Mitchell Hughes knows a big change awaits him.
The Grayslake North junior’s ascension to starting quarterback has been years in the making. But Hughes, who was the quarterback for the freshman/sophomore team as a freshman, is counting on his single-season residency as a starting cornerback last year to help him make the transition a smooth one.
“It will be a different perspective, and I still don’t know exactly what to expect,” Hughes said of his return to quarterback. “But I feel the experience last year will really help and things will be slower for me.”
The speed of the game is what Hughes remembers affecting him early last season. Having overcome that common pitfall as a varsity newcomer, finishing with 54 tackles and three interceptions, he can fall back on the lessons learned in playing a position he’ll be poised to attack when the Knights (9-2) open the season with a nonconference home game against Vernon Hills on Aug. 25.
One aspect of that cat-and-mouse game last season was reading the quarterback as Hughes approached the line of scrimmage.
“Sometimes, the quarterback would look at a single wide receiver, and that was a cue to where the ball was supposed to go,” he said. “Those are things I saw as a defender that I can learn from.”
Hughes already has a certain comfort level at quarterback, a position he played while he was growing up. But he said it will be unique to have all eyes on him as he steps into the considerable shoes of record-setting three-year starter Jacob Donohue. Hughes was Donohue’s backup last season.
“There were a lot of things that I would watch him do, from pre-snap and after-snap to his footwork,” Hughes said. “A couple of things he was really good at was not throwing interceptions and extending plays. I’m hoping to replicate his success.”
Donohue, who completed 132 of 239 passes for 2,039 yards and 27 TDs last season, was a prolific passer. The 6-foot, 185-pound Hughes has a thicker, more physical frame. Will the Knights try other things with him under center?
“He has a really strong arm, and we’re still trying to best fit what he can do into the offense,” Grayslake North coach Brian Johnson said. “But he has the mind and the body type to have a lot of options to work with.”
Johnson said he believes Hughes, who is also the starting catcher for the Grayslake North baseball team, is well-equipped to lead.
“The catcher/quarterback dynamic is definitely very similar,” Hughes said. “As a quarterback, you’re controlling what happens on offense, and calling pitches creates good relationships with pitchers.”
Two of the pitchers who worked with Hughes on their travel team this summer happen to project as two of his favorite targets for the next two football seasons.
Target No. 1 figures to be junior Cameron Bates, who had 32 catches for 587 yards and seven TDs last season and already has a handful of Division I offers. Poised to move up in the rotation is junior Chris Filas, who was a reserve last year and has pitched to Hughes since the 11U level.
“I feel like Mitch is a born leader,” Filas said. “I’ve always wanted to throw to him. He’s always there to pick you up, whether it’s coming over in the dugout after making a bad pitch or if I drop a ball in football.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
