Williams opening up Titans offense

Posted Nov 4, 2009 by Adam Adkins

Updated Nov 4, 2009 at 04:32 PM

Tampa Bay Tech’s Johnathan Williams may not have numbers comparable to a lot of quarterbacks in the area, but the recent production by the Titans signal caller is having a big effect.

Williams has thrown for a combined 377 yards and five touchdowns in his last two games, including a 220-yard, three-touchdown effort in a district win over Brandon on Oct. 23. Titans coach C.C. Culpepper says the numbers don’t tell the whole story, though.

Culpepper believes Williams’ recent production will force opposing defenses to play honest against the Titans, rather than stacking the line of scrimmage in an effort to slow down standout senior fullback Maurice Hagens.

“Johnathan has really opened up our offense,” Culpepper said of Williams, who has thrown for 719 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions this season. “Teams now can’t stack nine in the box to try and stop Maurice. It really gets them thinking now.”

Tampa Bay Tech hosts Wharton on Friday in a pivotal Class 5A-District 7 matchup, a game in which there is a lot at stake for the Titans. A win not only would give the program its second consecutive playoff berth, but it also would give the Titans just their second district title in program history (Tampa Bay Tech was a district champ in 2000).

“I definitely feel good about being at home. And I definitely feel good about us being in the driver’s seat,” said Culpepper, who added he believes his team is peaking at the right time. “We’re not waiting on someone to lose for us to get in (the playoffs). if we win, we’re in.”