Libertyville sophomore Brock Williams put himself in the right place at the right time quite often Friday night.
Finding an open seam to catch a pass. Making a tackle on a punt. Blocking for a teammate.
Late in the second quarter, after a frenzied 17 minutes, Williams took a short break by grabbing a seat on the bench next to senior quarterback Quinn Schambow.
“I was gassed, just absolutely gassed,” Williams said.
But Williams wasn’t done. The 6-foot-5, 195-pound tight end caught six passes for 73 yards and a touchdown to help the Wildcats beat Lake Zurich 29-14 in a North Suburban Conference game and remain undefeated.
The Wildcats (4-0, 2-0) continued their dominant season with another sterling performance on both sides of the ball. Schambow, an Oklahoma State baseball recruit, threw four touchdown passes, including three to junior wide receiver Blaise LaVista.
The Bears (1-3, 1-1) had difficulty slowing down Libertyville’s offense, and Williams took advantage of some extra cushion in the defense, making four of his catches for 56 yards in the first half.
Williams already had four touchdowns in the first three games, when the Wildcats averaged 44.7 points.
“I think he makes defenses think, especially about not leaving him unguarded,” LaVista said. “He’s an absolute player who will keep getting better and better. He will have schools looking at him soon.”
Williams, who is 15 years old, said he’s settling into his role. He moved from wide receiver to tight end this season.
“The first game, I came in a little nervous, but after the first-game jitters, it really clicked,” he said.
On Friday, Williams caught a 20-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone to give Libertyville a 13-0 lead with 10:14 left in the second quarter. He added a 28-yard reception in the final seconds of the half to set up LaVista’s 11-yard touchdown catch that extended the lead to 20-7.
Williams was also on the receiving end of a trick play on a conversion attempt, but it was nullified by a penalty.
“(Brock) is just a hard matchup,” Libertyville coach Mike Jones said. “He’s not even physically developed, so it’s exciting to see what he will do the next three years. For his age and size, he’s very skilled. We didn’t want to get him off the field. So he’s done a nice job moving to tight end. We’re excited to see where he goes.”
Schambow, who has thrown 21 touchdown passes in four games, repeatedly showed his trust in Williams on Friday.
“Brock brings speed, size and a good target for us,” Schambow said. “He’s very reliable for me with great hands, runs great routes and blocks well.”
Williams also plays baseball — he was the varsity center fielder as a freshman — and basketball. His father, Tyler, played Division III football, and his twin brother, Reid, plays on the junior varsity team.
When Williams was asked which sport is his best, he flashed a big smile and said football “is my favorite.”
He’s looking forward to his first college offer.
“I try my best every game,” Williams said. “I’m so pumped for my future.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.
