This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It's not unusual to hear about a kid playing offense and defense for his high school football team. But have you ever heard of a three-way player being a three-sport athlete?
Well if not, meet Hayes Hicken.
Standing six-feet tall and weighing 165 pounds, Hicken's resumé reads like something straight off the pages of a Hollywood movie script. He carries a 3.96 cumulative GPA, has been class president, and is a member of the National Honor Society. But that's just his academic profile as Hicken also plays on the basketball team, is the soccer team's star goalie, plays wide receiver and defensive back, and takes care of all the kicking duties for Head Coach Brody Benson.
The junior at Highland High School may sound too good to be true, but he is the real thing.
Like other high school seniors, Hicken will have to make a very real decision in the near future in deciding on what college he will attend. However, Hicken's situation is a little more complicated. As one of the best goalies in the area along with being one of the best field goal kickers in the state, Hicken will have to decide if he wants to play both sports at the next level or chose one over the other.
Hicken must make a very tough decision, and soon. Not helping matters is the fact that both of his coaches feel that he's better at their chosen sport.
Gil Alverez has been working with Hicken during the summers since his freshman year as his kicking coach, and seems to be the most unbiased out of the group.
"I know he's done well in soccer, but his best situation would be to attend a school where he could do both," Alverez said.
Highland Head Soccer Coach Lloyd Siegendorf admits to having a biased when discussing Hicken and his soccer abilities. He believes that he has the talent to become a Division II kicker or a goalie for a big time program like Notre Dame.
"The football coach [Brody Benson] is going to kill me when he reads this, but there are a whole lot more skills required as a goalkeeper," Siegendorf said. "There are more moves and more athleticism, and I think he's a better goalkeeper but he's really good at both. Because being in the goal require more speed, agility, quickness, and hand-eye coordination then putting a ball through the uprights."
While Hicken hasn't received any official offers for either sport yet, he has been getting some attention from the University of Utah for his kicking skills, according to Benson. For now, Hicken says he is open to receiving attention and offers from any school that would have him, including the Utes, BYU and Utah State. He also plans to go on an LDS Church mission.
With the opportunity of having a longer career in football than soccer, Coach Benson is confident that the phones will start ringing next season.
"I expect some offers in the fall," Benson said. "He's got a collegiate-style leg and with his academics he has a lot of upside to him, so I definitely think teams are going to call on him. He's a Division I kicker."
For now, Hicken will spend his summer working with Alverez and will be putting together a soccer highlight tape to send out to schools in the fall. When asked which sport he likes the most, Hicken didn't have an answer. He enjoys both, for different reasons.
"There are different mental approaches to each one of them," Hicken said. "For football I get amped up on offense and defense, but when it comes to special teams its all about focus. For soccer I get amped up too because I control the tempo of the game, but its hard to decide on which one I like more."
Instead of worrying about his future plans, Hicken has decided to enjoy being a teenager and is take pleasure in playing the games he loves.
I'm just enjoying playing all the sports that I can and enjoying high school," Hicken said. "I'm definitely going to think about that decision, but I'll make it at the end of next year." —
Hayes Hicken
Hayes Hicken is a three-way player and three-sport athlete
The Highland junior excels at both soccer and football
To see Hicken kicking in practice and games go to http://bit.ly/lGzU0M and http://bit.ly/mCebPE