focus so much on the past, you can’t only control was is currently present in front of you.”

According to multiple players, his enthusiastic attitude and optimistic approach has been one main reasons why his team has constantly been hyperactive during games.

“He had positive attitude during practice and before the game that helped me and my teammates feed off that energy before getting on the field,” Senior Gabriel Semidey said.

“We were able to play at the highest level every time we stepped on the field because of the Coach Hutchings presence,”  Senior Makhi Jackson said.

Rather than focusing on quick success, Hutchings and his coaching staff focused on building and deep and talented team that could win year-in and year-out.

“I couldn’t have been this successful as the head coach without the commitment from the coaches and players in terms of wanting to reach the ultimate goal of winning at all costs,”  Matt Hutchings said. “I am so proud of the maturation of these players. This is a deep and talented group that has improved every year since I have been here and I hope that continues over time.”

Prior to coaching for the Trojans, Coach Hutchings coached at Stevenson University, McDaniel College, and Guilford College. During his tenure at the collegiate level, he worked with multiple positions on the defensive side of the ball.  This experience helped him transform the Trojans into on the best defenses in the area.  During the 2022 season,  the Trojans had nearly twenty takeaways and over eighty tackles for loss.

“Defense has always been my calling card as not just a coach but as a player as well. I played linebacker and defensive end for 4 years at college and continued to work with those positions when I began coaching,” Hutchings said.

During his time on the sidelines, Hutchings coached the Trojans to some major regular season wins not seen in decades inside Poates stadium.

“The one game that I will remember for a lifetime was coming back from a large deficit against a excellent Manchester team 42-35,” Hutchings said.

Hutchings admitted the transition to a new program head would be difficult, and while he will be spending more time with his family, he will miss the relationships he has formed with his players over the years.

“The one thing that I’ll miss the most is training all of the players from JV and Varsity over the summer and watching the younger and older players compete with each other,” Hutchings said.

As Hutchings enters a new stage in his life, he confident that he will find ways to still impact the Trojans whether that is through football or across the rest of the community in Midlothian.

“Not being the head coach of this team will be a hard pill to swallow for awhile, but as time goes on, I know I will acknowledge that the decision I made was the best one for my family and I,” Hutchings said.