By Mike Kays
Phoenix Sports Editor
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The moment was poignant.
Victor Williams was coming off the field at one point during Muskogee’s season opener against Sand Springs when Roughers coach Matt Hennesy uttered something to the junior making his first start at quarterback.
Those words?
“I looked at him and said, ‘I love you. I think I’m going to keep you around for a couple of years,’” Hennesy recalled moments after Muskogee’s 44-14 win that had Williams’ fingerprints all over it.
Williams had 401 all-purpose yards. He had 20 carries for 193 yards, scoring four times, and was 9-of-15 for 128 yards passing and a TD. He also returned a kickoff 80 yards on the game’s first play.
And he was actually surprised at the news that he was selected the Phoenix’s Player of the Week for Week 1.
“That’s pretty good considering there’s a lot of guys out there who played well,” he said.
Where there was a need, Williams was there. Hennesy’s pre-game plan was to have Williams and Kyler Harris in as kick returners, but just for the opening kick unless the need became urgent as the game developed.
Same thing on defense. When a red-zone or short-yardage situation arose, there Williams was. He had one of two MHS interceptions, his coming in the dazzling first-quarter show that included his kickoff return, two rushing touchdowns including the 52-yard run and a 62-yard TD strike to Harris on what was the team’s first offensive play from scrimmage.
At that point, Muskogee had touched the ball twice and both times the ball was in his hands. Those touches led to a 15-0 lead en route to a 30-0 margin after 15 minutes of play.
“Smoke and Kyler are important pieces out there,” Hennesy said. “Big-time players give us big-time efforts and the more we’re able to use both the better off we are.”
A lot is said about the impact of both and the chemistry they bring.
“But that wasn’t chemistry you saw out there with him tonight,” said Harris, who finished the night with 108 yards on six catches, including the TD reception. “That’s just pure skill.”
Hennesy went on to compare Williams to Rell Lewis, who led MHS to one Class 6A semifinal playing the same positions Williams did. Lewis went on to sign with Kansas and was projected in the starting rotation when he sustained severe knee damage in preseason drills last month.
“Rell’s a great player and I respect him and what he did and to be compared to him was nice,” Williams said. “But at the same time, I want to be my own person. Part of that to me is just doing whatever the coaches say and whatever my team needs me. I just hope I don’t end up hurt like Rell.”
Neither does anyone else.
“I’m in charge of when to put him in on defense,” Hennesy said. “There’s times when we’ll need him. As some of these young guys develop, it will take some of that off him. It’s a process of constant re-evaluation but we saw what having him out there means to this team.”
