to fundamentals and address some issues we felt as a staff that were lacking. The kids responded it well to it. Then on Wednesday we spent a lot of time making sure we had the mental part of the game down. We're excited about the opportunity to get after Hug this week.”
The biggest change came last week heading into the Reno game as junior Bryce James took over as starting quarterback while senior Nick Abreu shifted over to a super utility role, playing running back, defensive back and on special teams.
“Nick is the ultimate teammate,” Monfiletto said. “He wants to help the team. He embraced the opportunity to help in any way he can. That's a tough thing. Quarterback is a position that gets a lot of attention, and every kid grows up wanting to be a quarterback. He gave that up to help us on defense and help us running the football.”
The impact was immediate. Abreu made a touchdown-saving tackle on the opening kick return against Reno, and recovered a fumble in the end zone on the next play from scrimmage. He finished the game with a team-leading nine tackles.
For his part, James completed 11 passes to five different receivers for 96 yards in his first extended action as a varsity quarterback. He also rushed for 24 yards on nine carries.
“He did a good job,” Monfiletto said. “He showed some growth out there. There's a lot to build on.”
Douglas will have to deal with an upstart Hug squad that is 3-0 to open the year under the direction of former University of Nevada standout and McQueen assistant coach Carl LaGrone Jr. The Hawks were winless last season and a combined 2-37 over the past four seasons.
“They're doing a great job,” Monfiletto said. “They are running the ball really well. We need to spend some time corralling their quarterback. They are a tough team.”
Hug has completed just a handful of passes this year and attempted just a handful more. Tre Williams has 33 carries for 200 yards, Roosevelt Calhoun (5-10, 220 pounds) has 15 carries for 159 yards and Ja'lawnie Thomas has 12 carries for 64 yards.
The come to Minden with the second-ranked offense in the region, averaging 370 yards per game, and the top-ranked defense (136.5 yards per game allowed).
Another bright spot for Douglas against Reno last week was sophomore Taran Grove, who had a hand in three sacks.
“That's a kid that will start seeing significant time on both sides of the ball,” Monfiletto said. “The goal is just to get better every week and see where we stand when league starts.”
HUG
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The battle on the line of scrimmage will be key vs. Hug.