TOWN AND COUNTRY — Vic Williams tried to put on a brave front.
The CBC senior running back still came to every game three years ago after he suffered a season-ending ACL tear in his left knee.
He cheered and yelled from the sidelines like a good teammate.
Then, immediately after each contest, he would jump into the car with his father Victor — and break into tears.
“It was like I was in a deep depression,” Williams said. “No one knows how much it hurts to have something you love taken away.
“It messes up your whole life.”
The scared 15-year-old was unsure about his future as he stumbled around with a brace on his knee.
“Would I ever be as fast as I was?” was the question Williams asked himself time and time again.
The answer has come this season as a resounding “yes.”
The 5-foot-7, 170-pound speedster is on a big-time roll.
Williams has amassed 722 yards and 11 touchdowns in helping CBC bolt out to a 5-0 start.
The Cadets travel to Nacoochee, Georgia, to face Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School (2-3) at 6 p.m. Friday. They will be looking to win their initial six games for the first time since 2015, when they rolled to a 13-0 record before losing to Blue Springs South in the Class 6 state championship game.
Williams has emerged from out of the shadows to become one of the most elusive backs in the area. He rushed for 283 yards and three touchdowns in a 56-13 win over rival De Smet on Sept. 19. In that contest, he scored on a pair 80-yard bursts in a 5-minute and 10-second span in the third period to break open the game.
The big-play expert then rolled up 198 yards and two scores last week in a 65-33 triumph over Lipscomb, Tennessee. He added lengthy scoring runs of 73 and 50 yards and also caught a 65-yard scoring pass from quarterback Nick McClellan.
Williams is averaging an eye-popping 16.8 yards per carry.
“He’s just so explosive,” said CBC running backs coach Rayon Simmons, who rushed for a school-record 533 yards against Parkway South in 2007. “He might be small in (stature), but he’s big at heart.”
This breakout campaign was in doubt when Williams went down in a freshman game.
He had never been injured in his life and simply struggled to accept the reality of the situation.
“It hurt him bad,” said his father, Victor. “And me too. You can’t image what it’s like to watch your son go through something like that.”
Williams went about his rehab with a vengeance.
Yet it still took time. And during that time, he remained in a dark place mentally.
“Now I know it, but at first I didn’t realize it was a test,” Williams said. “Being challenged is really hard. I’d sit in the car and just cry because I couldn’t play.”
Williams slowly, but surely, began the find his earlier form. He spent most of his sophomore season recovering from the surgery.
Then, when he got somewhat healthy, Williams had to sit behind other backs last season like Courtney Rivers and AJ Morris.
“That was frustrating too, but they had been healthy and around longer than me,” Williams said.
Finally, this time around, Williams got a chance to show what he could do as a feature back.
The results have been impressive.
“Last year, when he got back, we saw glimpses of what he can do,” CBC veteran head coach Scott Pingel said. “Then, over the summer, we realized that this guy is something special.”
Williams is playing with a chip on his shoulder. He has yet to draw interest from NCAA Division I schools, mainly due to his small stature.
Being overlooked just makes him work that much harder.
“I want everyone to know that I am hungry,” Williams said. “I want to keep showing these coaches what I can do and that I have what it takes to play at the next level.”
Williams’ best attribute is his blinding speed. He simply goes into another gear once he sees an opening.
“I’ve always been fast, ever since I was real little,” Williams said.
Williams also turns heads on the track. He has reeled off a 100-meter dash time of 10.7 seconds and is looking forward to making a state run in the sprints in the spring.
Victor Williams was a standout basketball player at Lafayette High school before graduating in 1997.
As an elite athlete, he is proud that his son has battled through a rough stretch that lasted almost 18 months.
The period of low self-esteem has made Vic a tougher, more successful player.
“I realize you can’t take anything for granted,” Williams said. “When you get (hurt) it could all go away.”
Cadets trek to Georgia
The Cadets have always hit the road in search of better competition. Pingel likes to play a rugged schedule laced with out-of-town foes, much like this week’s trip to Georgia.
CBC opened the 2023 campaign with road games at Carmel, Indiana, and Bryant, Arkansas. They went on to play at Lipscomb, Tennessee, and Warren Central, Indiana, later in the season.
The Cadets began the 572-mile trek on Thursday morning. They planned on stopping in Nashville to work out at Vanderbilt University before heading to Chattanooga to spend the night.
“It’s always hard to find a game in week six because everybody is in the conference part of their schedules,” Pingel said. “We went through a guy that helps schools find teams and we’re going to play (Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School) on a two-year deal. They’ll come to our place next season.”
Rabun Gap’s schedule includes games against teams from five different states — Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio, North Carolina and Missouri.
The Eagles lost 35-34 at Baylor, Tenn., — which beat Lift for Life 42-30 on Sept. 12 — and won 50-35 on Sept. 5 at Massillon Washington, Ohio. Massillon is playing host to Cardinal Ritter at 6 p.m. Friday.
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Steve Overbey | Post-Dispatch
High school sports reporter
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