Observer-Reporter Athlete of the Week
Name: Ethan Tush
School: Bentworth
Year: Senior
Sport: Football
Tush’s week: The Bearcats’ elusive running back had 498 all-purpose yards, including 327 rushing, and scored six touchdowns to help Bentworth defeat California, 49-27, in a Tri-County South conference game last Friday night.
The victory moved the Bearcats (5-1, 5-1) into second place and they needed Tush’s four fourth-quarter touchdown runs to get it done. Tush had scoring runs of 5, 45, 55, 73 and 50 yards. He also returned an interception 46 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
“I was surprised I did so well. I have to hand it to my linemen,” Tush said. “They’ve improved a lot and they’ve really helped me out in the running game. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
Unlike Tush, Bentworth head coach Ron Skiles wasn’t surprised when he saw the final stats. He’s seen that kind of production every day in practice for the past two years.
“He’s a 100-percenter,” Skiles said. “That’s how hard he practices. He’s very strong. An arm won’t get him on the ground and he has enough speed to pop one for a long run. He can turn the corner on people. If you get an angle on him, he has the speed to get around it.”
Spread it out: In Skiles’ second year back with the program, Bentworth’s offense is everything he imagined when he decided to install a spread offense. The development of his offensive line and having one of the top quarterbacks in the conference helped.
Junior Josh Hughes leads all area quarterbacks with 911 passing yards, and he’s completed 66 of 114 passes with 13 touchdowns and only three interceptions, which helped create plenty of room for the Bearcats’ running back.
“He opens the field up more in the passing game,” Tush said. “He’s a great quarterback and that sets me up when teams play toward the pass. I feel comfortable with him back there.”
And Skiles feels comfortable with both back there. When he returned to Bentworth two seasons ago, he installed a new offense and went back to the basics. The Bearcats went from 1-8 in 2013 to 3-6 last fall, but the offense was inconsistent.
“It all started with our pass game. Our run game was way behind, but now it’s getting there,” Skiles said. “We are developing our linemen and they are becoming good blockers. If teams defend our pass, we have a good run game. (Tush) has shown that.”
Vision: Tush, a 5-8, four-year starter, had a difficult time finding room to run last season, but that changed. He has rushed for 952 yards on 88 carries with 12 total touchdowns. He also is a starting cornerback for a defense that has allowed just 13.8 points per game.
“We put him in positions where he can eyeball the opponent’s No. 1 guy, so to speak, and he goes after them,” Skiles said. “He’s a very physical kid.”
Much has changed at Bentworth. The Bearcats lost by just seven points to Frazier, which has allowed only 10 points all season, and are on their way to their first playoff appearance since 2006.
“The school is really excited for us,” Tush said. “They’re definitely more into our program now that they see how we’re doing. It’s been awesome for us. Starting from midget and always losing all the time to this, it’s nice to finally be on the winning side.”
Compiled by Lance Lysowski