Joe Williams out for season after severely breaking leg
BURTON -- COURTESY: VIEW NEWSPAPERS - It was a devastating blow, a painful, season-ending injury that shook the players who were there.
But Atherton’s Wolverines have turned the severe leg injury to junior quarterback Joe Williams into motivation for the entire 2010 football season.
Williams was hurt in a scrimmage last Thursday at Deckerville, breaking both bones in his lower left leg in an injury similar to the one that ended Joe Theismann’s career with the Washington Redskins.
“It was the exact same injury as Theismann’s,” said Atherton coach Ed Stermer. He had surgery and he’s back home, but he’ll be out for 6-8 months.
Meanwhile, the Wolverines have dedicated the season to their fallen quarterback and plan to present him with a signed football at Friday’s season-opener at home against Webberville. “The players wanted to turn something positive out of that bad experience,” said Stermer. “I was proud of them for that. They said, ‘Joe would want us to win.’”
“He was the hardest worker on our team this summer, and they were looking up to him as one of the leaders on our team. We thought he would be one of the better quarterbacks in the league.”
The Wolverines will forge ahead with a new coach, a new system, and now a new quarterback. They graduated a big offensive lineman in Brandon Vock and a speedy wide receiver in Raetron Bryant.
But they have returning experience in guard Shane Keeney and receiver Ashton Matchett, both seniors, along with guard Tyrice Denson, running back Kyle White and center Trevor Flewelling, all juniors. Fred Perkins, a 6-foot-6 senior defensive end, will replace Williams at quarterback.
The 29-man roster is bolstered by the return of senior cornerback Kendrell Jones, who didn’t play last year, and senior tight end Tim Simmons. Among the promising newcomers is sophomore Demarko Morgan, who might earn a starting job at cornerback.
“We’re going to be competitive, but its kind of an unknown,” said Stermer, who coached at Auburn Hills Avondale and was Brandon’s JV head coach for more than 15 years. “We have a new system and lots of new players. Once we play a couple of teams, well know more.”
