MILTON — The routine normally follows the identical sample.
Following a move play, Milton soccer coach Steve Dembowski will watch as his quarterback jogs over to the sideline to ask the identical query.
“Was that the right read?” Owen McHugh will ask.
These days, increasingly more, the reply to that’s “Yes.”
Take final week’s non-league opener with Scituate for instance, which the Wildcats gained, 33-26. McHugh accomplished 16 of 26 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns, rushed for 90 yards on 12 carries and a landing, and made an interception on protection from the security place the place he was a Bay State Conference All-Star as a junior.
Any manner you slice it, McHugh is contributing positively to his crew. At 6 ft, 180 kilos, McHugh just isn’t the largest quarterback round, however he is among the smartest, and as a three-sport athlete who additionally excels at hockey and baseball, he is aware of the way to make a play when his crew wants one.
“Our offense is simple but diverse,” Dembowski mentioned. “We tweak it to fit the personal skills of the quarterback. They all have a common trait. They’ve got to be football intelligent, and Owen’s certainly that. We’re able to do a lot of things with him and his crew of receivers, because they’ve been together since the sixth grade. They’ve worked hard at developing this offense and the different parts of it. That’s been a big part of this class’ success.”
McHugh has performed all 4 years at Milton. His freshman 12 months he was a punter, and he stood out at security final 12 months. He performed some quarterback, beginning the final two video games of the season, however the starter many of the season was Chase Vaughan.
But now McHugh is absolutely answerable for the offense.
“Definitely, in this offense, there’s always answers,” McHugh mentioned. “You want to get positive gains every single play. If something doesn’t work, you definitely went somewhere wrong. There’s going to be someone open. I just want to be on time, be precise, and just make a good read, get them the ball, and let them make a play, because we have great athletes.”
Even although McHugh was not the beginning quarterback earlier in his profession, Dembowski knew of his potential.
“(McHugh) played some in his sophomore year in the Fall II season,” Dembowski mentioned. “He actually attempted 65 passes. He was 35 of 65 for 546 yards, and he had five touchdowns. … Owen took reps with the varsity as a freshman and made people’s heads turn. So we knew, like any other position with multiple kids, they had a lot of competition.”
McHugh’s proficiency in hockey and baseball has all the time stood out. He is a UMass Lowell commit in baseball. But he’s having fun with his probability to be the beginning quarterback.
“I feel like my high school (career) flashed by pretty quick,” McHugh mentioned. “It’s definitely something I’ve been looking forward to for a while now. I’ve just been working for it, waiting for my opportunity, and try to make the most of it.”
He’s positively doing that. The Wildcats are one of many favorites within the Bay State Conference and must be one of many high groups in Division 3. A 12 months in the past, Milton’s state title hopes have been worn out in a loss to North Attleboro.
Finishing the season with a win is certainly considered one of McHugh’s targets.
“It’s definitely huge. It’s something that we’ve been dreaming about, playing Friday night lights and making the most of our chances,” McHugh mentioned. “We want to win a state championship. That’s what our focus and goal is. But now we’re just focused on Framingham (Friday night).”
Source: www.bostonherald.com