Colts connections to IHSAA football on full display as sons light up Friday nights
Ah, the confidence of a teenager.
A little swagger is necessary on the football field, especially at the wide receiver position, where one-on-one battles with defensive backs are often their own game within the game. You have to believe in yourself. You have to want the ball.
Eugene Hilton, a precocious Zionsville sophomore, has those qualities.
“He tells me that a lot,” Zionsville quarterback Christian Abney said. “‘Throw me the ball, it doesn’t matter if I open.’ He’s usually right, though. He usually comes down with it.”
Zionsville Eugene Hilton (2) leaps for a pass Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, at Riverview Health Stadium in Westfield.
If that last name sounds familiar, yes, there are some genetics working in Hilton’s favor. Eugene’s father, T.Y. Hilton, is third all-time in Colts’ history in receiving yards behind only Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. “The Ghost” flummoxed a cornerback or two during his 10-year NFL career with the Colts.
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Eugene, albeit with a smile, had a quick answer when asked to compare his game to his father’s. “Oh, I’m definitely the better receiver,” he said. “I go get the ball better. I’m just better. He has a little bit of speed on me, a little bit of experience.”
The elder Hilton laughs as his son’s comments are relayed, but it is a prideful chuckle.
“You’ve got to be confident,” T.Y. Hilton said. “He’s constantly working, working on his route running and getting in and out of his breaks. It’s really showing.”
Eugene became something of a viral sensation earlier this month when he caught nine passes for 144 yards against Westfield, including a sensational 21-yard touchdown catch from Abney that was set up by Hilton’s 40-yard punt return. It ended in a 23-16 loss, though, as Westfield senior quarterback Cole Ballard, the son of Colts’ general manager Chris Ballard, scored the winning touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.
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The popularity of the Colts, particularly during the Peyton Manning era and culminating with the Super Bowl victory in the 2007 season, is often cited as a reason for the rise of high school football in the state, especially in the Indianapolis area. The goal for every team in the state is to end their season in the state finals on Thanksgiving weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium, the home of the Colts.
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But with names like Hilton and Ballard making highlights on football Friday nights, the Colts’ impact is arguably more tangible than ever. And they are not the only ones.
Cole Ballard: The GM's kid
Cole Ballard was in seventh grade when his father was hired as the Colts’ general manager. The family moved from Kansas City, where Chris Ballard was working as the director of football operations for the Chiefs.
Westfield quarterback Cole Ballard (1) throws a pass Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, at Riverview Health Stadium in Westfield.
For Cole, football was a way to meet new people. But, maybe surprisingly, it was also Cole’s first time playing football.
“My dad always said seventh grade,” Cole said of when he was allowed to start playing the game. “As soon as we moved here, it was time for me to play so I was excited. My seventh-grade year, everybody was going into middle school so everyone was kind of going into new friend groups so football was kind of my home. My very first experience here was going to a football camp.”
Cole did not play quarterback until he reached high school. He was a receiver. But by Ballard’s junior year, it was clear he was ready to play. The problem — if it could be considered a problem — was that Westfield already had a returning starter and a good one in Maximus Webster, who led the Shamrocks to the Class 6A state finals as a junior.
“We thought he was going to be fantastic,” Westfield coach Jake Gilbert said. “In fact, we were prepared to play him some quarterback. If he played quarterback, maybe Maximus would play some tight end. We thought he was a ‘best 11’ player, we just had two really good QBs so we had to figure that out. But we were willing do that.”
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That scenario never really had a chance to materialize, however. Ballard dislocated both of his kneecaps early in the season and played in just three games, passing for 109 yards on 11 completions. “I definitely feel like I could have helped the team,” he said. “But Maximus was a phenomenal leader. He talked me through a lot and definitely helped to mentally prepare me for this season.”
Gilbert said that relationship between competing quarterbacks is a credit to Ballard and might be a lesson for other parents. Chris Ballard helped connect Webster with quarterback guru Tom House, who has worked with elite NFL quarterbacks like Drew Brees, Andrew Luck and many others.
“What’s par for the course today: ‘Coach is an idiot, my kid should be playing,’” Gilbert said. “And if there was anybody who knows football enough to make a statement like that, it would be (Ballard). But he did nothing but support the guy who played in front of Cole and support my decisions. He connected Maximus with Tom House. He made calls on his behalf to Ball State. Just think about that.”
Westfield quarterback Cole Ballard (1) hands the ball off to Terry Williams on Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, at Riverview Health Stadium in Westfield.
Cole did not expect anything to be handed to him, but working his way back from an injury has made him more hungry than ever. And through four games, on a team with less experience and overall talent than the back-to-back 6A runner-up teams, he has thrived. In four games for the 6A sixth-ranked Shamrocks (3-1), Ballard is completing 62.2% of his passes for 705 yards and six TDs and has rushed for 230 yards and five scores.
“He’s our unquestioned, No. 1 leader,” Gilbert said. “He’s a great player. He has a whole new cast of characters and we have to get familiar with each other and get better together, but he’s been terrific.”
Cole’s connection to the Colts on a personal level is less hands-on than it was when he was in middle school. “I used to love working training camp,” he said. “That was kind of my thing.”
