Williams helps FitzSimons blank Edison

IF THINGS HAD turned out differently, Richard Williams would be playing his high school football on the largest of the city-leagues stages.

Instead...When he began performing yesterday in a nonleague game between a pair of Public League lesser lights, there were, let's see, one, two, three, four...11, 12, 13 people on hand.

And one of those guys was there by mistake; he was actually looking for teams that were playing somewhere else.

Williams, a 6-3, 175-pound junior at Thomas FitzSimons, is a shining example that diamonds can be mined in unlikely places. He's also proof positive that young men are capable of overcoming unwise decisions.

Williams is now a quarterback (and safety) and yesterday he accounted for 190 yards and all four touchdowns as the Rams toppled Thomas Edison, 24-0, in strange weather - mostly sunny and somewhat balmy early; wet and ch-ch-ch-illy later - at Simon Gratz' Marcus Foster Memorial Stadium.

But in youth ball, he was quite the wideout and those skills had him ticketed for La Salle.

"I got in a fight," he said. "It all got messed up. That one incident cost me the chance."

At the time, he was an eighth-grader at Youth Scholars Charter.

"Some boy hit me and I just went off," he said. "I never got in trouble before and I'll never do it again. I was mad at myself for letting something that stupid mess things up. That was a life-learning lesson."

Thanks to a 3.7 GPA, the baby-faced, well-spoken Williams now ranks third in the junior class. He plays basketball and lacrosse in addition to football and next spring might give track a try.

On a team with much more talent, Williams no doubt would be one of the city's most productive QBs. Yesterday, against an opponent with a similar skill level and numbers miseries - FitzSimons dressed 21 players, Edison managed 25 - he was dominant early and often.

Williams passed 6-for-14 for 77 yards and one TD apiece to Shawn Carter (45-yarder) and Nature "Nate" Boyer (10-yarder) and carried eight times for 113 yards and scores of 15 and 57 yards.

Oh, he also notched one of the Rams' four interceptions.

The long run, off a right-side rollout, was a thing of beauty. After tightroping for a good 10 yards along the sideline, Williams uncorked a quick-step move to his left, thus creating space, and then beat pursuit to the end zone.

"I always liked receiver," Williams said, "but the coaches need me at quarterback and I'm willing to help the team.

"I'm getting into this now. I like how the ball is always touching my hands. There's so much to do. I like making plays and my coaches try to set me up to make them.

"I'm thinking I can make something of it. Before I always used to watch pro and college games just to check out my favorite players. Now it's like I'm doing research. I watch the quarterbacks real hard, so I can learn things. Like how you have to stand tall. Even get up on your tippy toes."

This has been a rough season for Fitz. Coach Joe Bradley departed after the second game due to surgery and his replacement, Bobby "Buck" Davis, is now working with just one assistant, Woody Redding.

The Rams (2-6) hadn't played for 2 weeks, but at least they now boast a two-game winning streak.

"Our worst times were when we didn't play together," Williams said. "If we do things like we did them today, we can beat anybody. The whole time, I've kept my head up. If my grandparents were still around, they'd be proud of me."

Khalil Bailey, Dionte Blackman and Bryan McKie also picked off passes in this one while Boyer, Domonique Johnson and Jeremiah Bullock recovered fumbles.

Thanks mostly to Carter, Bullock, Boyer and Rodney Morris, each of whom made three tackles behind the line, 16 of Edison's 33 plays lost yardage. The winless Owls' joy was limited to runs of 15 yards by QB James Long and tailback Luis Ortiz, a 34-yard, trick-play pass from Ortiz to Justin Matos and Roberto Fontanez' fumble recovery (good pop by Bryant Williams).

The Rams' grunts included Johnson at center, Shamir McCloud and Eric Caldwell at guard and Angelo Chaney and Gershom Reeder at tackle.

"I'd like to thank them for giving me time," Williams said. "And the wideouts for running hard routes. And the defense for making all those big plays."

He also expressed appreciation to his parents, Katina Cook and Richard Williams Jr. (He's III.)

"My mom is very strict," said Williams, who lives near 22nd and Lehigh. "If I ever got in trouble again..."

He laughed. "She'd kick my butt!"