Hun’s Dudeck shows versatility in win
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
David Dudeck could have been upset when John Loughery arrived at The Hun School.
Loughery’s arrival meant that Dudeck, who started all of last year at quarterback, would be back to wide receiver, the same spot he played in his first two years of high school. Dudeck, though, never hesitated when telling his father, Hun head coach Dave Dudeck, that he would welcome the move.
”I’m a huge team guy,” said the younger Dudeck, who’s now a senior at Hun. “I’m really unselfish. It was better for the team if we brought him in. I knew we’d be more successful if we brought him in at quarterback. I don’t really care where I play, I have no preference, not here or in baseball.”
Dudeck was in the midst of enjoying his return to receiver on Saturday with two touchdown catches from Loughery as the Raiders jumped out to a 21-12 halftime lead. That’s when Dudeck had to revert to his quarterbacking role of a year ago after Loughery was ruled out for the second half with a head injury.
”That was a different one,” Dudeck said. “Coming into the game, in the first half I was doing pretty well as a receiver. I got the call at halftime. Our quarterback had gone down. I had to be a leader. I just did my job and we came out on top in the end.”
Dudeck scored two more touchdowns in the second half, this time as a running quarterback to engineer Hun to a 34-18 win over rival Lawrenceville. Dudeck finished the game with four catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns in the first half and 10 rushes for 117 yards and two touchdowns in the second half as the Raiders improved to 4-0 overall, 2-0 in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League.
David Dudeck is the Princeton Packet Athlete of the Week.
”It was a fun game,” Dudeck said. “It was a big game for us, as a team and on a personal level for me.
”I was fine with the move. I was completely comfortable and under control. I didn’t have any worries about getting back there. I believed in myself and most importantly believed in my teammates that they’d back me up. We were going out to win that game.”
The win was the second straight over Lawrenceville in which Dudeck finished at quarterback. Last year, he helped Hun to an overtime win over their rivals, and in both cases, he got a hand from the defense.
”Defensively,” the elder Dudeck said, “I thought we played well all game. They were in control. It was nice for us at the end. It was a lot different from last year being in an overtime game.”
The win sets up a MAPL showdown of unbeatens when Blair visits Hun 3 p.m. Saturday. David Dudeck will be ready to play wherever he is asked, even if it means quarterback, something that he’d only lined up for this year in wildcat formation prior to the Lawrenceville game.
The Raiders are likely better with Dudeck at receiver and Loughery at quarterback. They’ve established a quick connection that has made for a dangerous pairing.
”The thing we were able to do in the first half, we’re able to create some mismatches through motion and different things where could get the ball to David in open situations,” said the elder Dudeck, who also coached his oldest son, Brendan, now a freshman at Navy. “It’s nice to have someone like John who could get the ball to him.
”Sometimes they’ll see something and John can give him a little signal and they know what to do. Usually good things happen. They have a real good thing going.”
It started in the summer after Loughery was accepted to Hun. The two got together to develop a chemistry.
”That’s when the bond forms,” said the younger Dudeck. “We’ve kind of grown since I met him in the summer. We’re best friends off the field.”
That bond made it all the easier for Dudeck to step in for his friend. Filling in at quarterback gave Hun the best chance to win for Loughery.
”Football is a huge team sport,” Dudeck said. “Injuries are a part of the game. When one person goes down, someone has to fill in the spot. We’ve grown as a family and become really close. We were all hurt when we saw John go down at halftime. We knew we were going to step in and fill that spot and we were going to go get that win. We had to go get that win for the family.”
Added his father: “In high school football, the most important part is the leadership piece. John has it, for sure. Dave has it too. I had faith and confidence in him that he’d come out and do fine at quarterback.”
David assured his father that he remembered all the plays, and by the end of the game, the Raiders were improvising a bit as Lawrenceville started keying on the run. One of Dudeck’s scampers for a score came on an improvisation of one of their regular plays.
”We have a few wrinkles here and there and in case John goes down,” David said. “I’m not taking a ton of snaps in practice, but I’m real comfortable back there. As long as I was confident in my teammates and myself, we were going out for the win.”
Of course, having Dudeck at receiver isn’t such a bad thing either. He was the Raiders’ leading receiver two years ago, and has shown talent for the position. In addition to attending a 7-on-7 camp at Alabama last spring as a receiver, Dudeck visited Duke, Wake Forest and Boston College, and all three believed he could play at their level as a receiver or defensive back.
”He’s played it before,” Coach Dudeck said. “David has continued to grow in leaps and bounds as an athlete. Each year, he’s becoming bigger and stronger and faster, and it bodes well for us. He’s always been gifted with his hands.”
The bigger transition came when he was forced to shift gears on the fly and return to quarterback, a position that he was ready to give up for good this season. He showed no rust in helping Hun grind out a big win Saturday.
”I definitely enjoyed it,” he said. “Playing the second half, it was like last year a little more. It’s part of maturing and growing as a team.
”The move for the team was bringing in a quarterback and it’s working well. I really just enjoy the game of football in itself and playing. My love for the game outweighs any position I play.”