There is a lot that is new for the Madison High School Jaguars in 2023. New Head Coach Levi Washington Jr. returns to the sidelines for his second stint as head coach of the Jags, leading a new lineup of players after losing a handful of starters to graduation in 2022. But, one thing that has remained the same is the importance of the unsung heroes that make up the Jags’ offensive and defensive lines.
Senior lineman Logan Hughes will tell you it all starts up front with his unit. And he’d be right. Hughes plays offensive guard and all over the defensive line, including nose tackle, and has been on the team for all four years of high school. But Hughes said football has been a way of life for him since he was only four.
“My grandfather, he was our youth coach,” Hughes said. “I started at a young age.”
Moving into his last year of high school football, Hughes said his main goal is to help his team.
“My goal is helping us make it to the playoffs,” he said.
Despite being a team player, Hughes said he is keeping an eye on his upcoming transition into college.
“I’ve been talking to a few schools, like FAMU (Florida A&M University) in Florida. And like Grambling, LA Tech (Louisiana Tech University), and some schools out of the state like Southern Miss and Mississippi State came to talk to me. Louisiana Christian. Schools like that.”
But, before he can make any collegiate decisions, Hughes and company must handle business on the field in Tallulah, he said.
Hughes said he is encouraged by the seamless transition his team has made between former head coach Milton Green and Washington, as well as by how fast his younger teammates are catching on and buying in to the new process.
“The younger guys are catching on,” he said of his newer teammates. “Most younger guys don’t catch on that fast. When coach Washington came, players just wanted to keep coming to practice. They have caught on in like two months.”
Hughes said Washington returning and being familiar with the school and its culture has been a big positive as the team transitions into a new system.
And that system will be put to the test as the team looks to get revenge for losses suffered in 2022 and build on its wins. Without question, those goals becoming a reality on the field will start up front with Hughes and his linemen.
Hughes is the son of Louis and Lamonica Hughes.
