Having the football in his hands comes naturally for Myles McLaughlin.
"I got involved very early in my life by playing on a Pop Warner team starting in pre-school," recalled the Knox High senior quarterback-running back. "I grew up with a ball in my hands, so I guess I have a pretty good idea what to do with it."
Since his high school debut on August 19, 2022 when he ran six times for 140 yards with two touchdowns in a 54-6 win over Winamac, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound standout has for the most part managed to stay one step ahead of the competition.
"I have always loved watching (the late Chicago Bears running back) Walter Payton highlights," explained McLaughlin, who has accumulated over 8,300 yards rushing and 124 touchdowns, good for second all-time in Indiana behind New Palestine's Charlie Spegel (10,187 yards). "He ran the ball with a 'never die easy' attitude, which is the way I run the ball. You will never see me run out of bounds shying away for someone, just like he did."
Having already established himself as the Redskins' all-time leading rusher and scorer early in his junior campaign, McLaughlin added another accomplishment to his already impressive resume in a 72-24 win over Culver Academy on September 5 by totaling 439 yards on the ground with nine touchdowns on 27 carries. Just for good measure, he also completed 3-of-5 passes for 70 yards with a 10th score.
"I feel like the main reason for my success is my offensive line and all of my other teammates," explained McLaughlin, who had 50 rushes for 319 yards with five scores in a 36-21 decision over Tippecanoe Valley on September 12. "We (the team) have been working our whole lives for these moments. We've worked all summer for this season and I feel it is showing because we are playing very well right now."
In just four games this season, he has carried the ball 122 times for 1,376 yards with 21 touchdowns.
"I feel like my greatest strengths are my leadership skills and my willingness to never quit," said McLaughlin, who has also seen some action on defense at linebacker. "I'm just taking it all in right now. I'm blessed to be able to do what I do, and I really don't look at what people say about me. I just see what is posted and don't interact."
During his more than a half-century on the sidelines, Knox boss and Indiana Football Hall of Fame member Russ Radtke has had the opportunity to work with his fair share of talent, including recent Indiana Football Hall of Fame inductee and former North Judson and Ball State University standout David Haugh.
"Over my 53 years of coaching, Myles ranks in the top 10 percent," said Radtke, who is Indiana's current leader with 417 wins. "His attitude is his greatest strength. He offers no excuses and will accept any type of criticism to make himself and the team better."
In addition to his dad, another positive influence for McLaughlin was his middle school coach, Larry Mullins, who unfortunately passed away in 2021.
"He (Mullins) always told me I would do what I'm doing now," recalled McLaughlin. "I grew up around him and luckily was blessed to have him as a coach. He sadly passed away before he got to see me play a high school snap."
Getting the chance to work with a legend like Russ Radtke has also benefitted Myles.
"I feel like my relationship with Coach Russ is a very good," said McLaughlin. "I'm super happy I get to be coached by such a great man. He will tell me something that me and the team need to get done and I get the information to my team.
"As for the rest of the staff, I have super good relationships with them as well. Coach Bo (Radtke) is my weights' teacher as well as the running back coach, so it is always a great time to be with him. I also really enjoy being coached by Julio (Cisneros), so it is never a dull moment during football season."
Although everything is working well now, Myles always believes there is room for improvement.
"I think I can always get better in every spot of my game," explained McLaughlin. "If I had to choose something to work on for the next level, though, is to just get faster.
"I think my main weakness right now is my agility, which I feel like I can make myself 100 times better by next season. I will start doing this as soon as the off-season hits because I have an awesome speed coach from South Bend who will help get me better."
The elder Radtke believes the sky is the limit for McLaughlin.
"Myles still has great potential for going up the ladder and being even better this year," Russ Radtke said.
Although he has high aspirations of playing at the next level, Myles is still firmly focused on the present.
That assignment right now is getting No. 5 (Class 3A) Knox (4-0) ready for a trip to Hostrawser Field in Walkerton to take on John Glenn (2-2) in Indiana Northern State Conference action on September 19.
"My advice to the underclassman is to just never take this game of football for granted," said McLaughlin, who also competes in basketball and baseball. "It flies by way too fast and you will wish you could start it all over again. That's why I always stay positive and just enjoy it."
Outside of sports, he also enjoys spending time helping special needs students.
"I'm still looking for a home next year, but wherever I decide to go to school, I think I will major in special education," said McLaughlin, who currently has a 3.11 grade-point average. "This is a huge thing in my life and I really working with them (students).
"Once my playing days are done, I want to eventually get married, start a family, and hopefully enjoy life to the fullest with all of the people I love most."
Somewhere up in heaven, Larry Mullins has a big smile on his face.
