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Wake-Up Call: Calm, cool QB Williams gets things done for Dragons

Staff file photo (2008)

Williams, who already has a scholarship offer from FIU, sets the tone for the Dragons' never-give-up attitude.

By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 17, 2009

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The Wake-Up Call greets you each weekday with news, views and a few Tampa Bay area sports offerings to anticipate for the day and night. We encourage suggestions and contributions.

Good morning!

Quentin Williams, the junior quarterback at Jefferson High School, shrugged when asked about his poise and calm on-field demeanor.

"It's just the way I am, that's all," he said.

It might also be the biggest reason why the Dragons (1-0) have an opportunity to defeat the Plant Panthers (0-1) for the first time since 2004.

Tonight's game at Plant's Dad's Stadium, in a special Thursday night edition of prep football, does not have district implications. But it's a very big one for Jefferson, which has seemingly come of age with back-to-back comebacks to begin the season.

"We feel Plant has everything they want," Williams said. "We're underrated. We have to work for everything we get. That's why we never, ever give up."

Williams, a 6-foot-1, 185-pounder who already has a scholarship offer from Florida International University, sets the tone for that attitude.

In the opening week, he paced the Dragons to a come-from-behind 16-15 upset of the Hillsborough Terriers. Last week, all that good work came undone when Williams tossed a careless third-quarter interception, which Newsome's Joe Worth returned for a score.

The Dragons suddenly trailed by two touchdowns.

"On the interception, he's trying to do too much," Jefferson coach Mike Fenton said. "Instead of taking the sack, he's trying to make a big play. Only he throws it right into [Worth's] hands, and it goes back all the way. And everybody is like, 'Oh, geez. This is not looking good.'

"Some kids might've really been rattled. But the coaches got with Quentin and told him, 'Look, if your head is in this, we can come back and win.' He listened. He executed the plan perfectly. And we came back."

Jefferson, running a hurry-up offense, struck for two quick touchdowns, including a 33-yard run by Williams, who also converted a two-point conversion to put the Dragons up 29-28 as the third quarter ended.

The game, initially delayed by weather, was halted at that point because of a curfew rule. It's not technically a "win" for Jefferson – and Newsome might return for a resumption of the fourth quarter later this season – but it made a statement.

Jefferson's resilience must be respected.

Williams, who passed for 242 yards in three quarters, must be considered one of Hillsborough County's top quarterbacks.

"We were joking that we were one of those 'one year away' kind of teams before we played the Hillsborough game," said Fenton, whose program has downshifted to Class 3A and faces district games against Spoto and Lakewood in October. "Now I'm starting to wonder. We may be in the running this year.

"I know this: When you have Quentin, you've got a chance."

Andre Davis, Jefferson's ace wide receiver and Williams' best friend, can vouch for that.

When they were first-graders, Williams brought in a football book for show-and-tell. Davis asked to see it, indicating a common interest. They have been inseparable ever since.

"Playing alongside Quentin all these years, it has been an honor," Davis said. "He's real calm and collected. He's just a leader. When we need big things to get done, he's the man we look for."

Fenton said Williams is on the same development track as former Dragons quarterback Stephen Garcia, who is now starting at the University of South Carolina. Where does it go from here? Who knows? But Fenton expects a continuing upward trend.

"Quentin has a great arm," Fenton said. "But what he really has is great presence. He's a natural leader. He's a great athlete."

Maybe it's a family tradition.

His uncle is Nat Terry, an all-state performer at Robinson High School in the 1970s who played at Florida State University.

His cousin is K.D. Williams, a former Jefferson player who was a linebacker for the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers.

"I'd like to do what they did – or even better – but it's not about me right now," Williams said. "It's about the team. It's not about me trying to get to the next level. It's about enjoying high school football, having fun and playing for my teammates.

"When things go wrong, inside, I get kind of mad. I might even think about putting my head down. Then I'll think about it. 'Hey, they're all looking at me. I'm the leader.' I always keep my head up. I always strive."

If Jefferson continues to follow its leader, there's no telling how high the Dragons could fly. For the moment, they will settle for a victory against Plant.

"Jefferson is no pushover," Williams said. "We want to prove that to everyone."

T-Yanks take FSL championship

The Tampa Yankees defeated the Charlotte Stone Crabs, Class A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, with a 5-2 victory in the decisive Game 5 of the Florida State League championship series on Wednesday night.

The T-Yanks raced to a 4-0 lead. Second baseman David Adams did much of the work, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs.

But another standout was T-Yanks starter Austin Lare, who pitched five innings of one-hit ball, striking out six and walking just one. T-Yanks reliever Noel Castillo coaxed a pop-up with two eighth-inning runners in scoring position, then got a game-ending double play.

Durham one victory away

The Durham Bulls, Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, are one victory away from capturing the best-of-five International League championship series. Durham defeated Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 4-1 in Game 2 of the Governor's Cup on Wednesday night.

