Staff Reports
It's the University of Toledo football team after all for former Douglas High star Gabe Hatchett.
It appeared that Hatchett was heading to Nebraska when he committed to the Cornhuskers last week. Hatchett had already verbally committed to Toledo before he received a call from the Cornhuskers late last month. Verbal commitments are non-binding.
Hatchett made his final decision on Wednesday when he signed with Toledo during the first day of the winter signing period. Hatchett, a 2001 Douglas graduate, will transfer from Sacramento City College where he earned All-Nor Cal and JuCal Transfer All-State honors after catching 49 passes for 824 yards and 13 touchdowns. Hatchett's speed and size earned him Division I interest.
He's 6-3, 194 pounds and has close to 4.4-second speed in the 40-yard dash. As a senior at Douglas, Hatchett earned second team all-state honors after catching 40 passes for 709 yards. He also placed third in the state in the 110-meter high hurdles.
Hatchett will enroll at Toledo as a junior. Toledo, a member of the Mid American Conference, went 8-4 last year.
Two other Carson Country football players were scheduled to sign on Wednesday. Carson High's John Stewart, a 6-3, 200-pound linebacker, signed with Division I-AA Weber State. Douglas High's Jake Peterson, another standout linebacker, was scheduled to sign with the Ivy League's Penn, also a Division I-AA school.
