On a night when a nearby transformer blew, causing the power to go out at the Wolvarena for close to 15 minutes, it was a Woodland Hills quarterback who put up one of the biggest lights-out performances of opening night.
You might be hearing the name Deontae Williams a lot the next few years. He’s a junior at Woodland Hills who could have a breakout season. He was exceptional in a 60-20 win against Connellsville, completing 10 of 15 passes for 276 yards and four touchdowns and adding 44 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The 60 points were a school record, which is saying a lot considering the program’s rich history.
“He threw some really nice balls,” Woodland Hills coach Tim Bostard said. “I think his ability started to shine through.”
Last season, Williams (5 feet 11, 175 pounds) assumed the starting quarterback role after Woodland Hills started 0-6. He led the Wolverines to wins in three of their final four games. He’ll try to improve his record to 5-1 when Woodland Hills hosts Penn Hills on Friday.
“My mindset is, I feel like no one can beat us,” said Williams, who also plays safety and is the team’s kicker and punter.
Colleges are beginning to take notice. Williams, who has a 3.5 GPA, picked up his first FBS offer from Toledo last week. Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia and Wisconsin are among the schools showing interest. Teams are recruiting him as an “athlete.” Bostard projects Williams as a safety or slot receiver.
Speaking of Pitt and safeties, Williams is close friends with all-ACC performer Paris Ford. Like Ford, Williams grew up in Garfield.
Ford said he hopes Williams follows in his footsteps, not only with his play, but also when choosing his future school.
“You know I do,” Ford said, laughing. “I think he’ll have as many offers as me and probably more. The crazy thing is he’s still got another year.”
Olsen’s debut
The WPIAL’s leading passer is a teenager who turned 15 just a few months ago and since last season has added three inches and 33 pounds.
Armstrong sophomore Cadin Olsen completed 20 of 33 passes for 396 yards and three touchdowns in a 21-7 win against Indiana. Ten of Olsen’s completions went for at least 20 yards.
“He made some big-time throws,” Armstrong coach Frank Fabian said. “He’s a special player. We threw a number of deep balls and his deep ball accuracy is very good.”
Olsen, who Fabian called a “prototypical pocket passer,” has grown significantly since last season, and not just in talent. Olsen said he is 6 feet 4, 205 pounds. As the JV starting quarterback last season, he was 6-1, 172.
Great names
There were more important touchdowns in Week 1, but none involved players with names as unique as the ones who teamed up for Chartiers Valley’s first score in a 34-7 win at Montour: Abraham Ibrahim caught a 56-yard touchdown pass from Socrates Boulis.
Ibrahim, who has gone by “Abe” since he was young, is a junior wide receiver whose parents are from Syria. He said the tradition in his family is for a father to name their son after their father. Abraham is named after his grandfather.
Meanwhile, Boulis, who is Greek, was named after one of the founders of Western philosophy. He said his mom wanted to give him a strong name. He was originally going to be named Aristotle.
Next QB Up
You would think Thomas Jefferson would suffer a big drop-off at quarterback due to the graduation of all-state performer Shane Stump, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. Senior Jake Pugh, Stump’s backup last year, was awfully impressive in his first varsity start, throwing for five first-half touchdowns in a 52-0 win at West Mifflin. It was Thomas Jefferson’s ninth consecutive win against West Mifflin. Pugh’s dad, B.J., was a starting quarterback for West Mifflin in the mid-1990s, and his mom, Katie, is the sister of Green Bay Packers assistant Luke Getsy.
Ford Tough
Penn-Trafford senior Brad Ford made it tough for any WPIAL player to top him for the longest play from scrimmage this season. In fact, it’s not possible. Ford rushed for a 99-yard touchdown in Penn-Trafford’s 48-14 rout of Latrobe. It was the longest run in school history, surpassing Chris Schneider’s 98-yard run in 1993. Schneider went on to play at Pitt. Ford had only one other carry in the game. It went for 3 yards, giving him 102 on the night.
Big Brain
Baldwin coach Tim Sweeney made a smart move by picking Colton Brain to be his starting quarterback. Brain didn’t have a mind-blowing outing in a 27-7 win at Hollidaysburg, but he was very good. A senior, Brain was 18 of 25 for 310 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a score. As you might expect, Brain is bright. He carries a 4.3 GPA.
Brad Everett: beverett@post-gazette.com and Twitter: @BREAL412.
First Published: September 17, 2020, 10:00 a.m.
