Friday night was a very special one at Cathedral High School.

No, the football team didn’t win its game, although they did hang with Mount Olive for awhile before falling short.

What made the night special was the fact that the school honored one of its greatest ambassadors in Von Hutchins.

Hutchins starred for the Green Wave on the gridiron from 1994-1998 before going on to play at Ole Miss and then the NFL.

Hutchins was a super athlete for Cathedral right from the get-go.

At Friday’s halftime, former Cathedral coach Ken Beesley, who coached Hutchins, told the story of Hutchins starting a playoff game against Lake at quarterback as an eighth-grader because Cathedral’s other two quarterbacks were injured.

It took him a little while to convince Hutchins’ parents to let Von start, but they eventually gave their blessing, and Beesley is sure glad they did.

Hutchins wound up throwing the winning touchdown pass that night, and started at quarterback and defensive back for the next four years.

But it wasn’t just Hutchins’ skill on the football field that was being honored Friday night.

It was also about his accomplishments off the field.

In fact, during the long list of accomplishments the public address announcer read off, the one that got the loudest cheer was that Von missed only four days of school in his entire time at Cathedral.

Hutchins excelled academically and athletically, and was given an academic and athletic scholarship to Ole Miss.

Hutchins accomplishments on and off the field are what make him a role model to Cathedral’s current students and players, Cathedral athletic director Josh Loy said.

“He gives our kids a good role model,” Loy said. “He’s always been a high character guy and preached academics to our kids when come back to the schools. He’s always been a good role model for Cathedral.”

And Hutchins has also given back to his community as well.

Last year he helped start the Natchez Falcons, a youth football league that gives youngsters a chance to play football instead of possibly being out on the street getting into trouble.

In just its second year, the league is thriving, with three age groups of kids who love the game.

The youngest age group is undefeated and won its league, which is rare for a team in just its second year of existence.

Hutchins said it is an honor to be able to give back to his community and he hopes to give the area’s youth a chance to accomplish what he has.

“When you have the opportunity to be able to give back to your community, you need to do it,” Hutchins said. “This is where it began for me. You want to have the youth continue what you started.”

In an age where many athletes are me-first prima donnas, Natchez should be proud that one of its most accomplished professional athletes is upstanding enough to know what is really important.

It’s not about scoring touchdowns or intercepting passes, but impacting those around you in a positive way.

And in that regard, Von Hutchins deserves all the recognition he gets.

Jeff Edwards is the sports editor for The Democrat. He can be reached at sports@natchezdemocrat.com.