For most football teams, leadership is expected immediately from the quarterback.
For Aberdeen High School, the dynamics made that even more important.
With as many as six sophomores starting some games on offense, the Bulldogs had to rely on the savvy veteran leadership of Josh Williams almost every snap.
The 5-foot-9, 190-pound Williams didn’t disappoint, accounting for 3,383 yards of total offense and 40 touchdowns. Aberdeen finished 10-4, placed second in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 3A, Region 4 race, and advanced to third round of the Class 3A playoffs.
For his success, Williams is The Dispatch’s Small Schools All-Area Player of the Year.
“This season was really exciting,” Williams said. “When you are a senior, you expect to have a lot of seniors playing alongside you. We didn’t have that this year. We really had a lot of new guys, especially on offense. I knew this season would be a lot about leadership.
“The coaches were putting a lot on me and my teammates were looking up to me. It was important to set an example of how we wanted things done every day.”
As a junior, Williams helped lead a senior-laden squad to a 7-6 record and the second round of the playoffs. Many felt like a step backward would be possible on offense and defense this season because the Bulldogs were going to have to turn to inexperienced players.
“With Josh, you always know you have a chance,” Aberdeen coach Mark Bray said. “He could change the outcome of a game on one play. This year, he really grew as a leader. He set an example in the weight room and on the practice field.
“The younger players knew they could go to him for advice. They also knew they could look to him to see the way we do things. It is valuable when you have a coach-type player on the field, in the huddle, calling the plays, and making things go.”
The biggest question then centered on how quickly Aberdeen could put things together and find consistency with a new starting lineup. Williams and Bray knew an experienced group of wide receivers would be among the best in Class 3A.
“It was good to have options,” Williams said. “The best thing about our offense was we had options. We tried to get as many players as possible involved in the offense. We had some players who have good speed and could make some great catches.
“I just tried to stay level-headed and focused. If the other players needed encouragement, I tried to provide it. It was important you always stay confident and that you always believe in what you are doing. I knew that if we didn’t do what we wanted on one play, we would have a great chance to do it on the next.”
Bray knew Williams would find a way to make a play if the best options weren’t available.
Williams ran 180 times for 695 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior. He completed 53.6 percent of his passes (128 of 239) for 2,155 yards and 15 touchdowns. He improved on those numbers this season with 165 rushes for 891 yards and 19 touchdowns. He completed 62.4 percent (148 of 237) of his passes for 2,492 yards and 21 touchdowns.
“Sometimes he would will us to a first down or a touchdown,” Bray said. “You could see in his eyes that look of determination. It makes it easier for other players to follow when the leader says this is going to get done.”
Junior Jerrick Orr led the Bulldogs with 52 receptions for 907 yards and 11 touchdowns. Senior Tyreke Gates had 38 catches for 458 yards and three touchdowns.
“Josh was such a great leader,” Gates said. “It didn’t matter the score in a game because we always felt like we could come back. The offense was fun to watch. We had a lot of guys who could make plays. We tried to go as fast as possible. Josh always knew what we needed to do and when we needed to do it.”
Aberdeen prepared itself for region play with a rigorous non-region schedule. It dropped a 35-8 decision to Class 5A playoff participant New Hope and a 29-0 decision against eventual Class 4A state champion Noxubee County.
In region play, the lone loss was a 38-6 setback to reigning Class 3A state champion Louisville.
“We tried to learn something from each loss,” Williams said. “We knew we were playing some really good teams. These were the types of teams we were going to face in the playoffs. The only way to get better is to get some experience against teams like that. Even though things didn’t always go our way, we tried to compete and tried to play hard.
“We were playing teams bigger than us. That made us for the district game. We faced some adversity early and that made us better at the end of the season.”
Aberdeen regrouped from the Louisville loss to beat Winona and South Pontotoc to clinch second place in the region and secure a first-round playoff game at home.
Aberdeen averaged 56 points per game in playoff wins against North Panola and North Pontotoc. The year ended with a 52-14 loss to Kemper County. In the regular season, Aberdeen beat Kemper County 40-36 thanks to a last-minute touchdown by Williams.
“It was a tough night,” Williams said. “We had some turnovers early and we just couldn’t match them once they started scoring. It was a fun year and a great learning experience. I think all of us grew up a lot this year. Football has always been fun and always been real special. I will take with me a lot of memories of the good times we had out here. It was a lot of fun.”
Follow Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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