Naperville Central senior DeShaun Williams expects to be playing wide receiver in the future.
That would be nothing new. The Indiana State recruit has been doing a stellar job of catching passes all season. But Friday night was a blast from his past as he started at running back for the Redhawks for the first time.
“I like receiver a lot, but I also like running back, man,” Williams said. “Running behind those big dudes and finding holes and exploding and getting big plays is something I love. That’s something I’ve been doing since I was 5.”
Williams got action at both positions at St. Francis before transferring over the summer to Naperville Central, which planned to use him primarily as a receiver.
But when star senior running back Aiden Clark suffered a knee injury during the third quarter against Lincoln-Way West last week, Naperville Central coach Mike Ulreich put Williams in the backfield.
“He’s a very smart football player, and last week when Aiden got hurt, we just didn’t want to overthink it,” Ulreich said. “He’s done it before, and he’s a phenomenal football player.
“We just figured there’s going to be a time we’re going to have to put him back there and hand him the football.”
That’s what the Redhawks did Friday night against host Lockport. Williams grinded out 27 yards on 12 carries. He also caught eight passes for 92 yards, including the go-ahead touchdown with 3:30 left in the second quarter, helping the Redhawks rally to beat the Porters 31-21.
Williams was featured from the get-go. Senior quarterback Sebastian Hayes found him for gains of 11 yards and 7 yards on the first two plays from scrimmage, and Williams rushed 9 yards on the next play.
“I was excited,” Williams said of his expanded role. “It felt like I was my (old) self getting the ball. Huge shoutout to the offensive line.”
Yet the running game wasn’t as effective as Ulreich would have liked. That’s something the Redhawks (6-0) will need to address because Clark could miss the rest of the regular season.
“The frustrating part was we just had some miscommunications on a couple of those blocking schemes, but (Williams) ran really hard,” Ulreich said. “We’re going to have to watch the film to see where a couple of those breakdowns were, but he had a couple really good runs in a couple spots.
“He almost broke one against our defense this week (in practice), and that’s hard to do.”
Lockport (3-3) broke several big plays in the early going, including a 68-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brendan Mecher to Adam Kozak, and led 14-7 after one quarter. It could have been worse if not for senior defensive lineman Jake Stanish, whose 12-yard fumble return was Naperville Central’s only touchdown until Hayes scored on a 1-yard sneak on fourth-and-goal to tie the game at 14-14.
Hayes was at his best on the next drive, completing passes to three receivers. A 29-yard completion to Gavin Wade set up the 28-yard scoring toss to Williams, who caught the ball at the 10-yard line, juked a defender at the 5-yard line and got into the end zone to give the Redhawks a 21-14 lead.
Wade, a senior safety, also did double duty on offense, catching two passes for 50 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown to extend Naperville Central’s lead to 31-14 in the fourth quarter. He also had a 50-yard run among his eight carries for 79 yards.
Wade is glad Williams transferred to Naperville Central.
“I was very excited because I know what commitment and talent he could bring to our team,” Wade said. “I played with him in eighth grade, and he’s really gotten a lot better, without a doubt.
“I think it’s his work ethic and all he’s put in throughout the whole year.”
That includes Williams’ work off the field.
“Here’s what jumps out,” Ulreich said. “Any time we’re in meetings and we’re talking through schemes, he’s as attentive as anybody.”
That attention to detail has allowed Williams to excel at multiple positions and enabled the Redhawks, who prize versatility, to overcome adversity. They lost senior linebacker Aaron Nussbaum to a potentially serious knee injury in the second quarter but still managed to win a game in which they were outgained 402-339.
“We were better than we were in the first quarter,” Williams said. “We have others fall, but we’re a family. We come together. We have a strong bond and trust in each other.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
