TIMES ORANGE COUNTY ALL-COUNTY FOOTBALL TEAMS : Recognizing a Job Well Done : Williams Continues Mater Dei Tradition of Superior Linemen

It is a play that jumps right off the highlight reel, a collector’s item that coaches at Mater Dei watch over and over again.

Brad Williams, the Monarchs’ top defensive lineman, thwarts blockers, leaps to make an interception behind the line of scrimmage and outruns everyone 20 yards for a touchdown.

The play helped Mater Dei beat Mission Viejo, 34-16, and earn a share of the South Coast League title on the final night of the regular season.

Sensational efforts such as that enabled Williams, a 6-foot-5, 260-pound senior, to be named The Times Orange County lineman of the year.

Williams is another in a long line of outstanding Monarch linemen, many of whom played on both sides of the ball. Matt Motherway, an offensive standout who saw defensive work as a senior, was The Times lineman of the year in 1994.

It seems apparent that that play will become Williams’ legacy at Mater Dei. At worst, incoming freshmen should expect to see reruns of the play.

“That play sticks out in my mind,” Mater Dei Coach Bruce Rollinson said. “He split the double team and went with a vertical arm technique to get by the offensive back. That’s three people assigned to block him and then he is still able to jump, pull the ball out of the air and returns it for a TD.”

Williams either doesn’t remember the play quite like that or prefers to downplay his contributions to the Monarchs’ 10-2 season, which ended with a 23-14 loss to Los Alamitos in the Southern Section Division I quarterfinals.

“The quarterback was just rolling out and I was trying to contain him,” said Williams, also a starter on offense. “Our defensive backs limited his ability to throw the ball and I just made the play.”

Such a reaction by the level-headed Williams, who has narrowed his college choices to Nebraska, Notre Dame, Texas A&M;, USC and Colorado, doesn’t surprise teammates.

“He’s not cocky. He’s not just in this for himself,” fellow lineman Reid Diehl said. “A lot of college coaches come out to our practices just to watch Brad. It would have been easy for him to get distracted, but he was more concerned about our practices.

“I knew I appreciated him before this year,” Diehl said. “Everyone knew Brad was going to get a scholarship anyway. Brad knew it too. He could have sold us out this year and just gone through the motions and just get a scholarship, but he didn’t. He went all out.”

Williams’ ability to keep life and football in its proper prospective was not lost on Rollinson.

“His mental approach to the game was so complete,” Rollinson said. “I felt he handled the pressures of recruiting and all the pressures brought on by preseason expectations in an admirable way.”

When he lined up against opposing players, Williams was all business.

“He was a dominant player,” San Clemente Coach Mark McElroy said. “He is extremely strong, very athletic. Against us they moved him all around the defensive line. He was their Howie Long.”

Explained Mater Dei linebacker Ryon Holland: “Every time I saw him on film I was even more impressed with him. You could just see him messing up guys all the time.”

Rollinson thinks Williams will go down in history as one of the best of Mater Dei’s many outstanding linemen.

“Brad is probably one of the most complete two-way players we have coached in our tenure here,” Rollinson said. “He has tremendous speed, explosion off the ball and great understanding of the game.”

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The First Team

OFFENSE

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Pos. Name School Hgt. Wgt. Yr. QB Kevin Feterik Los Alamitos 6-2 192 Sr. RB Eric Shine Savanna 5-9 165 Sr. RB Murle Sango El Toro 5-8 160 Jr. WR Trevor Insley San Clemente 6-0 165 Sr. WR Tony Hartley Los Alamitos 6-2 191 Sr. TE Kevin Cooper Brethren Christian 6-6 247 Sr. OL Joel Sugg Irvine 6-6 265 Sr. OL Reed Diehl Mater Dei 6-4 245 Sr. OL Matt Mason El Toro 6-4 260 Sr. OL Joe Khamis Edison 6-3 245 Sr. OL Brad Baker San Clemente 6-2 280 Sr. K David Bell Western 6-1 200 Sr.

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DEFENSE

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Pos. Name School Hgt. Wgt. Yr. DL Sean Jarne Esperanza 6-5 262 Sr. DL Brad Williams Mater Dei 6-6 255 Sr. DL Tyler Brickell Fullerton 6-4 215 Sr. LB Ryon Holland Mater Dei 6-0 210 Sr. LB Damian de Beaubien El Toro 6-1 215 Sr. LB Matt Paul Servite 6-3 215 Sr. LB Brian Bachhuber Esperanza 6-3 225 Sr. DB Garrett Sabol Kennedy 6-0 185 Jr. DB Ryan Wilkins Esperanza 6-0 180 Sr. DB Sean Kolmer San Clemente 5-10 175 Sr. DB Bryant Geary University 5-11 175 Sr. P Chris Culbertson Capistrano Valley 6-2 200 Sr.

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