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Goree ready to pass torch to Camden's Williams

David Goree made dozens of big plays in the passing game for one of the most exciting teams in Woodrow Wilson football history.

Camden quarterback Khalil Williams (LOU RABITO / Staff).
Camden quarterback Khalil Williams (LOU RABITO / Staff).Read more

David Goree made dozens of big plays in the passing game for one of the most exciting teams in Woodrow Wilson football history.

Now, the former star quarterback is better at handoffs.

Goree is about to surrender his longtime status as the city of Camden's all-time leader in career touchdown passes to current Camden High quarterback Khalil Williams, who is a remarkably similar athlete in terms of size, surprising arm strength, and style of play.

Goree has passed along something else, as well.

"I still have his texts," Williams said. "He's always telling me, 'Records are great, but make it about the team. That's what you'll remember.' "

Goree was the triggerman for a Woodrow Wilson team that was ahead of its time in the mid-1990s. Under head coach Darrell Wilson, a current assistant at Rutgers, the Tigers employed a fast-paced, four-wideout approach that is fairly common these days but was pretty revolutionary 20 years ago.

"We were running Division I college stuff," said Goree, 37, a Camden fireman in the Fairview section of the city. "Teams weren't used to seeing a lot of what we were doing."

Goree, whose last season was 1995, stood just 5-foot-8 but was blessed with a strong arm, a fearless presence in the pocket, and a knack for reading defenses. He set the South Jersey record for career touchdown passes with 63.

That mark stood until Holy Cross' Tom Reilly finished with 64 in 2007. St. Augustine's Dustin Thomas ended his career with 69 in 2009, and Pennsville's Dylan Cummings pushed the record to 84 in 2013.

Williams, a starter since his freshman year, has 60 career touchdown passes after throwing five in a season-opening victory over Highland. He could tie or pass Goree when Camden hosts Delsea in a key game Friday night in Farnham Park.

With at least nine and as many as 11 games remaining in his career, Williams almost certainly will move into second place on South Jersey's all-time list and could challenge Cummings for the top spot.

But Williams knows there will be something special about passing Goree as the No. 1 touchdown passer in Camden history.

Goree knows it, too.

"He's a really good player," Goree said. "I'm happy for him."

Goree said he worked with Williams this summer at former Woodrow Wilson and NFL player Turk McBride's football camp.

"Reading defenses, not locking on the receivers," Goree said of his football advice.

Williams, who like Goree is 5-8 and displays notable arm strength for an athlete of his stature, remembers other aspects of Goree's counsel.

"He told me to make sure I make the most of this time," Williams said.

Woodrow Wilson lost to a loaded Mainland team that featured future NFL players John Stone and Dave Klemic in an unforgettable South Jersey Group 3 final in frigid rain in East Camden in Goree's final high school game, in December 1995.

Goree played briefly at Benedict College in Columbia, S.C., and at Rowan before suffering a broken leg. He spent two years with the Richmond Speed of the Arena League 2, rooming with former Paulsboro star Kevin Harvey.

Goree has been a Camden fireman for nine years. He said he was destined for that career for a lot longer than that.

"My mom says I used to chase the fire trucks down the street," said Goree, who grew up in Camden's Centerville section. "I guess it was a calling."

Goree said Williams is a "better runner" than he is, but Goree still takes pride in his ability to stand in the pocket and deliver strikes.

"One thing I learned early on, from playing with the Centerville Simbas, was to trust my coaches," Goree said. "I wasn't looking to run too much. They taught me to be patient, to trust that somebody was going to come open - and they usually were."

Goree knew his record would fall. That's the nature of sports.

But he said that other aspects of the game last forever - and that's what Williams and every other player always should keep in mind.

"I wish I was young enough to still play," Goree said. "I miss the good times, hanging out with the guys in the locker room. We had a ball.

"Records are made to be broken. I told [Williams] not to worry about setting records but to focus on doing the best you can playing with your friends and enjoy these times and try to win a championship."