QB Nate Hughes is a winner, his coach says. This year, he looks to lead Bethel back to the playoffs

Nate Hughes knows how to win football games. That is one of the most important qualities Bethel High School coach Mark Iddins says his senior quarterback has.

“He’s a winner,” Iddins said Wednesday following the Braves’ first practice of the season, which was pushed inside the school’s gym because of poor air quality.

“If the game is close, you’re going to win the game (with Hughes at quarterback). And that’s just how it is. There’s a reason we went from 4-6 the year before to 9-2 last year and in the state playoffs. And it wasn’t solely him, but he was, to me, the catalyst of that.”

After sharing the job two years ago as a sophomore, Hughes had a breakout junior season as the Braves’ lone quarterback in 2017.

He threw for 2,065 yards and 34 touchdowns (five interceptions), completing 67 percent of his passes with a QB rating of 186. The Braves made the state playoffs for the first time since 2011.

“Any game that was semi-close at all, he basically led us to a win,” Iddins said. “There were some (games) it seemed like he was just carrying the team on his back.”

Hughes was later named the first-team all-state quarterback in Class 3A by the Associated Press, and was the 3A Pierce County League offensive player of the year.

None of these accolades come as much of a surprise to Iddins — he’s known what he has in Hughes since the quarterback was a freshman.

Back in 2015, when Bethel played in the 4A classification, the Braves had a 27-point halftime lead on Emerald Ridge in a Week 6 league matchup that would eventually help determine playoff seeding.

Hughes wasn’t projected to play as a freshman, but Iddins had him suit up with Bethel’s usual backup, Tristyn Gese, out with an injury. Hughes was on the sideline wearing his yellow hat and helping with signal calling when Braves starter Bryce Missey left with a separated shoulder.

Hughes was suddenly at the top of the depth chart.

“I just got the chills thinking about it,” Hughes said Wednesday, remembering that first varsity game. “The whole line was all seniors, so they really calmed me down. ... In the huddle they’d tell me, ‘Hey, it’s OK. Just relax.’ ”

Hughes said he spent most of the half handing off the ball, but Emerald Ridge crept back into the game, eventually taking a 28-27 lead with less than two minutes to play.

“You see everybody on the sidelines is just starting to panic,” Iddins said. “I think the only two guys that thought we were going to win the game were myself and Nate. He was perfectly calm.”

Hughes led the Braves on the game-winning drive, making a clutch throw on a fade on a fourth-and-10 play to set Bethel up in the red zone. The Braves then punched in the touchdown behind running back Jonathan Taimanglo.

“I ran up behind them and pushed him in,” Hughes said. “It was an exciting game.”

The composure Hughes offered the Braves as a freshman has stuck, Iddins said, and now he is the player the team rallies around.

“He’s just got the calming presence to where the guys just follow him,” Iddins said. “It’s really natural. It’s not fake. Guys just believe in him and he gets it done.”

Iddins said Hughes, who has an offer from Simon Fraser and has communicated with several Big Sky schools, has all of the tools to be a college quarterback — he can make the throws, has mobility on the ground and can read the defense.

At 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, Hughes may not be the prototypical size, but Iddins says he is the type of player a coach wants to build a program around.

“We’re lucky to have him,” Hughes said. “He just gets better, and he’s got a poise about him, a leadership. He’s just special.”

Hughes pointed to several receivers he’s looking forward to working with this season. The Braves have juniors Peter Latu, Cameron Parker and Puka Sokimi returning, while sophomore Will Latu will act as a hybrid at wide receiver and running back.

Senior running backs Solomon Danny, a returning first-team 3A PCL selection, and Josh Walker, a second-team selection, return to the Braves’ backfield.

And with Hughes back for his final season, the Braves look to challenge reigning champion Lincoln for a league title.

“I’m really excited for this season because we’ve got a lot of really good athletes out at my wideout position and our (offensive) line is looking pretty good so far and working hard,” Hughes said. “We’ve got a good group of people. We’re going to be able to do anything.”

This story was originally published August 15, 2018 at 6:30 PM.