Bradford senior lineman Ryan Hughes is someone offensive coordinator Nate Zitnik and the Owls can always count on.
Whether it’s hustling on the field to make his blocks, recovering a fumble to prevent a turnover or pushing some of the younger players in practice, the two-year starter is a valuable player on both sides of the ball as a right tackle on offense and defensive end.
Both Zitnik and head coach Jeff Puglio have seen Hughes emerge as a strong leader for the Owls in 2020.
“He leads by example. I always kind of count on him,” Zitnik said. “Even if he had half of his leg dragging behind him, he’s going to be out there and he’s going to be giving max effort and you can see it in his screen blocks, he gets out there and he’s blocking guys that make guys like him miss for a living.”
Hughes is one of four seniors on Bradford’s offensive line this season that was tasked with learning a new offensive scheme — transitioning from the run-first Wing-T to the air raid — and style that involves more passing and getting the ball to players in space.
Like quarterback Austen Davis, the offensive line took up learning the new scheme through zoom sessions with Zitnik and Puglio.
Bradford’s starting offensive line consists of senior Alex Liners at left tackle, senior Kyle McWilliams at left guard, sophomore Alex Gangloff at center, senior Gavin Piscitelli at right guard and Hughes at right tackle.
“Everything’s pretty much changed, obviously our fundamentals haven’t,” Hughes said. “We obviously pass a lot more whereas in the Wing-T we didn’t at all. I think it makes it easier for us as a unit on the offensive line, especially these pass blocks, we’re not pulling, kicking the whole game. It keeps us ready to go through four quarters.”
The group also put in a lot of work during the summer and dedicated themselves to understanding and applying the new scheme as well as asking questions about how certain formations and plays would look against different defensive schemes, blitzes, stunts, etc.
“You can’t put into words how difficult it is because their job changes with every defensive lineman’s technique, every defensive blitz, an extra guy coming into the box, even when the defensive line does something incorrect, that changes their role,” Zitnik said. “I always say that they’ve got the toughest position out on the field and the quarterback can take a backseat to that and I’ll stand by that.”
However, the offensive line was unable to get quality reps in practice against a live defense since the team adhered to COVID-19 rules and guidelines.
“It’s one thing to understand the scheme and to learn the scheme, but really the first time that we were able to do anything against live bodies was (Week 1 against) St. Marys,” Zitnik said. “So I’m incredibly proud of our offensive line. I think they’re always the guys that work the hardest and get the least amount of praise, but without them, nothing else happens.”
“Coach Puglio, Coach McEwen, Coach Luna, and Coach Yohe — they’ve been in the trenches with those guys every day too,” Zitnik later added. “And our improvement as an offensive unit wouldn’t be possible without their efforts.”
The Owls’ first three games saw the team get outscored, 165-34, and the offense struggled to get into a consistent rhythm and were plagued by turnovers and mental mistakes.
However, the past two weeks have seen the team make progress and battle in competitive games, falling to Ridgway by a score of 28-21 and Kane, 27-14, this past Friday.
Hughes, Zitnik and Puglio all said that the transition and season got off to a tough start, but the line’s dedication, health and resilience allowed them to settle in and make progress over the past couple of weeks.
Playing against and learning from different defensive fronts throughout the season also benefited the group.
“It started slow at first, but luckily we put a lot of work in through the summer and obviously our coaches have done a great job explaining stuff to us and it helps when there’s four seniors starting on the offensive line,” Hughes said. “And I think we can pick that up easily and we have the experience to play games, and I feel like we have talent up front so it’s easier to make our blocks and all that.”
As Hughes’ senior year winds down, he’s looking forward to helping the team continue to progress and see the younger players improve in their roles and step into leadership positions so that they can fill the seniors’ shoes when they leave.
Hughes said the fact that his high school football career is nearing the end has begun to settle in as the team enters the final stretch. The Owls will play Port Allegany on the road this Friday.
“Especially with this year, you never know when your last game’s going to be,” Hughes said. “More recently now, it’s starting to set in as we’re coming to an end. It’s definitely different I’d say. I feel as if I want to play more, but time’s running out.”
Hughes and Bradford’s three other senior starters on the offensive line are part of a senior class that Zitnik says leads by example.
They will leave big shoes to fill and for Hughes, Zitnik is hoping the right tackle will be able to make the most of what’s left of his final high school season as it nears the finish line.
“You can’t put a price on that as a coordinator when you have a lineman that is as big and as powerful as him,” Zitnik said of Hughes. “He really is a do-it-all type of guy and I hope he gets a chance to shine these next couple weeks as well.”
