East Webster Senior Excels On The Gridiron And The Diamond

CUMBERLAND, Miss. (WCBI) —At East Webster, you’re either a part of Friday night lights, or on the baseball diamond.

For senior athlete Sloan Hillhouse, being a part of both sports was always the goal.

“I’ve always wanted to play football and baseball, and I love sports,” said student athlete Sloan Hillhouse. “Everybody here has always played football and baseball.”

Hillhouse has started for the Wolverines each of the past two seasons, but its been a different Sloan in 2018.

Defensive coordinator Jason Smith notices a new fire Hillhouse has brought to his defense.

“He always gives us great effort,” said Jason Smith. “But this year I think he’s turned it up a notch. I mean he’s been everywhere on the defensive side of the football. He’s given us a hundred and ten percent effort. Been everywhere on defense. He’s been our leading tackler about every game. He’s been a spark for us on defense.”

The coaches that know Hillhouse the best know there’s more to the senior off the field than simply making a tackle or delivering a base hit.

“He plays offense, defense, and special teams for us,” said head football coach Ron Price. “Plays shortstop and pitches for the baseball team, and has an a average in the classroom. It just tells me that he is disciplined. He uses his time wisely, and he’s focused. He wants to be successful at anything he chooses to do.”

“To me Sloan is what high school sports is all about,” adds head baseball coach Wes Johnson. “He’s a guy that came in and progressively has gotten better every year because he’s put in the hard work, and he’s put it what it takes to get better both in the classroom and on the athletic field, and he’s just been a joy to coach.”

And when he’s not making plays on the field, there’s a good chance you can find Sloan in the great outdoors.

“I like to hunt. When I get out of practice early, I’ll go hunting or fishing or something like that. I’ve always like deer hunting, duck hunting, and everything since I was little.”

Sloan and his team close out the regular season on Friday with a road trip to Leflore County.