Owls senior thrower, lineman wraps up successful career

May 28, 2019

Seymour’s Haden Mettert has spent a lot of time at Bulleit Stadium over the past four years, and hopes he has helped the football and track and field programs grow during his time at the school.

He topped off his track season this spring by placing first in the shot put at the Bedford North Lawrence sectional with a throw of 51-feet-1.

Mettert did well in other big meets in the shot, winning the Seymour Invitational, placing first individually in the New Albany Relays, placing second in the Hoosier Hills Conference, and fourth in the Bloomington Regional.

He talked about technique, and how he had a different strategy while throwing at home.

“There is a light pole on our practice (football) field. My hand that doesn’t have the ball that sweeps across, I try to get it to finish and end up where that pole is, and after I throw it I try to look back into the middle of the ring so I can keep myself inside the ring so I can keep from scratching,” Mettert said. “I’ve always had success on the third throw. I’ve always said No. 3 is the big one.”

The SHS senior said he liked throwing because it was different than football.

“I love football a lot, but it is the opposite season,” Mettert said. “It’s not complete team basis, it’s something you work on yourself. The meets are a lot more relaxed.”

Mettert said working hard in practice is a must in order to have success in meets.

“Every thrower is usually doing something inside their throws that they need to work on,” he said. “My big thing is trying to land on my toes rather than on my heels. Practice is where you work on something you’re doing wrong.”

Mettert was a three-year starter in football. He played at left guard as a sophomore and at left tackle his junior and senior years.

“The biggest difference, playing tackle you’re going against a lot more speed out there with defensive ends,” Mettert said. “At guard, you’re playing more with a bigger, slower guy with more strength.”

Mettert, who stands 6-5, and played football at 300-pounds, used his frame to his advantage.

“With pass blocking, because I’m big-bodied, I could get basically in between the quarterback and defender a lot easier because I had so much surface area with my body,” Mettert said. “With drive blocking it was pure strength and just out-muscling people. Pass blocking is more passive I guess, you’re more stood up, while run blocking you’re trying to move them back off the line of scrimmage.”

The current group of seniors at SHS have played football together for years.

“The guys that I played football with, for my grade, are the same guys I played football with the very first time I stepped on the field,” Mettert said. “So from the time I was in fourth grade to my senior year I was playing with the same kids, which is something you don’t get anywhere else but high school sports.

“When we came into SHS my freshman year, the team was struggling. We left with winning seasons all but one year, which is definitely something the program needed, and I hope it continues.”

The Owls head coach the past two seasons was Mike Kelly. Josh Shattuck was the Owls head coach Mettert’s freshman and sophomore seasons.

He said his two biggest wins were, his sophomore year winning a shootout at New Albany, and last fall beating Brownstown Central in the Jackson Bowl.

The lineman feels that weightlifting makes the difference on the field.

“The weight room is where it starts,” Mettert said. “You can have all the heart in the world, but eventually you’ve got to get in the weight room and be strong enough and fast enough to play. You have to be able to know that you can do what is expected of you and have the confidence that you get it done and everything like that. I think that comes from practice, just creating the muscle memory.”

He said his favorite lift was bench where he maxed out at 275 pounds.

Mettert leaves SHS with a lot of good memories.

“I enjoy everything about the school,” Mettert said. “I wouldn’t trade what I’ve done here for the world. I’m going to school to be a secondary education major. Eventually the dream would be co come back and teach here and maybe even coach. The school has left a lasting impact on me.”

Mettert will play football at University of Indianapolis. He attended UIndy’s spring game, and said he was given his nutrition packet and his summer workout schedule.

[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Mettert file” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

Name: Haden Mettert

High school: Seymour

Parents: Tricia and Steve Mettert

Sibling: Clayton

Sports: football 4 years, track and field 2 years, baseball 1 year

Athletic highlights: football: all-county 4 years, all-conference 1 year, all-state 1 year, all-region 1 year; track: 2019 sectional shot put champion, 2-time regional qualifier in shot put

No posts to display