Henry Hattis and his huge hands have Cleveland hoping to hum to New Mexico football title

Video: Regular season highlights
See Henry Hattis' highlights from the 2014 regular season.

Cleveland (Rio Rancho) senior tackle Henry Hattis already is somewhat of a legend in New Mexico high school football.

However, it's not just because he's 6-foot-7, 270 pounds, rated the No. 1 player in the state by 247Sports and headed for Stanford University on a full scholarship. It's because of his huge hands.

Veteran coach Heath Ridenour told MaxPreps, "He has the biggest hands I ever have seen. He can hold a football between his index and middle finger. His hands are like sausages. Those are weapons. They are heavy. He swings them and people feel them."

Cleveland line coach Jason Hoffman added, "His hands are pretty amazing. I shook his hand and he made my hands look like my wife's hands."

Hattis related, "I met one basketball player at the University of Kansas who was the only person (I have seen) with bigger hands than me. My mom always jokes. She has a picture of me, maybe a year old, palming a pear. Sometimes I catch a finger in a facemask, but otherwise it's more of an advantage than a disadvantage."

It's rather unusual for an offensive lineman to be ranked No. 1 in any state over quarterbacks, running backs or receivers.

"It's definitely a huge honor," Hattis said of being No. 1. "I don't really like to look at rankings. I definitely work very hard to be the best I can be."

Coach Ridenour calls him "Definitely the best lineman we ever have had in the program at Cleveland. He's a fantastic pass protector. I don't think he's given up a sack all season (through eight games). We've punted the ball just six times and Henry is a big part of that. We run pretty heavily behind him. He likes to move things (opponents) from Point A to Point B against their will."

Pleased to be called Cleveland's best-ever lineman, the humble Hattis said, "It's a great honor to hear that, but that's for other people to say."

Cleveland also is averaging over 50 points a game and on target to beat its own state record of 641 points in 2011 when it posted a 13-0 record and won the Class 5A championship.

Though he was eight pounds and 22 inches long at birth, Hattis was a foot taller than his teammates when he began playing football at around age 5. Predictably, he was paired with 8-year-olds. He was a linebacker in the beginning, but by fifth grade he was anchored at offensive line.

He noted, "I always loved to hit people - my favorite part and it still is. The line came very easily because I was bigger than most in my league. I had a good time just pushing my weight around."

Arriving at Cleveland as a ninth-grader, he played on the "C" team until the state playoffs, at which point he and quarterback Gabe Ortega were promoted to the varsity team, where they gained great experience while performing against the varsity players on the scout team.

As a sophomore, Hattis started at nose guard. He was named second-team all-district as the Storm posted a 10-2 record and lost in the state semifinals. His highlight game was making three sacks and 11 tackles during a district championship victory over arch rival Rio Rancho. He finished the year with 37 tackles.

Hattis grew to 6-6 1/2 as a junior and began to "really realize that if I have any potential, it's being on the offensive line. It was going to take a whole lot more than just being big to make it at the next level. I worked on speed and strength. There was a huge part with the mental aspect playing on offense. It took three or four games to really get the hang of it."

His highlight game as a junior came during a classic 57-56 loss to Eldorado (Albuquerque) where he had "16 or 17 pancake blocks and no sacks (allowed)."

This year, coach Ridenour said, "I told him that Division I players dominate and that's just what he has done. Most special for us is that he's taking other kids under his wing. They are getting better because they are going against him (every day in practice)."

Hoffman added, "Henry takes it upon himself to teach a lot. He's been to a lot of camps and shares his knowledge. His biggest improvement is maturity. He's always been big and strong."

Hattis admitted that he likes mentoring and he might consider coaching some day.

He related, "I know I've got some great experience from camps in Oakland and Los Angeles. A lot of young players look up to me. We all try to get better and not be selfish. I've thought about coaching."

He had 50 knock-downs in the first eight games this fall.

So far this season, Hattis ranks a 42-35 victory over Eldorado, which was No. 2 in the state at the time, as his most memorable game. He had 15 knock-downs and the Storm overcame a 14-0 deficit to win 42-35.

Hoffman likes to point out his relentlessness.

He recalled, "I was in the booth and saw a block far downfield. At first I thought it was a receiver. But it was Henry driving a lineman about 15 or 20 yards from the line of scrimmage - and on the opposite side of the field."

Discussing that play, Hattis said, "That (downfield blocking) is kind of my favorite. If I keep my feet, I just drive them all the way down field until the whistle."

As unbeaten (9-0) Cleveland "storms" toward a possible Class 6A state championship, Hattis has his work cut out for him. He still has a promising basketball campaign ahead, his fourth year on the varsity. Last year's team was Class 6A runner-up and returns a strong nucleus.

He also played baseball when he was younger, once slugging three home runs in a single game.

Then he must get ready for Stanford, one of 13 Division I colleges to offer him a scholarship. He has a 3.5 GPA and also considered UCLA, Arizona and Missouri.

Ridenour pointed out that his young star didn't get a lot of offers because, "He was a big fish. They (most colleges) all left him alone."

In his spare time - if he ever has any - the Cleveland star likes to play chess, sand volleyball and put together music tracks with his friends.

A pro future seems possible for Hattis. He said, "(The NFL) always has been my dream since I was small. I've been working really hard at that dream. I definitely need to work on my speed and overall strength. They can get me to 300 or 305 pounds."