Meet the state of Arizona’s leading rusher: River Valley’s Zach Hammett
MOHAVE VALLEY, Ariz. (BVM) – Sports are often an outlet for athletes, an escape from their real-world problems. Such is the case for Zach Hammett, the state of Arizona’s leader in both rushing yards and total touchdowns.
The River Valley High School senior said he wasn’t hanging out with the right people and found himself in “serious trouble” multiple times as a freshman.
“I had a really rough start to high school … but football really got me away from that so I stuck with it,” Hammett said. “I look back on it and if I had gone to practice that day, I would’ve been out of trouble.
“It’s (football) definitely my escape from everything out in the world right now. It gets me hyped up, happy and puts a smile on my face.”
After a rocky freshman year, Hammett dedicated himself to the sport. He came out as a sophomore and rushed for 1,264 yards and 10 touchdowns while rushing for at least 100 yards in seven different games. The Dust Devils’ running back nearly ran for another 1,000 yards (911) as a junior during an abbreviated season, but it appears as though Hammett has saved his best performance for his senior campaign.
https://t.co/FagRi0RLED pic.twitter.com/INfNBjVT2v
— Zach Hammett (@HammettZach) June 28, 2021
Through just four games, Hammett has rushed for 1,044 yards and 17 touchdowns. Both totals lead the entire state of Arizona and no other ball carrier has even eclipsed 900 rushing yards through four weeks of the season.
Hammett opened up his senior year with 263 rushing yards and four touchdowns in a win over Eastmark before a 318-yard, five-touchdown performance in a dominant win over Arizona College Prep. On a somewhat down night for Hammett’s standards in Week 3, where he rushed for 161 yards and three touchdowns in another blowout win, the River Valley standout also returned two punts for touchdowns. Last week against Bourgade Catholic, Hammett rushed for 302 yards and five touchdowns on just nine carries.
“It’s my last year and I have to make a statement,” Hammett said. “Me and my team have been working our tails off and we’re just trying to show it. Right after last season ended, we really got to it because we made it to the first round of the playoffs and lost again for the second year in a row. So we’re really just trying to prove a point this year and get after it.
“I’m more of a guy to tell you that without my offensive line and coaches all doing their jobs, I really wouldn’t be anything without them. I’m just doing my job while they do theirs.”
Despite amassing more than 3,400 rushing yards and 54 total touchdowns so far during his high school career, Hammett’s college recruiting activity is virtually nonexistent. The senior said he holds a couple offers from Division III schools which is “perfectly fine” for him, but believes his rough start to high school and lack of height (5-foot-8) has prevented more schools from getting involved.
“I just try not to let that get to me and try to prove my point basically every week,” Hammett said.
Nearing the halfway point of the regular season, Hammett and his River Valley teammates have certainly proved their point. The Dust Devils are 4-0 and have outscored their opponents 203-61 thanks in large part to their running back’s dominance on the ground. Hammett said his state-leading rushing mark “feels good inside,” but all of his goals are team-oriented.
“We’ve bonded a lot over the summer and become a really tight team, but I want to see our tight team and all of our bonds go further than the first round this year,” Hammett said.
River Valley (4-0) and the state’s leading rusher are back in action on Friday night versus Paradise Honors (1-3).
