Transferring to St. Laurence for his senior season after his family moved from Detroit, Matthew Williams wanted to contribute however he could.
He’s played both ways for the Vikings, delivering big plays at wide receiver and defensive back all season.
But none were bigger than the one he had in the Class 6A second round against Bradley-Bourbonnais on Nov. 7.
Picking off a pass at midfield, Williams ran it back 50 yards for the score, a huge play on the way to host St. Laurence’s 35-21 victory.
“There is no better feeling than a pick-six,” Williams said. “I was playing slot nickelback, a new position for me, but I was thrown into the fire. I saw the quarterback lock in on the receiver and knew I had to jump the throw.”
St. Laurence (7-4) plays at Dunlap (9-2) at 3 p.m. Nov. 15 in the 6A quarterfinals.
Against Bradley, senior Cory Les had a huge game with 26 carries for 177 yards and three touchdowns. He also connected with junior Sean Rice for a 24-yard TD strike.
St. Laurence and Bradley were tied 7-7 late in the second quarter with the Boilermakers driving near midfield.
On a throw to the right sideline, Williams made a quick read, swooped in for the interception and was gone up the sideline for the score.
Wherever he can make an impact, Williams is ready to go.
“I want to do whatever my team needs me to,” Williams said. “I want to play all types of defense. I want to hit, cover, tackle and pick the ball.”
Williams played at Detroit Catholic Central, including his sophomore and junior years on varsity, before moving to the Chicagoland area.
He said he feels right at home with the Vikings.
“My year has gone great,” Williams said. “I love it here. These guys are my brothers. They’ve welcomed me with open arms. I couldn’t ask for a better team.”
And St. Laurence coach Pat Swanson couldn’t ask for a better addition to the roster.
“Matthew plays defense, is dynamic in the return game and has been a game-changer for us,” Swanson said. “In a lot of the games we’ve won, he’s had some big plays for us. He made an unbelievable break on the ball, played through his hands and turned on the jets a little bit (on the interception).”
Les took over in the second half.
Held to 29 yards on nine carries in the first half, he racked up 148 yards and three touchdowns in the second.
“We played bad in the first half,” Les said. “We knew Chicago Catholic League football was going to be tough. We were going to simplify it and out-physical them. That’s what we did.”
Les scored on a 1-yard leap into the end zone, a 29-yard power run featuring a dive toward the right pylon amongst a sea of Bradley defenders and a 4-yard run up the middle.
“Whatever the coaches need me to do, I’ll do it,” Les said. “I had the whole team behind me. Our offensive line was moving, and there was nothing Bradley could do. I’d get 4 or 5 yards every time and we’d demoralize them.”
On defense, Rice added an interception. Senior linebacker Ethan Glover delivered with a key fumble recovery in the closing minutes on a Bradley botched snap.