Brody Williams is looking to make up for lost time.
The Merrimack High School senior was on the verge of a breakout football season in 2009 after the Tomahawks’ coaching staff moved him from wide receiver to running back on offense.
But just as he was getting used to the new position, Williams broke his hand early in the year. Even though he was able to return after missing a few games, the injury limited Williams to playing only on defense.
“We knew he was an outstanding athlete, but we didn’t realize what we had offensively,” Merrimack coach Joe Batista said. “Unfortunately, he broke his hand in the second game. That was really disappointing because he was going to get a lot of carries out of the backfield.”
Going into this season, Batista felt the ’Hawks’ offense was ready to take the next step and become an explosive unit on par with any in Division II. Williams is one of the key cogs to that plan, and he showed why in Merrimack’s opener against Hollis/Brookline.
The senior carried the ball just 13 times, but finished the game with 102 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. The third score, a 59-yard run, came with 5:30 left in the fourth quarter and restored a two-touchdown lead after the Cavaliers cut it to one just 19 seconds before.
“That’s what we’ve been saying, we have explosive athletes who can score quick,” Batista said. “We have guys who, if they get a little bit of an opening and they can be gone.”
Williams fits that mold. A member of the Merrimack track team, Williams qualified for 55-meter hurdles and 110 hurdles in both the Class L indoor and outdoor meets last year.
The combination of speed and toughness needed for the hurdles translates well to the football field, according to Batista.
“He’s a fast kid, but he’s got a lot of toughness between the tackles,” Batista said. “He’s also a year older, got another year in the weight room. He’s gotten a lot bigger, stronger and a lot faster.”
The contact is something that Williams doesn’t shy away from. In fact, he enjoys it.
“I love hitting kids,” Williams said. “I’m taking pride in my pain and loving my team, no matter what. I want to have a really big offensive year. I want to show colleges that I can play at that level. Make up for missed time. I’ve come to just love the game.”
And Williams isn’t the only one.
“What I’ve noticed is, we don’t mess around on the field,” he said. “We don’t come here to joke around and have a good time with our friends. We come here to play football. We come here to practice and to get better every day. Everybody wants to win.”
That’s what made the broken hand tough for Williams. Not being able to help the team out in all the ways he wanted got to be frustrating.
“I was there for the practices, but not being in the game was kind of rough, especially not playing offense,” he said. “It felt great (against H/B), letting them know that it’s our game. We were letting them know we came to play and we’re not going to give up. Everybody kept their head high the whole game.”
Williams will look to repeat that performance again when Merrimack heads to Dover on Friday to take on the Green Wave in the division opener.