Four Questions with sports commentator Hutson Mason

Former Lassiter QB Hutson Mason passed for 4,560 yards in 2009, which was a state record at the time.

Former Lassiter QB Hutson Mason passed for 4,560 yards in 2009, which was a state record at the time.

GHSF Daily is expanding its Four Questions feature this season beyond head coaches to other voices in high school football. Today's interviewee is former Georgia and Lassiter quarterback Hutson Mason, now a sports radio host and college football color commentator. Mason and Matt Stewart will be calling Saturday's Walton-Mill Creek and North Gwinnett-Brookwood games at the Corky Kell Classic on WATL Channel 36 (MyATL).

Hutson Mason, sports commentator 

1. What are you doing professionally these days, and what do you enjoy about it? "I am currently co-hosting a show on Atlanta Sports X (106.3 FM) every day from 12 to 3 p.m. This fall I will begin my second season calling games with ESPN in the booth, mostly MAC/Sun Belt games. It keeps me close to the fire, and I've truly enjoyed chasing my dream in a secondary type way since my playing days are over." [Mason got his degree at Georgia in mass communications and media studies and played briefly in the NFL and CFL.]

2. What's your best memory of playing high school football, or most memorable game or moment? "There were a lot of memories that stand out from my playing days at Lassiter, but none more memorable than our school's first-ever playoff win, Lassiter vs Etowah in 2009. In the 28 years of Lassiter's history, the program had never made it past the first round in the playoffs. We were a No. 4 seed playing at Etowah, a No. 1 seed. Down late in the game, we score, and they end up missing a game-winning field goal. We end up winning in overtime. I think every quarterback's dream scenario is that two-minute drive for a win in a big moment with a lot on the line, and that's what that night was all about. It felt like that night was the night Lassiter football finally became a talking point around the state." [Mason passed for 3,705 yards that season, second most in state history. Then in 2009, Mason threw for 4,560 yards, smashing the state record by more than 800 yards and ushering in a new era of high-powered, spread offenses in Georgia.]

3. Why is high school football still close to your heart? What do you love about high school football? "High school football is special to me because it's the last opportunity in your life to play the game just for the love of it. As you progress in life, you realize that nothing is more cherishable than Friday nights in Georgia. The attachment with local communities and the passion from fan bases in this part of the country are what make high school football feel so unique and special."

4. Is there anything that you see in today's high school football that you'd like to see changed or improved? "I'm not as plugged in with what's going on on an everyday basis with issues around high school football, but I have coached high school ball and I hear parents and coaches all the time talking about recruiting and moving their kids to other programs for other opportunities. I'm all for people and players bettering themselves and putting themselves in a situation to succeed and accomplish their goals, but I think there's a fine line between doing that and always looking at yourself as a victim of circumstances. Some of these kids now are playing for three different teams within a four-year span. If this becomes the norm, it will be the Wild Wild West in high school football as far as recruiting goes."

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