Williams: Warriors must contain Bears QB Hughes

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on October 2, 2014 1:52 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

NEW BERN -- Eastern Wayne has a second chance to start a football season 6-0 -- which has never been done in program history.

Once again standing in the way is perennial 4-A juggernaut and No. 1-ranked New Bern, which is led by Division I recruit Mike Hughes.

The Bears are 31-3 at home since 2010.

"We've never been to New Bern, the atmosphere is an animal within itself and it's a great place to play," EW head coach Bubba Williams said. "We've been giving the players the message all week that they're good enough to play with them, they just have to go down there and play (like they know how.)"

The highly sought-after Hughes caused the Warriors' defense plenty of headaches at Little Big Horn last season. The 5-foot-10, 172-pounder used his athleticism to create either running room, or find receivers open downfield for big plays.

Hughes accounted for all five of New Bern's touchdowns -- three rushing and two passing -- and amassed 281 yards of total offense in a 22-point win. One of those scores came after an Eastern Wayne interception that turned a seven-point game into a two-TD cushion.

Williams is using the same approach that he did last Friday against East Carolina commit and South Central senior Shawn Furlow -- get plenty of hats around Hughes so he can't burn the defense with his 4.4 speed.

"He's shifty, quick and can make moves," Williams said. "Athletically, he's gifted ... one of the top, if not the top athlete in the state. You have to surround him, wrap him up and take him to the ground.

"(Or) use the sideline as your friend and pursue him out that way."

Ranked No. 14 in the latest NCPreps.com 3-A poll, the Warriors (5-0 overall) have a small margin for error against the Bears. Troubles on special teams, turnovers and penalties on both sides of the ball have haunted Williams' club in recent weeks.

Furlow returned a kickoff 75 yards for a TD last week.

New Bern returns four offensive linemen off of last year's team that advanced to the eastern regional championship. The quartet uses its height and weight advantages to control the line of scrimmage and protect Hughes.

Williams said the Warriors must tackle well, and utilize their speed and athleticism in the secondary.

But offense is a concern.

While a young core of linemen have developed the more they've played this season, they have been sporadic blocking -- at the line and downfield. New Bern's defense has yielded just three touchdowns in the last 12 quarters, and has surrendered just 40 points altogether this season.

"I think up front is going to be a key because they're probably bigger than we are, but we can say that just about anybody we play against," Williams said. "We just can't hit and release. New Bern is going to do enough of stopping us, so we can't stop ourselves."

The Bears have won 13 straight meetings against the Warriors, and lead the all-time series 14-5.