Bob Lutz: Buhler quarterback Jace Williams becomes an attention-getter

Buhler won the Class 4A football championship last season with a sophomore quarterback, Jace Williams.

In that 31-14 win over Coffeyville, Williams performed well with 56 rushing yards and by completing 7 of 14 pass attempts for 139 yards.

But it was running back Riley Allen and his 179 yards and three touchdowns that got the attention. Allen was the big offensive threat; Williams was learning on the job. It was his passing, Buhler coach Warner said, that helped open up the running game for Allen in the second half against Coffeyville.

This kid is a quick study.

Last week, in a 55-21 pounding of Hays in a game between two 5-0 teams, Williams (6-foot-5, 200 pounds) ran for 321 yards and passed for another 168. Everyone was interested in seeing how Williams would stack up against Hays senior quarterback Alex Delton, who is headed for Kansas State in the fall on a football scholarship.

As the score indicates, it was a mismatch. Delton passed for 274 yards and rushed for 63 – great numbers until those put up by Williams swallow them.

“He’s really the real deal,” Hays coach Bo Black said of Williams. “We knew going in that he could throw but we didn’t know he could run like that. He’s everything he’s cracked up to be.”

Williams is already drawing interest from Kansas State and Minnesota, Buhler coach Steve Warner said. But the cards and letters will soon start to pour in because of Williams’ size and skills.

He seems unfazed, though, and not even sure he would play football in college.

He’ll have other choices as a three-sport athlete. He had 19 dunks as a sophomore on the basketball team last season and is a slick-fielding shortstop in baseball.

“I don’t really know what my favorite sport is,” Williams said. “Probably the sport that’s in season.”

Warner, in his ninth season as Buhler’s coach and 31st year overall, knows he has a live one on his hands.

In the seven games going into a Friday night game against McPherson, Williams passed for 1,346 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing for 1,136 yards and 12 TDs.

“First off, the kid’s about 6-5 and runs a 4.5 or 4.6 40,” Warner said. “He sees the field very well. His dad (Jason) coaches with us so Jace has been around football and watching film for years.”

Warner has always been a power football guy, running out of the I-formation. But he’s also kept up with the times and has always had a spread offense in the wings.

This season, with Williams as such a dual threat, the spread has been utilized more than ever.

“We knew that because of the way he throws and spreads the field that this would be a good offense for him,” Warner said. “He’s been working on bits and pieces of this offense since he was in the fourth grade and we’ve just been waiting for the right time to use it as much as we are now. We’ve always had great tailbacks. Now we have a two-headed monster.”

Buhler tailback Dillon Engelland, also a junior, is the other big threat in the Crusaders’ backfield. And for the most part, Buhler has been unstoppable, except for a 41-20 loss to top-ranked Andale (Class 4A-Division II).

“We turned the ball over too many times in that game,” Williams said. “Three turnovers and one was an interception. I’ve been interecepted twice this year – once against Andale and once against Rose Hill. I can’t stand interceptions and normally they’re my fault. But I just can’t stand making mistakes.”

It’s that hatred of failure, Warner said, that helps make Williams the player he is.

“He’s just such a competitor in everything he does,” Warner said. “That’s why he plays all of the sports because he loves to compete, he loves being an all-around athlete. If it’s a card game, he wants to win.”

Williams went to a Rivals.com camp in Mississippi during the summer and placed in the top 10 among quarterbacks, Warner said. Arkansas has invited him to a one-day camp. Word is starting to spread and Williams’ incredible game against Hays is fanning this wildfire.

“I’ve been thinking about college some and getting a few letters,” Williams said. “I wouldn’t mind going to college for any of my sports, just as long as I get to play. When it comes down to it, I guess it’s going to be about who makes the best offer.”

There will be a few to pick from.

“The sky is the limit for that kid,” Hays’ Black said. “Coach Warner is doing a really good job with him in that system, really keeping defenses off balance. Williams has all the tools to keep growing and keep getting faster. He can be a really special player.”

Williams vs. Delton was as interesting as Buhler vs. Hays last week.

“My quarterback is the best I’ve ever coached,” Black said. “There were two really good quarterbacks on the field last week. And there’s great upside for both of them.”

This story was originally published October 24, 2014 at 12:51 PM with the headline "Bob Lutz: Buhler quarterback Jace Williams becomes an attention-getter."