Williams starts Libertyville on path to win over Stevenson

On Friday night at Stevenson, Libertyville senior Brock Williams played the kind of football game you would expect from a player who is bound for the University of Texas.

Williams didn't even touch the ball that many times, but when he did he scored all four touchdowns for the Wildcats en route to a 28-0 North Suburban Conference victory over the Patriots after going into halftime with a slim 7-0 lead. But a 90-yard kickoff return by Williams to open the second half really seemed to stun Stevenson (1-5, 1-3), and Libertyville (4-2, 4-0) never looked back after that point.

“We were just trying to find something that worked, and that kickoff return by Brock set the tone in the second half, and he's just a great leader in practice with his energy,” said Libertyville coach Tim Budge. “Our kids were ready to play, they were prepared, and they played really well. They controlled the line of scrimmage, and they played really well in the secondary so I was proud of them.”

The Wildcats used a direct snap to Williams, who normally plays tight end, to score their first touchdown as Williams (37 yards on three rushes) scored on a two-yard run late in the first half to open the scoring.

Leading 14-0, Williams took another direct snap for a one-yard TD run before Jack Zaban's extra point made the score 21-0 late in the third quarter.

“(Williams) is a great player, that's why he's a five-star going to Texas,” said Stevenson coach Brent Becker. “Our kids played hard. Effort has not been the problem for us this year. These kids care, they're battling and giving it everything they can, we've just got to try to keep getting better every week.”

Stevenson missed the presence of key sophomore running back Mlakhai Agee, who was out with a knee injury, but he is expected to return next week. The Pats' offense was led by Cole Shein with 69 yards on 15 carries. Libertyville's Issac Preisser had 89 yards on 18 attempts.

Libertyville starting quarterback Jackson Yarc was five for nine passing for 48 yards. Teammate Whittaker Burton was four for seven for 34 yards. Stevenson's Eli Sigal was nine for 23 for 72 yards passing. Libertyville's Kaden Butt had 21 yards on four carries while making his presence felt on defense as well.

With four players in the backfield, Williams put the game out of reach with a 34-yard TD run to account for the final score with 3:35 to play. Williams also forced a fumble.

“We put in formations called house, we've got all of our best linemen out there, and they make my job easy,” Williams said. “Coming in, we were all super hyped up and this is exactly what we needed.”