Bulls left fielder Rashad Eldridge was 3-for-4 with two doubles, a home run and three RBIs. Right fielder Matt Joyce (Armwood) was 1-for-3 with a double and one run scored.

Game 3 is tonight at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Allen ready for Hurricanes

Thursday night games have been kind to Georgia Tech junior running back Anthony Allen (Jesuit). Last week, he had 127 yards on five carries against Clemson. In 2007, while playing with Louisville, he set that school's rushing record with 275 yards against Middle Tennessee.

Tonight, Allen and the Yellow Jackets (2-0) travel to Miami (1-0), which is playing for the first time since its 38-34 road victory against the Florida State Seminoles, in a game that looms large in the Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal Division.

Miami was run out of the ballpark last season, surrendering 472 rushing yards to Georgia Tech, including 128 (in 10 carries) to Jonathan Dwyer, the eventual ACC player of the year. Dwyer, incidentally, was recruited by former Hurricanes coach Larry Coker – as a defensive back.

Dwyer is known as the "B-back" – the fullback – in Georgia Tech's flex-bone offense. Allen, meanwhile, is the "A-back," which usually lines up in the slot.

"You've got to be three-dimensional to play in our backfield," Allen said, referring to running, blocking and pass receiving.

Allen said he usually just describes himself as a "running back" so he doesn't have to answer questions about the intricacies of Georgia Tech's offense.

Former UF coach Dave Fuller dies at 94

Former University of Florida baseball coach and assistant football coach Dave Fuller died on Tuesday in Gainesville. He was 94.

Although Fuller had the most victories in UF baseball history and coached eight future major-leaguers, he might be best remembered for his football scouting instincts.

He once offered a football scholarship to a rawboned 180-pound linebacker from Monticello's Jefferson County High School, who thought he was bound for junior college. Gators coach Ray Graves signed off on it, trusting Fuller's judgment.

The player?

Jack Youngblood, the greatest defensive end in Gators history and the only former UF player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Tracking Cadillac

Bucs running back Cadillac Williams, coming off a knee injury, had 97 yards rushing in Sunday's season-opener against the Dallas Cowboys.

Here's what an NFL scout told The Sporting News Today: "It's too early to tell if Bucs RB Cadillac Williams has revived his career. He always has been a talented player. The big question with him is being able to withstand punishment and be durable enough to come back the next week."

Mickey feeling the heat?

If Florida State University's football team doesn't get off to a good start – the Seminoles are 1-1 with a Saturday trip to Brigham Young, then the University of South Florida coming to Tallahassee on Sept. 26 – Matt Hayes of The Sporting News Today says FSU defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews will be feeling the heat.

"If this team goes 1-3 in September, loose cannon president T.K. Wetherell is going to blame someone. It won't be Bobby Bowden, his former position coach from the 1960s, nor will it be Jimbo Fisher, his $5 million coach-in-waiting who really is the head coach, anyway.

"It's going to be Andrews, the guy who toiled and sweated and busted his tail at FSU for years, fielding some of the nation's best defenses season after season, only to be told the hot shot offensive guru – let's pause here for reflection – is the school's next coach."

Tampa's top gun

Tampa's Shannon Smith finished fourth in the Open Pistol division at the Smith & Wesson U.S. Practical Shooting Association's National Handgun Championships, held just outside Las Vegas.

Smith is ranked a Grand Master, the highest skill level in the sport of Practical Shooting. Smith moves to the Limited Pistol championship match, which begins today.

Birthday wishes

Happy birthday to Ozzie Timmons, the former Brandon High School baseball player who became a two-time Division II All-American at the University of Tampa.

Timmons was a fifth-round draft choice of the Chicago Cubs in 1991. He played professional baseball for 16 seasons with the Cubs, Reds, Mariners, Rays, Braves, Diamondbacks and Mets' organizations, then competed in the Japanese League, the Mexican League and the Independent League.

He's now a coach with the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits, the Rays' Southern League affiliate.

On Friday, Timmons turns 39.

The Answer Man

Here's the answer to Wednesday's trivia question:

University of New Orleans men's basketball player Bo McCalebb became the Sun Belt Conference's all-time leading scorer in 2008 and finished with 2,679 career points. He broke the record of former USF star Charlie Bradley, who scored 2,319 points between 1981 and 1985 – a mark that stood nearly 23 full seasons in the Sun Belt, even as USF moved to the Metro Conference, Conference USA and Big East Conference.

Thursday trivia

Here's our daily sports trivia question, featuring a Tampa Bay/Florida spin. Try your luck by commenting below.

The last time Jefferson won a football game at Plant's Dad's Stadium, it was Oct. 10, 2003. The Dragons defeated Plant, 46-14. Who was Jefferson's starting quarterback that night?

Check for the answer in Friday's Wake-Up Call.

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