Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Once high school rivals, Mike Hughes Jr. thriving at UNLV with Tony Sanchez

UNLV FB Takes Fresno

L.E. Baskow

Fresno State QB Chason Virgil (5) is ls sacked by UNLV’s Mike Hughes Jr. (99) at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016.

There are days when Mike Hughes Jr. shows up to UNLV’s Lied Athletic Complex proudly wearing a Palo Verde High football shirt.

Hughes, the Rebels’ rising senior defensive tackle, knows that will bring a playful comment from his coach, Tony Sanchez.

When Hughes starred at Palo Verde, Sanchez was building Bishop Gorman High into a national power. For a few years the rivalry between the schools — located a few miles apart in Summerlin — was the most anticipated in Las Vegas.

“We’ve definitely ribbed each other a couple of times,” Sanchez said. “It’s great to coach all these kids from a bunch of different Vegas high schools. Now they all are representing the city.”

Sanchez, who left Gorman after the 2014 season for UNLV, has been adamant about using local players to build the Rebels into a winning program. Hughes, who has started every game the past two seasons, certainly fits the description.

“He has had one of the best attitudes from the day I got the job,” Sanchez said.

Hughes has flourished with Sanchez and his staff, ranking seventh on the team last season in tackles with 37. That’s a drastic increase from 23 tackles during 2015, and a direct result of how coaches have gotten the most out of the 6-foot-2, 315-pound Hughes.

“We had a bad season last year, but it is still all positive re-enforcements (from Sanchez),” said Hughes, who also had 3.5 tackles for a loss and two sacks last season. “That alone is different from what we had back then. We kind of accepted losing.”

Hughes says he isn’t concerned with stats or recognition. He realizes there’s just one season left in his UNLV tenure and wants to go out on top.

The Rebels have increased their win total by one game in each of Sanchez’s two seasons, but they could have won more. A three-win 2015 campaign featured four close defeats; the four-win season of 2016 was marred by injuries to players at key positions.

The Rebels need six wins to become bowl eligible for the fifth time in school history. Hughes, though, wants more.

“We want to having a winning record, but we aren’t going out there looking to go 6-6, 7-5 or whatever,” he said. “We are going out there looking to win every game and the Mountain West.”

It’s that type of mentality that makes Hughes a leader, Sanchez said. And by having success, he’s a paving the way for other locals to excel at UNLV.

“He is a Vegas kid. He cares about winning,” Sanchez said. “He shows up to get better everyday and plays hard because he loves it. He’s a kid we are excited about.”

The Rebels are finishing up their 15-session spring practice this week. The spring showcase is noon April 1 at UNLV’s soccer complex at Peter Johann Memorial Field. It’s a free event.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy