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Gratz tops Bartram on a Hail Mary pass

Shawn Williams catches a 41-yard bomb as the Bulldogs stun John Bartram in Public League action.

JOHN BARTRAM HIGH had just scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:14 remaining last night against Simon Gratz when a Bartram assistant coach uttered prophetic words as the Braves prepared to kick off to Bulldogs senior Shawn Williams.

"He's a home-run hitter," James Ockimey said. "He makes me nervous."

Seconds later, Williams fielded the kick at the 6 and motored to the 50. Just one problem: Yellow flags littered the field. A block in the back negated Williams' wheels - temporarily.

Six plays later, the Bulldogs were in desperation mode with 9.8 seconds left and the ball at the Bartram 41. On the final play, senior quarterback Musa Ali-Sulaimani dropped the snap on the turf before recovering and scrambling right.

On the right side, Williams, whom teammates have dubbed "Megatron," had one thing on his mind.

"I didn't even see him drop the ball," he said. "I was just full speed ahead to the end zone. And I saw him rolling out, and I'm thinking, 'If he throws the ball, I know I can go up and get it.' So, he throws it up and I'm thinking, 'I'm Megatron. I gotta go get the ball.' "

Now, if you're thinking Williams earned the moniker for his physical resemblance to Detroit Lions wideout Calvin Johnson, who stands 6-5 and weighs 236 pounds, you're dead wrong.

He may only stand 5-5 and weigh 150, but as a receiver Williams earned the tag because of how he attacks the ball in the air.

Last night was a bit easier, as he snuck behind the defense and went up high to pull down the game-winner. One Bartram defender was close, but Williams had a teammate who was closer.

"He threw it up, I attacked it and caught it and that's how we won the game," Williams said after Gratz outlasted Bartram, 33-28, at the Marcus Foster Supersite.

Al-Sulaimani finished with 231 yards on 8-for-26 passing and four touchdowns. Luke White, a junior, had three catches for 98 yards with a rushing and receiving touchdown apiece. Senior Byron Williams had two interceptions and fellow senior Naim Alston added another.

For Bartram, senior Makai Sheed rushed for 133 yards on 21 carries, scored twice on the ground and picked off a pass. He scored the go-ahead score on a swing pass (his only catch) in which he tamed several Bulldogs en route to a 54-yard score. Freshman Answered Gleplay added 70 yards and a score on 11 totes. Senior wide receiver/defensive back Marquis Broxton had an interception.

The game was a disjointed, penalty-filled mess at times, with two ejections, the Braves being ticketed 13 times for 110 yards and Gratz 11 times for 90.

It was also a roller-coaster ride for the Bulldogs (3-1, 2-0 Liberty), who led the Braves (2-2, 1-1), 20-0, at halftime.

The topsy-turvy journey took an emotional twist when Gratz senior running back Chris Rhone went down in the fourth frame. Rhone took a carry at the Bartram 40, where his helmet came off. After a pause, Rhone continued running. A referee's whistle blew the play dead a second or two later, but Rhone was gang-tackled to the ground. He lay on the ground for 15 to 20 minutes and was attended to by a trainer. Eventually, an ambulance was called and Rhone was taken to the hospital. Afterward, head coach Erik Zipay said all serious tests were negative and Rhone likely suffered a concussion.

Williams, who lives at 10th and Brown, took the injury hard.

"That was really hard for me," he said. "That's also one of my best friends, so to see him down like that upset me, but I knew I had to keep my composure and win the game for him and my team."

It's not the first time Williams has played with a heavy heart. About two years ago, his mother, Tira Williams, fell ill with lung disease. She had a double transplant last spring, her son said.

"I was kind of down about that, but she told me to keep my head high and focus on football and that she'd be OK," Williams said. "And that's what I did. She had a lung transplant a couple months ago and now she's here at every game supporting me."

Tira was in attendance last night. Gratz doesn't give out game balls, but you know who would have gotten it - or do you?

"I probably would have given it to Musa for throwing me that pass," Williams said. After some prodding about his mom, he paused for a beat and smiled widely.

"Oh, yeah, my mom would probably get it!"