STARKVILLE — Josh Williams hasn”t taken a lot of snaps with the Aberdeen High School varsity football team.
But Williams doesn”t need to spend a lot off time under center to know size when he sees — and feels — it.
That”s why the gasp from the Aberdeen High sideline was more than noticeable when Morton High standout defensive lineman fell on Williams with less than a minute to go in their game Saturday at the Fall High School Jamboree at Mississippi State”s Davis Wade Stadium.
The highly recruited Evans beat the snap count and wrapped up Williams by the legs and took him down. The Bulldogs” quarterback stayed down for a few minutes before he was helped off the field.
“He is big person,” said Williams, who had a bag of ice on his left foot after Aberdeen beat Morton 10-0 in the second game of the day. “He went offsides a lot of times, but that is football.”
Aberdeen turned to Aaron McMillian for the final two plays of the game. Afterward, coach Chris Duncan smiled when asked what he was thinking when he watched Evans take down his freshman quarterback.
“I think he is all right,” Duncan said. “Like I said, he is young and he got thrown into the fire pretty quick. I think he played well. We”re going to have him worked around, and we will get somebody else ready if he is not ready to go.”
Aberdeen will try to get Williams ready to go for its season opener against Columbus High at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Williams was 4 of 9 for 71 yards and guided the Bulldogs to their only touchdown, a 1-yard plunge by Damien Walker, in the first of two 20-minute quarters (running time). The junior varsity teams played one 20-minute quarter.
“When you play as bad as we did and win I guess it is OK,” Duncan said.
As well as Williams, who replaces Desmond Jones, played in spots and handled the pressure, the story was Aberdeen”s defense. With eight seniors and an experienced cast returning on defense, Aberdeen hopes to shut teams down and give its offense time to mature so it can make a third consecutive trip to Jackson. This time, though, the players are focused on winning a state title.
“We all want to shoot for shutouts, but our goal every week is to give up 14 points or less,” Aberdeen defensive coordinator Patrick Schoolar said. “Fourteen points is a feasible goal. I don”t like to set goals we can”t attain.”
Schoolar”s defense was without senior lineman Zavia Forshee (high blood pressure). He said senior offensive lineman Rickie McAllister filled in well for Forshee, as one of five players up front who see playing time in three spots.
Schoolar said the strength of the defense is the line, which features senior Channing Ward, another highly recruited player who will attract more than his share of double teams this season.
But Schoolar said opponents face a risk if they decide to handle Ward that way.
“If they double team Channing Ward, Forshee can beat you all night and (Jordan) Gathings in the middle is really good,” Schoolar said. “We have a core of linebackers who are great and we”re really tough in the middle.”
Schoolar said Aberdeen replaced a safety, cornerback, and a linebacker the day after it lost to Forest 10-8 in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 3A state title game. e is confident that barring injuries this season”s defense has what it takes to get the Bulldogs back to Jackson and to help them take the championship home.
“When you play hard you can make a lot of plays,” Schoolar said.
The players agree.
Sophomore safety Sammie Burroughs, who had two interceptions Saturday, is in his second year as a starter. He said the defense did what it had to do against Morton in holding it to 13 rushing yards on 14 carries, and 31 yards passing.
“We”re strong, we”re fast as we usually are, and we”re smarter,” Burroughs said. “We learned we have to be smarter (from last season). “We have to know when to adjust and we have to know how to read plays.”
Aberdeen capitalized on a quarterback pressure by Jalen Bell that forced a fumble that Braxton Anderson recovered. Ward had a sack in the end zone for a safety that accounted for the final margin.Gathings and McAllister also had sacks in the second 10-minute quarter.
“The defense was great as always,” Williams said. “They were great last year, and they are great this year. We have a great team all around.”
Williams also showed nice touch on his throws, but the Bulldogs failed to connect on several plays that could have gone for touchdowns. Duncan and Williams agree that execution will come in time, if only for the fact that Williams doesn”t want to put that much pressure on the defense to post a shutout every game.
“I thought I did all right, but I can do better the rest of the year,” Williams said. “I want to try to get my composure better. I want to get better at everything every day.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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