Hughes Lifts Notre Dame to 25-0 Win
Notre Dame High quarterback Bobby Hughes is a tough guy to figure out.
Hailed as an offensive star before the season, Hughes failed to impress in the Knights’ first two games. And Friday night against North Hollywood High, his second pass of the night was intercepted.
But he righted himself quickly, throwing 2 touchdown passes as Notre Dame whipped North Hollywood, 25-0, at home.
“He hasn’t been real consistent,” said Notre Dame Coach Kevin Rooney, whose quarterback has led the team to a 2-1 record. “But he’s a big-play kind of guy.”
Hughes’ first scoring pass came in the second quarter, a 74-yard swing pass to running back Scott Chiu. In the third quarter, he hit Reggie Dominique for 27 yards and a touchdown that took the fight out of North Hollywood.
Hughes finished with 6 completions in 20 attempts for 141 yards.
“I didn’t have a great game, I can say that much,” Hughes said. “But I feel good about the touchdown passes. That makes me feel happy.”
If anything has been consistent for Notre Dame, it has been the defense. This was the Knights’ second consecutive shutout--they blanked Burroughs, 20-0, last week.
Dominique led the defense with his third interception of the season, returning it 72 yards for a touchdown.
Still, the North Hollywood Huskies did not play as poorly as the score might suggest. The costly interception notwithstanding, quarterback Jerry Andrews looked good, completing 8 of 16 for 134 yards.
Running backs Mike Lewis and Tim Sutton split time in the Huskies’ backfield. Lewis rushed 15 times for 62 yards and Sutton 13 times for 61.
North Hollywood looked as if it might make a game of it early, with Andrews throwing well and Hughes off to a shaky start.
But then Hughes hit Chiu, who twisted through a handful of North Hollywood defenders, and the Knights had all they needed to win.
A botched snap near the end of the half gave Notre Dame the ball on the North Hollywood 14-yard line and the Knights turned that turnover into a 10-0 halftime lead.