There is more of an appreciation now, he said, of having a “birds-eye view” of being able to watch the team and personal interactions with players like Luck, Kenny Moore and Sam Ehlinger, who he said of have gone out of their way to get to know him.
“Even guys I don’t know would say, ‘Hey Cole, how are you?’” he said. “That means the world to a seventh grader who just moved here.”
Cole counts his blessings. He knows his resources like working with House are not available to everyone. But he also sees how hard his father works and shares that same competitive edge that drives Chris. Two of Cole’s four siblings are adopted foster children. Chris and Kristen Ballard are involved in several charities for foster children in the area.
“Every game day we go to a breakfast for foster kids and walk around and talk to people,” Cole said. “That really resonates with us because we have two sisters who went through foster care.”
Cole does not go out of his way to let people know about his family connection to the Colts. It is usually the opposite, in fact. But he laughs that he has become accustomed to people coming to him with, um, ideas about the team.
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“More often than you know,” he said with a laugh. “Especially when I first moved here. It was harder because I wasn’t used to it. But now I just brush it off like, ‘OK, whatever you think.’ It’s usually the dads who make the connection, not the kids. The passion here for the Colts is incredible. It’s amazing, really.”
Cole would like to play football in college and stay involved in sports as a career. But he also wants to chart his own path.
“My dad gives me plenty of resources, but I don’t want to use them,” he said. “I want to start my own path. Whether that is football or maybe another sport, I don’t know. Maybe in coaching or scouting or getting into the medical field as a trainer. But I’d love to be in sports.”
Cole said he is happy his father’s NFL journey brought him to Indiana and Westfield in particular.
“This is the best experience of my life,” he said. “And that’s our program goal. The brothers I’ve made, the coaches are amazing. I look up to those guys as mentors and they will be forever.”
Carmel Colts pups
The high school probably most associated with the Colts is Carmel. In John Hebert’s eight seasons as coach, there have been several connections, including:
>> Coach Alan Williams’ sons — Christian, Solomon and Nathan — all played for the Greyhounds. Williams, who coached the Colts for two tenures spanning 14 years, was hired as the defensive coordinator for the Bears this year.
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>> Hall of Fame kicker Adam Vinatieri’s son, A.J., kicked for Carmel before moving to Zionsville. He is now at Ball State.
>> Former Colts’ tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts’ sons Austin and Avery played for Carmel. Roberts is now on the Steelers’ staff.
>> Karsten Krauss, son of former linebacker Barry Krauss of the Colts and Dolphins, played fullback and tight end for the Greyhounds.
>> Dominic Padjen, son of former Colts’ linebacker Gary Padjen, played inside linebacker for Carmel.
>> Zach Dilger, son of former Colts’ tight end Ken Dilger, played tight end at Carmel.
>> Jalen Walker, the son of former Colts’ running backs coach David Walker, was a standout receiver for the Greyhounds.
The connection on this year’s team? Hunter Snow. Snow, a junior safety who is third on the team with 35 tackles, is the son of former Colts’ long snapper Justin Snow.
Undrafted, Justin Snow (48) spent 12 seasons long snapping for the Colts.
Unlike Ballard or Hilton, Snow’s connection to the Colts is not necessarily current. Hunter remembers “maybe one or two games” of his father’s NFL career, which spanned 12 seasons with the Colts and one with Washington, ending in 2012.
“I remember his second-to-last year, which was with the Colts,” Hunter said. “I remember going into the locker room and meeting Pat McAfee. My dad was good friends with Hunter Smith, the punter, and was really close with Jeff Saturday and Peyton Manning.”
Hunter is a Colts’ fan. He’s also a Russell Wilson fan and cheers — or cheered — the Seahawks. He said he gets to “about one or two” Colts’ games per season. But because of the time that has passed between the end of his father’s NFL career and now, he doesn’t necessarily see his dad as a Colt as much as a mentor.
“From when I was 4 years old until last year, when he just stopped being my baseball coach for travel, he coached me,” Hunter said. “For football, he coached me from third to eighth grade. He was super tough on me. You can ask any of the guys who played on our pups team. We were the most conditioned team in the conference. He’s hard on me and expects a lot from me, but I trust him because I know he knows what it takes to get to the highest level.”
Hunter, at least before the season, was receiving more college recruiting interest in baseball than football as an outfielder. But his father was a late bloomer, growing six inches and gaining 30 pounds from his junior to senior year of high school, eventually growing to 6-3 and 245 pounds.
“My freshman year I was 5-9, 130 pounds,” said Hunter, who is now 6-foot and 170 pounds. “I don’t know if I’m headed on the same track as my dad, but if I grow to 6-4 and 230 I’m not sure if baseball will be the way to go or football. I haven’t hit my full size and strength, for sure.”
As Hunter sat in the Carmel football stadium bleachers on a warm evening, he pointed up to where his brother, a sixth-grader at Creekside Middle School, was practicing. His father coaches that travel team, along with former Colts Gary Brackett and Donald Thomas, both who also have sons on the team.
“A good coaching staff,” Hunter said with a laugh. “Not a very good team.”
