Hughes, Gwynn Park Rush Right Past Potomac

If he had it his way, Lavaughn Hughes would be lining up in the backfield, taking a handoff and letting his legs do the work. But 20th-ranked Gwynn Park needed a quarterback and, well, the Yellow Jackets already had plenty of options at running back.

"I'm not going to say I wasn't going to get any clock [at running back] but I can play quarterback," Hughes said.

So Hughes made the position switch and spent last season as a backup at Gwynn Park after transferring from Riverdale Baptist. Now the starter, Hughes is learning as he goes, but as he showed again yesterday, there are plenty of reasons to think the move was a good one. Hughes made several key plays and finished with 124 rushing yards and one touchdown, leading the visiting Yellow Jackets to a 34-8 victory over Potomac (Md.) in a meeting of undefeated teams in the Prince George's 3A/2A/1A league.

"He's very talented and shifty," Potomac Coach Chris Davidson said. "And he's deceptively fast. I didn't think he was that fast."

Hughes had plenty of help. Nygee Carmichael rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns, and Khalek Shepherd added 90 yards and another score. But the key to Gwynn Park's offense again was Hughes, who often is left with the decision to keep the ball or hand it off depending on how he reads the opposing defense. So far this season, Hughes has rushed for 407 yards and six touchdowns.

"Since I'm a scrambling back, they give me the opportunity and call plays where I can give [the ball] or keep it," said Hughes, who added that he had previously only spent a few plays as a quarterback in boys-and-girls club football in the seventh grade.

With rain falling for much of yesterday's game, Hughes threw only six passes, completing just one. It was the first time this season he failed to throw for 100 yards in a game and the first game in which he did not throw a touchdown pass.

Not that it mattered, as Gwynn Park (4-0, 3-0) continued its streak of scoring at least 30 points in every game this season.

Potomac (3-1, 2-1) had allowed just six points in its first three games but took just 10 seconds to allow six points yesterday. The Wolverines tried an onside kick to start, but Brian Franklin caught the ball on the run and returned it to the Potomac 15-yard line. On the next play, Carmichael rushed up the middle for the score and the Yellow Jackets never let up.

No. 20 Gwynn Park 34, Potomac 8 Good Position: Gwynn Park started its first four possessions inside the Potomac 35-yard line, scoring two touchdowns but being stopped twice on fourth-and-goal. Hard Hitter: Gwynn Park middle linebacker Tyreeck Todd was always around the ball and had a fumble recovery, leading a defensive unit that limited Potomac to minus-2 yards rushing.