In his first year at Northeast, Williams filled a defensive position needed on the team — and proved to be a vital player.
Will Williams couldn’t have landed in a better spot.
Williams and his family moved from Sicklerville, N.J., to Lawncrest shortly before the school year started, and he found himself at Northeast High School. The first thing he did when he arrived at his new school was sign up for football.
“When I got there, they told me they needed a safety, and that’s the position I play,” Williams said. “The first thing I noticed was how welcoming everybody was. They didn’t know me, but they were all really cool. Everyone treated me great.”
They were rewarded.
The Vikings came into the season with a lot of returnees who helped the Vikings win the Public League Class 6A championship a year ago. But one of their biggest losses was at safety, where Jaquan Amos played. Amos graduated in June and is now starring at Villanova.
Williams came in and filled the hole.
“I didn’t come in and replace Jaquan, he’s really good,” Williams said. “I just played my part. Once I got the starting spot, I just played the way I play. Our defense was really good because we all did what we were supposed to do. When we did that, we played well.”
Just ask Central how well they played.
On Thanksgiving, the Vikings shut out the Lancers for the third time this year.
Northeast defeated Central, 28–0, in the longtime Thanksgiving rivalry game. It was less than two weeks after the Vikings spanked Central, 41–0, in the Public League championship game.
And while winning the crown is what every team strives to do, Northeast’s biggest game each year is the Thanksgiving Day tilt.
Danny Scott led the offense, rushing for 130 yards and two touchdowns, along with Sameen Thompson, who added 150 yards and a rushing score. Kyle Morasch finished the scoring with a one-yard run in the third quarter.
“It was great, there were so many people there, it’s fun to play in games like that,” said Williams, whose defense limited the Lancers to 111 yards. “Central is a good team, but we played them tough. They didn’t score on us this year, and we played them three times.
“It was fun because it was our last game together. This year, we had a great year. I didn’t know how good this team was, but they’re really good. I think we played great in a lot of games.”
Williams’ forte was defense, but there were times this year Northeast needed him to pitch in on offense.
Even as a skilled position player, he loved delivering hits.
“They needed me to play quarterback a few plays,” Williams said. “I liked it because we run a lot so I would get to hit people. I didn’t play a lot, but when I did, I loved blocking. I’m a physical player and I like to hit.”
He also likes to play other sports.
Williams believes his future is in football, and he hopes to play next year in college. But he’s got quite a resume.
Prior to moving to New Jersey, he lived in Summerdale, where he learned to play ice hockey at Tarken Playground.
And as a freshman, he attended Samuel Fels, where he went out for the swim team.
This year, he plans on running track for Northeast’s track team. There, he focuses mostly on sprints.
“Ice hockey was fun, I played defense and wing,” Williams said. “I loved swimming, too. I got pretty good at it. I think I’m going to do track this year, so I won’t swim, but that was something I had a lot of fun doing. I like to try other sports.”
But now the focus is on football.
“I definitely want to play in college, and I’m starting to figure out where I’ll be going,” said Williams, who had one interception on the season. “I think I want to major in sports management. I had a class in sports management when I was a (sophomore) and it came easy to me because I liked it. I think it’s a career I’d like to do because it interests me. It’s something I’d want to do.”
He also wants to come back to watch Northeast defend its Public League championship.
He may have spent only one year wearing the red and black, but he’ll be a Northeast Viking for the rest of his life.
“This year was great, we played really good together and our coaches helped us a lot,” said Williams, who hopes to play safety in college but is open to changing positions. “I’m happy I came here. They made it so easy to join the team and become friends with everyone. This was a great season, and I’m really happy we won the championship and beat Central. That’s a great way to end the season.”
