Williams' track commitment gives Vernon Hills a big boost

Whether senior Richard Clark was the main reason why junior Josh Williams went out for track this season for the first time doesn't matter to Vernon Hills coach Mark Whitney.

What matters is that Williams did.

"I had heard from a couple of kids that Josh was interested in running," Whitney said. "Then at our December meeting and again in January, he was there. I think a big thanks besides the influence from Richard goes to our football coach Bill Bellecomo. He has been urging his players to go out for track, and we are the beneficiary."

Williams' decision to run track has yielded great rewards for the Cougars. Last Friday, for the first time in their 15-year history, the Cougars won a sectional title. Williams played a big role, qualifying for this weekend's Class 2A state meet in Charleston in four events.

"When I first started doing track, I never expected to get this far," Williams said. "Even at the sectional, I didn't expect to make it in the 100, and I did. It was a great feeling."

Clark finished second in the 100-meter dash, won the 200 and contributed on the winning 400 and 800 relay teams.

"It was just a really exciting night," Williams said. "To be a part of something that has never happened here before was really great."

Williams and Clark were football teammates last fall. When Clark saw Williams bust off a 32-yard touchdown run in a win over Round Lake, Clark knew he had to nudge Williams to go out for track.

"I just remember watching him during football and seeing how fast he was," Clark said. "I'm just really glad that we got him."

The returns on Clark's recruitment of Williams showed almost immediately. In his first indoor meet, at Glenbrook North in February, Williams won the 200-meter dash.

One race. One win.

"I really didn't think until about the third meet actually that this was something that was really going to be beneficial to me," Williams said. "But I learned how to train better, run faster and work as a team to accomplish our goals."

Williams has displayed a team-first attitude since the beginning.

"His strength has really been his consistency," Whitney said. "Race in and race out, he never seems to have a bad race and gets better and better."

To go with his continued improvement, Williams has also developed a natural and healthy rivalry with Clark.

"He and Richard have been battling back and forth all year as our top point scorers," Whitney said. "It's impressive when you look at it that Josh has been probably our top point-scoring guy and this from a guy that has run just one year."

Williams has a pre-race routine that has proved to be successful.

"I have this mental thing that I do before I race," Williams said. "I silence everyone and everything out and just get into a zone where all I think about is my race."

That mental focus helped Williams last Friday night. The Cougars' 400 and 800 relays - which also included Trey Hommer, Clark and Juan Martinez - clocked school-record times.

"I think all of that comes from how my teammates pushed me and how I pushed them," Williams said. "The end result was all of us pushing so hard to get to state."

At state, the mental focus part of Williams' game figures to be tested.

"I think I will be a little nervous racing on a big stage like that," Williams said. "I see the other runners and I don't know them and they don't know me. So it's about racing and doing what we need to do as a team when it's our turn."