Hats off to the Williamsport Millionaires. They are off to a great start. The boys are 2-0 and will host Central Mountain later tonight.
I had a chance to call my alma mater last weekend. They looked solid and defeated the Hazleton Cougars 28-7. It was a rather festive evening. Senior Giovanni White is a magician. The scrappy, fast senior running back is putting up Tecmo Bowl numbers. Gio had 218 yards and three touchdowns.
Sophomore quarterback Tevin Williams is super fun to watch. He has a great arm and is so tough to bring down. My man can dance.
Junior Trey Damschroder is a stud running his patterns. Trey has four catches and 88 yards receiving this season.
The O-line is getting much better. A shout-out to my guys, Cordoza Minor, Jaxson Thompson, Owen Newcomer, Christopher Terrano, and Kaden Flook. Keep doing your thing.
Senior Lucas Naughton leads the stingy defense. The little big man is a tackling machine.
I also enjoyed seeing Brayden Ungard. He was everywhere. The kid played soccer last fall. Brayden handles the kicking. He is a new weapon on both sides of the ball.
I need to give some love to a young friend. My man will be crucial to the Millionaires’ successes down the stretch. Junior Zion Hughes may not step on the field this fall. But his leadership in the locker room will help. Zion is an incredible athlete. Hughes played quarterback and receiver for Williamsport last season. He also started in the defensive secondary. Zion is another basketball star. He was our starting point guard as a sophomore. Big things were on the horizon in 2025. But then. There was a minor setback.
“I was on a fast break at a basketball game,” Zion explained. “I went to jump, and everything stopped. My body went one way, and my knee popped. I tore my ACL. It was tough. I had surgery on September 2nd. No sports for me while I get better. No football. No basketball. Yes. It has been hard.”
I believe I was in Montana when I heard the news. Man. This one hurt. I felt so bad for my dude. Zion is the same age as my son. They played all the sports together growing up. He is a special athlete who works super hard. Zion was starting to understand it. He was getting good. Hughes definitely has a swagger. Great looking kid with an even better smile. Baseball. Basketball. Football. Pickleball. It didn’t matter. Zion Hughes was always one of the better players. With this injury, Zion will need to shift gears. He will need to be a leader.
“I still go to every practice, game, and function,” Zion continued. “I believe I can still help my teammates. I watch film with my guys and give them some pointers. I may see something on offense or defense. Tevin (Williams) trusts me. I can talk to him as a friend or a coach if needed. We go over the different looks. When to use his legs. Which receiver is open? Trust your checkdowns. Take a shot here.
“The injury has changed my perspective,” Zion concluded. “I plan to work extremely hard in physical therapy. I try to work hard in everything that I do. This is just a tad different. I am still very hungry and determined. I still have goals and dreams. My knee just put a few things on hold. I can’t wait to get back to playing. Soon, I will be back in the gym, getting up my shots, or on the field, throwing the ball. But now I am just doing what I can to help our guys win.”
Sports are great. They teach us so many great lessons. Season-ending injuries are part of it. I feel awful for Zion. But he will embrace this. He is finding other ways to make an impact. Stay tuned, folks. He will be back. Go Millionaires. Get better soon, kid. Cheers.
