Williams’ big plays help Naperville Central get past Metea Valley

Naperville Central junior Mark Williams has a simple approach to playing wide receiver.

“Honestly, I just try to make a play for the ball,” he said. “I don’t look at anything else but the ball. Whether it’s too high, too low, I always make the catch.”

Good luck catching Williams, who has the wheels to quickly turn a short pass into a long gain.

That’s what happened late in the third quarter on Friday. Junior quarterback Iggy Amorrortu had just thrown his second touchdown pass of the game to Charlie Larson to give visiting Metea Valley a one-point lead.

But two plays later, Naperville Central senior quarterback Simon Hayes threw a short pass to Williams, who slipped past a tackler and raced 55 yards for the touchdown that put the Redhawks ahead to stay in their 36-29 DuPage Valley Conference victory at Memorial Stadium.

“Honestly, I released that ball, and I’m like, “Aw, I put it a little too far in front of him,’” Hayes said. “But Mark’s the best player I’ve seen play football.

“I’ve seen a lot of great players — my brother played two years ago when there were some good receivers on the team — and I’ll tell you this much: Mark’s the hardest worker I know. He keeps his head down, and he grinds, and I know how much he works in the offseason. I know how much he wants it, and for him to make those plays tonight, that doesn’t surprise me.”

Williams’ touchdown, which gave Naperville Central (3-3, 2-1) a 28-22 lead, was his second go-ahead score of the game. In the second quarter, he caught a 48-yarder from Hayes to put the Redhawks up 21-15.

Teammates have come to expect such highlights from Williams, who finished with five receptions for 165 yards, although some, like senior center Matthew Russo, don’t get to see those plays until they watch the highlight film.

“I don’t see what the receivers do, not even what our running back does most of the time,” Russo said. “But it’s just awesome to get your block done and look down the field and see Mark Williams making an amazing play or an amazing catch. It’s incredible.”

He made an acrobatic catch on a two-point conversion pass from Hayes following senior running back Landon Nelson’s 33-yard touchdown run to make it 36-22 with 6:06 left in the fourth quarter.

“That two-point play was as big of a play as any tonight,” Naperville Central coach Mike Ulreich said. “That was huge.”

Williams also played every snap at cornerback, returned kicks and gained 15 yards on an end-around.

“I think tonight was a great example of how, outside of him making big plays catching the ball, he can impact the game,” Ulreich said. “He can impact the game at corner, and he can impact the game at receiver. He can impact the game as a returner. Tonight was a good night for him.”

Williams does not have any college offers yet, although he has visited Cincinnati and is planning trips to Notre Dame, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State and Wyoming.

“It’s hard when you’re young, trying to be patient,” Ulreich said. “That’s what we tell him, like, ‘Mark, someone is going to turn on and see.’ It’s only a matter of time.”

Williams knows this and said he’s getting positive feedback from recruiters.

“I’ve been hearing a lot of good things,” he said. “I just came back from Northwestern. Their receivers coach really liked me a lot. My film’s outstanding. I’m an explosive player.”

Anyone watching film from this game probably will like what they see.

“They’re going to love that,” Williams said. “It might be my best game.”

What an opportune time to deliver one’s best performance. The homecoming crowd got to see the Redhawks overcome four first-half turnovers with some great individual efforts.

Nelson rushed for a career-high 219 yards on 21 carries, while Hayes completed 8 of 13 pass attempts for 229 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.

It was just enough to overcome a determined effort from the Mustangs. Amorrortu completed 21 of 40 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 22 times for 119 yards and two more scores, while Larson had 10 catches for 179 yards and two touchdowns.

“It’s huge,” Williams said. “I love the environment. I love the crowd. I love to see my teammates happy. It makes me really happy.”