Justin Snow trains long snappers in high school and college. Hunter can do it, too, though he is not currently long snapping for Carmel. But he keeps in mind the story his dad has relayed to him about then-Colts’ general manager Bill Polian seeing him practicing long snapping on the sideline during a Baylor game. Polian signed Snow as an undrafted free agent in 2000 and he went on to start 192 consecutive games for the Colts.
“I learned from him that you never know who is watching,” Hunter Snow said. “That’s why you have to give 100% on the field at all times.”
Josiah Smith: The punter's kid
Hunter Smith, a standout punter who doubled as a holder, and Justin Snow made up two-thirds of a trio — along with kicker Mike Vanderjagt — that became the first trio in NFL history in 2003 not to miss a field goal or extra point.
Smith’s oldest son, Josiah, made headlines two years ago when he dramatically drilled a game-winning 38-yard field goal with 7 seconds remaining in the Class 2A state championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium to give Western Boone a third consecutive state title, 36-35 over Fort Wayne Luers.
Memorable?
Western Boone sophomore Josiah Smith (14) reacts after kicking the game-winning field goal during the second half against Fort Wayne Bishop Luers in the Class 2A Football State Finals, Friday. Western Boone won 36-35.
“Amazing,” Josiah said. “It’s probably one of things I’ll take to my grave and one of coolest experiences that a young man can have. I was extremely blessed to be put on that situation — even if I missed it, would have been character-building experience. But I’m glad I made it.”
Smith, who returned to action last week after missing the first three Western Boone games with a groin injury, said his last name makes him a little more anonymous “than if my name was Dingleberry, or something.” But he has experienced several cool moments, including getting to know other former Colts like Dallas Clark, Saturday and Snow. Hunter Smith punted for the Colts from 1999-2008 before finishing with Washington in 2009 and ’10.
“People here really admire the Colts,” Josiah said. “They think of them as celebrities, which I guess they are. In a way, that’s part of my identity. I’m an NFL player’s son, which is not a good or bad thing, but it comes with challenges and benefits.”
Josiah said among those challenges is not the pressure to play football. Hunter Smith never pushed football or any sport with his children Josiah, Samuel, 14, Lydia, 12, or Bo, 9.
“He just really wants us to play the sports we want to play,” said Josiah, who is looking at Wheaton (Ill.) or Hillsdale (Mich.) for college and also competes in basketball and track and field. “But he doesn’t push it. He doesn’t live vicariously through us. He wants me to be Josiah Smith, not Hunter Smith’s son.”
Eugene Hilton: The star WR's kid
Who knows where Eugene Hilton might be playing high school football if not for the “decision” he made as an infant. As the story goes, T.Y., put two hats on his bed — one West Virginia and one Florida International — on the night before signing day in February of 2008 and allowed Eugene to pick where he would go to school. Eugene went for the FIU hat six times in a row.
“True story,” T.Y. said with a laugh. “That’s honestly what happened. It was absolutely a great decision.”
Zionsville wide receiver Eugene Hilton (2) attempts to escape a tackle Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, at Riverview Health Stadium in Westfield.
It sent Hilton on a path to stardom at Florida International and then with the Colts, who selected him in the third round of the 2012 draft. Like T.Y., who was a basketball standout in high school at Miami Springs, Eugene is also a hooper and has already has some size on his dad — at least an inch.
But is become clear, with the evidence of 19 catches for 289 yards and three touchdowns through four games, that Eugene is destined for a football future as well.
“When I was younger I told my parents (basketball) was what I wanted to do,” Eugene said. “When I got to high school, the love of the game in football just took over. It’s where I belong.”
T.Y. said it has been fun to see Eugene play more in person. During his NFL career, there were Saturday games he would miss because of travel schedules.
“I love being able to see him play,” T.Y. said. “With me, I’m his hardest teacher. I never want him to be satisfied and working on those little things like releases and running a guy off and understanding coverages. There’s always room for improvement. He has to watch a lot of film and be his hardest critic.”
T.Y. makes his way down at halftime to offer some tips to Eugene, but otherwise tries to “sit back and relax” when watching Zionsville play.
“It’s a little bit of both,” he said. “I’ll offer any adjustments if I can help and come down and yell something at him. I try to see it like a coach and view the defense and offer any adjustments if I can.”
That kind of insight from a source like T.Y. Hilton can’t hurt, Zionsville coach Scott Turnquist said. When A.J. Vinatieri kicked for the Eagles the past two years, Adam Vinatieri helped coach the special teams.
“It’s been a pretty amazing thing during my time at Carmel and now at Zionsville that the Colts’ players have been just as good of people as they are players,” Turnquist said. “That’s been a really cool experience. No. 1 they are just people like us. You learn that, too. But it my experience they have been nothing but a positive influence on our teams.”
There is another young Hilton, Ty Hilton, who is 10 years old and lit up the social media world when T.Y. posted a few highlights on Twitter. His day will come soon enough.
“My brother took most of my shine,” Eugene said with a laugh.
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09-14-2022, 09:04 AM
Ballard and Hilton face each other on the gridiron.
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