All-Tidewater football | Williamson is Player of the Year

CHESAPEAKE

Oscar Smith quarterback Jaylian “J.J.” Williamson wasn’t the most sought-after high school football player in South Hampton Roads when the season began.

The country’s top college coaches were more enamored with other players in the Class of 2012, including Ocean Lakes’ Eli Harold, Norfolk Christian’s Kwontie Moore, Bayside’s Anthony Cooper and Williamson’s teammate, J.C. Coleman.

But while those blue-chip recruits earned major-college scholarship offers, by season’s end Williamson had proven just as valuable.

After an injury to teammate and star running back Coleman, Williamson put together one spectacular performance after another, especially in postseason.

His sizzling play led Oscar Smith to its second Group AAA Division 6 state championship in four years – and earned Williamson the Abe Goldblatt All-Tidewater Player of the Year award.

“I think he embraced that challenge and really shined at the biggest moments,” Oscar Smith coach Richard Morgan said. “When the game was on the line or it was the playoffs, he was at his best, which is what your best players are supposed to do.”

In five playoff games, Williamson threw for 1,243 yards and 16 touchdowns with just two interceptions. He completed 18 of 21 passes (86 percent) for 240 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Tigers to 47-21 victory over Centreville in the state title game.

Williamson finished the season with 3,062 passing yards – sixth all-time on South Hampton Roads’ single-season list. He threw 39 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions.

Williamson is the third Oscar Smith player in the past four seasons to be selected All-Tidewater Player of the Year, joining running back/linebacker Perry Jones (2008) and quarterback Phillip Sims (2009).

“There are a lot of great players who have won it,” said Williamson, who will play at Hampton next year. “Just for me to be honored is unbelievable.”

Williamson received word of the award a day after the state title game. He was with family when he got a text message from Oscar Smith coach Richard Morgan.

“I keep my phone on silence and I just happened to look at it,” Williamson said. “The text said, ‘Congratulations J.J., you made first-team All-Tidewater and Player of the Year.’”

A shocked Williamson showed the text message to his older brother, Korey Jones.

“He gave the phone to me,” said Jones, “and I blurted it out before he could say anything.”

The news was just as big for Jones.

An All-Eastern District quarterback at Wilson, he received a lot of college interest until he broke his right ankle early during his senior season.

He played at Norfolk State, where he switched to tight end. Since his career didn’t go as well as he had hoped, he wanted to make sure his brother was successful. They worked together on Williams’ throwing mechanics and footwork. They also studied film to help Williamson read defenses better.

Jones knew his brother was ready for this season following last year’s loss to Bayside in the Eastern Region championship game.
“He told me, ‘I’m letting you know, I’m not losing anymore,’” Jones said. “He was adamant about that.”

The only loss the Tigers suffered this season was the season opener to nationally-ranked Gilman School of Maryland.

The Tigers resumed winning once they returned to South Hampton Roads, but they suffered a setback when Coleman missed three games with an ankle injury.

“When J.C. went down with an injury, J.J. realized it was up to him to carry the team now,” Morgan said. “The offense was now going to have to go through J.J. the entire time. As soon as that happened he stepped his game up to another level and started doing things that we needed him to do if we were going to be successful.”

The Tigers won their eighth consecutive Southeastern District title and their fourth Eastern Region title in the past five seasons.

Williamson threw for 240-plus yards eight times and had 12 multi-touchdown games.

Williamson admitted last week that all his accomplishments were starting to sink in.

“There’s nothing better to have your senior year than those two honors,” he said, referring a state title and the player of the year award. “I’ve come a long way from where I started. It just shows that hard work pays off.”

Larry Rubama, (757) 446-2273 or larry.rubama@pilotonline.com