By Joe Sager

New Castle News

 

After graduating a large senior class, Union’s football team needed to find new leadership.

The Scotties found two — and many more — leaders in Friday’s huge 33-0 WPIAL Class A Big Seven upset win at Rochester.

Benjamin Young ran for 90 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Malik Williams caught a touchdown pass and returned an interception 74 yards for another score to help lead their squad to victory.

The performance earned the duo Lawrence County Co-Athlete of the Week honors, an award sponsored by Washington Centre Physical Therapy and selected by the New Castle News sports staff.

“I talk about what it takes to be a leader and when it calls for action,” Union coach Stacy Robinson said. “It called for action Friday night against Rochester. It’s a great win. Rochester is one of the dominant football programs in western Pennsylvania. People say they are down, but down doesn’t mean they are a bad football team ... it just means they are down according to their standards. It was a quality win for us.”

Williams got the Scotties (1-1 conference, 2-1 overall) on the scoreboard immediately. The team marched 65 yards with Anthony Rush finding Williams open in the end zone for an 11-yard TD pass.

“Our offensive line gave us a good push,” Williams said. “We went down 65 yards and there I was in the back of the end zone looking around and got the ball thrown to me. It was a big win. The whole week, Coach Robinson said we were going down to the lion’s den and we were excited for the game.”

Young scored his first touchdown in the third quarter. He had a 78-yard scoring sprint called back because of a holding penalty, but Union regrouped and Young eventually scored on a 13-yard run on the same drive.

“I wasn’t really discouraged after the penalty. I knew I had to get that off my mind real fast and keep plugging away. My line gave me more holes and I just kept running,” he said. “We haven’t beaten Rochester in 17 years, Coach Robinson said. So, the seniors made that one of our goals this year. I think that was a good accomplishment and it was big win since it was a conference win. It gives us a lot of confidence.”

The Scotties posted a 21-0 lead when Dakota Cameron returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown. Young hauled in the two-point conversion pass from Rush.

Young added his second touchdown, a seven-yard run, in the fourth quarter. Williams capped the scoring with his 74-yard interception return.

“That was crazy,” Williams said. “The ball came and I grabbed it and ran up the sideline. Curtis Caughey was lead blocking for me and I cut back. The crowd got loud and it was a great feeling. I don’t get the ball much on offense, so I knew I had to score. The running was just terrible.

“It’s a big win for us because we should have come out and beat OLSH that first game, but we had a bunch of mess-ups. This got us right back on track, plus it’s Rochester and who doesn’t like to beat Rochester down in the lion’s den, as Coach Robinson says. We went down there and stomped them.”

Robinson was happy to see his Scotties come together on both sides of the ball.

“That’s what we need. The guys live by the creed, ‘We march all night and we fight all day.’ They play both sides of the ball ... most of our guys,” he said. “Benjamin has a certain skill set that allows him to be able to do a lot of things. We throw it to him and we hand it off to him. I think he’s played about four or five different positions on offense so far this year. He brings a lot to the table, mainly his speed and elusiveness. We look to get the ball to him as much as we can. I was happy for Malik, because he caught a touchdown to put us up early in the game and he had the interception return.”

*****

THE BENJAMIN YOUNG FILE ...

POSITION: Wide receiver/running back/cornerback

GRADE: 12

KNOWN FOR: Young had a pair of touchdown runs and a two-point conversion catch to help Union post a 33-0 upset win at Rochester.

PARENTS: David and Diane Young

FAVORITE PRO PLAYER AND WHY: Leon Washington, New England Patriots. “He is my brother-in-law. We play the same positions and he motivates me a lot. He’s been a great influence in my life, so far, for football and everything. It’s pretty cool to have an NFL star in your family.”

FAVORITE PRO TEAM AND WHY: Seattle Seahawks. “Leon played for them, but plays for the Patriots now. The Seahawks’ defense is dominant and I like the way they play. Another one of my favorite players is Richard Sherman and he plays for the Seahawks.”

FUTURE PLANS: “I’d like to play football in college and get my degree in whatever I choose.”

 

THE MALIK WILLIAMS FILE ...

POSITION: Tight end/linebacker

GRADE: 12

KNOWN FOR: Williams caught a touchdown pass and returned an interception 74 yards for another score in Union’s 33-0 win at Rochester.

PARENTS: Tonia Williams and Paul Cleckley

FAVORITE PRO PLAYER AND WHY: Patrick Willis, San Francisco 49ers. “He plays the same position as me and he’s the most intimidating player on the field. He just has that swagger to him. I want to be just like him, but I am undersized.”

FAVORITE PRO TEAM AND WHY: Baltimore Ravens. “I am a big defensive guy and their defense has been pretty good for a couple years. Ray Lewis is retired now, but he was really good.”

FUTURE PLANS: “I am trying to go to college and if they let me play football, I’ll go wherever they let me play. I just want to make my mom proud and get some college stuff done.”