Back in 2018, Bloomington North offensive coordinator Reece Lozano was standing in the same place Fisher Pugh finds himself this summer.
That gives the 5-foot-10, 155-pound Pugh a mentor and a sympathetic ear as he gets ready to negotiate his freshman season as the starting quarterback for the Cougars.
“I think he’s got the best person in the world to learn from with Reece,” North head coach Andy Harding said. “He understands as well as anyone what it’s like to be a freshman starting quarterback around a bunch of really talented kids. We’ve seen Fisher start to grow. His throws are getting better.”
Fisher’s also got another sounding board on the team in big brother Gunner, a senior who will help key the defense at end this year.
“In 11 years of calling this defense, Gunner may have one of the best motors I’ve ever seen out of somebody,” Harding said.
From Tri-North to taking on rival Bloomington South in Week 1 is the current challenge for Fisher, who brings a shortstop’s arm and ability to scoot to the position. He’s already faced a big moment during the summer that should help get him through the opener against the Panthers’ no-nonsense defense.
“I think the best thing that happened to Fisher was, we scrimmaged Ben Davis, Brebeuf (Jesuit) and Decatur Central,” Harding said. “And those guys were sending heat. It was first time he had seen that. That’s a learning experience.
“Now, what we’re starting to do in practice is simulate that heat, and he’s starting to make those throws and getting more comfortable with it. He understands now what varsity football is all about. This is 5A-6A varsity football speed.”
No matter who Harding went with, he would be starting fresh at QB. Senior Tristan Stogsdill’s experience is mostly limited to JV, while sophomore Aiden Williamson was Edgewood’s freshman QB last year.
In any case, they will be working out of the T-formation, and it’ll be important for the experience North has as running back and receiver and the offensive line to execute and make things easier on the rookie. Patience on Harding’s part will also be a big deal with all the new things being tossed as Pugh like a game of pepper.
But he’s seeing the Cougars as a team catching on quickly. Harding noted they’re now getting through the full list of scripted plays in practice instead of maybe half when they started. Then there’s the maturity and leadership part of the equation. Pugh is showing he’s got what it takes there as well.
“It was last week, and we’re lining up and some guys were chirping and he looked and he said, ‘OK guys, let’s go,'” Harding said. “He didn’t say it in a commanding voice, but as soon as he said that, everyone knew the quarterback was talking.
“And it was just that moment. When he rotated out, I said, ‘You see everyone listen when you talked?’ And he goes, ‘They did, didn’t they.’ Just something simple like that comes with time. And it’s happening for him.”
Bloomington North football 2026 overview
HEAD COACH: Andy Harding, 1st year. LAST SEASON: 7-4, 3-2 Conference Indiana. SECTIONAL: Class 5A 15 (Bloomington South, Franklin, Seymour).
RETURNING STARTERS: Carter Matthew, Jr. RB/DB; Brayden Johnson, Sr. RB/DB; Nate Walker, Sr. WR/CB; RaShon English, Sr. WR/CB; Blake Davis, Jr. WR/SS; James Mason, Sr. DT/LG; Mattheus Wynalda, Sr. RT/DE; Andres Firacative, Sr. K; Anthony Wrancher, Sr. LB.
OUTLOOK: North is on its fourth head coach in four years but this senior class, which numbers 16, has still helped win 15 games the past two seasons. The Cougars have a limited roster size and will look to build depth around it’s stalwarts. “The great thing is, these kids are used to change,” Harding said. “And they want to win. They’ve been great to work with. If you look at all the things that happened to us this summer, another offense, another defense, we were not able to get in (to the locker room) until August 5th. We’ve been in a blockhouse, we’ve been in the gymnastics room. We didn’t have a home all summer long. So these are some resilient kids.”
Versatile athletes and speed will make North go this year. “One of the big things I had to determine was Tarboro (NC) offense or what North has been doing,” Harding said. “So I think it’s meshing both of those worlds. I still believe in running the football and that’s a great thing when you’ve got Brayden Johnson and Carter Matthews … I was able to take some of the Tarboro principles and mix them with a few things. Defensively, I brought in what I’ve been running. Our base will be a 4-4, cover-3. But with that we can be very diverse. We can go to a 4-3, a 3-4, a 5-3, and the nice thing is we can do those things without subbing.” The Cougars also face a bit more daunting schedule with their entry into the Mid-State Conference.
OFFENSE: Matthew, who was coming on strong at the end of last year, and Johnson, finally healthy and confident after making it through track season, will power the run game with sophomores Clayton Roach and 180-pound Alijah Carter the fullbacks in the T-formation. Pugh has several dependable targets in the passing game with Davis, Walker and English all back. The work up front with Mason, Wynalda, junior Garrett Fishel at center and juniors Carter Roberts (RG) and Jyer Gongora (LT), and juniors Max Clendening and Mason Taylor at H-Back will also be important in making life as easy as possible for the freshman. Other receiver possibilities include Drew Hipskind and sophomore Jackson Gill in the slot and Seth Hankins and Jordan Johnson, a move in from Germany as wide outs. The kicking game returns Firacative’s strong leg and Davis will again handle punt duties. Roberts will be the long snapper.
DEFENSE: This is Harding’ biggest rebuilding project with only one returning starter in Wrancher, who will be a big playmaker at the inside spot. The linebacking crew also includes seniors Kaelan Frank and Rudy Burton and juniors Seth Hankins and Shamar Franklin and all four can play inside or outside. Carter and Clendening are the backups. Up front, Fishel, Taylor and Trae Shields will play the tackle spots and Wynalda, Mason, newcomer senior Franco Cubillan, a catcher during baseball season, as at end with Gunner Pugh. The secondary will see Hankins, Burton, junior Kaleal Hartfield are hybrid safety/linebacker types who give North flexibility. There are three DB’s and five athletes Harding can rotate through in Walker (CB/S), Hipskind, Davis, English, Gill, Matthews and the Johnson boys.
SCHEDULE: Aug. 21 Bloomington South, 7 p.m.; Aug. 28 at Bedford North Lawrence, 7 p.m.; *Sept. 4 Martinsville, 7 p.m. *Sept. 11 at Mooresville, 7 p.m.; *Sept. 18 Plainfield, 7 p.m.; *Sept. 25 at Perry Meridian, 7 p.m.; *Oct. 2 at Decatur Central, 7 p.m.; *Oct. 9 Franklin, 7 p.m.; *Oct. 16 at Whiteland, 7 p.m. *-Mid-State Conference game.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington North football starting fresh with new coach, freshman QB
Reporting by Jim Gordillo, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jim Gordillo, The Herald-Times | USA TODAY Network
