ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – Tuesday was a special day for a 6′7″ offensive lineman at North Cross High School.
“He’s a very determined kid. He had never played offensive line before he got here. All we did was point him in the direction and he took it from there,” says head football coach Stephen Alexander.
Hannes Hammer is an international student from Germany who spent the last two years making the Roanoke Valley home.
“I love the people I love the region, it’s a very welcoming space. I’m excited to stay here,” he says.
Hammer has not only found comfort in the Roanoke community, but also on the football field. In his two seasons with the North Cross Raiders, he was named 1st Team All-Conference and 1st Team All-State, while also helping the team win a state championship title.
On signing day, he became the first Virginia Tech scholarship commit from North Cross.
“It’s very exciting, when I came here two years ago it was always my plan to go D1 but I had no idea if it was actually going to happen. It’s kind of relaxing now to know I did it and it’s final.”
By commenting to maroon and orange, he joins other noteworthy homegrown athletes including Radford’s Marcell Baylor, and Tavorian Copeland and Jonathan Pennix from Appomattox.
“You know, it is so cool to see southwest Virginia represented at that level. I think Coach Pry and his staff did an amazing job, in our experience with Hannes of recruiting the whole student athlete, a whole person, not just a football player,” explains Coach Alexander. “As a coach of international students, I really want these kids to matriculate somewhere where they’re going to have good influences and be taken care of. I think Virginia Tech did a great job of, of developing a real relationship with Hannes and made him feel like he was cared about more than just his ability to play football.”
Developing his skills on the field, and his love for the home team. “Oh, it means a lot that I can stay around the people I know that helped me get there,” Hammer notes. “The region is great. I love the VT fans, the atmosphere and everything. I love the region here. I’m proud to represent it.”
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