A commonly held misconception is that the best players on the sports fields “act the part” by being jocks on and off the field. While it is unfortunate that this is the case, many student athletes at John Burroughs School buck this trend. We will continue to spotlight these athletes with a profile in each issue.

The first of such athletes  is Hutson Williams ‘18, who can often be seen pondering the meaning of life in the quad or quietly working on homework in the library, listening to music from the 1960s. Due to Williams’ generally quiet outer personality, many students at the school may know him just as a friend’s older brother, or a diligent student, while in reality he is a force to be reckoned with on the football and lacrosse fields.

Williams’ football journey started in 4th grade on a small club football team called the Chesterfield Bears.  He attests to not remembering at all why he started and claims that he wasn’t very good. However, his peers and coaches from this part of Williams’ career only had the highest praise for the then linebacker/defensive back hybrid.

Williams’ coach recalls the young athlete: “Hutson was a player that I could see would go far in anything he put his mind to, because he worked hard and was a very coachable player.”

While Williams enjoyed playing football, his school friends urged him to play lacrosse throughout elementary school, and in fifth grade, he finally decided to join the team. Little did Williams know, this decision would distract from his aspiring football dreams. As Williams poured more time into lacrosse, his window to improve in football began to disappear. Williams began to prosper in lacrosse and, by the time that he joined high school, Williams was among the best up-and-coming talent in the state. During his sophomore year, Williams topped the JBS varsity team in points (21) and goals (12), and every year he played, he earned more accolades and impressivestatistics. Yet even for all of his successes on the lacrosse field, Williams stuck with football.

In Williams’ freshman and sophomore seasons, he did not see much playing time due to the dominance of the football program. Even so, Williams had no thoughts of quitting. Football had been his first love and he was determined to make a mark on the field in any way that he could.

Each year, Williams progressively became a more holistic and resilient football player, culminating in a breakout senior season. With several injuries ravaging the Bomber football lineup, Burroughs needed standout players to steady the team, and Williams  took on this role in stride, becoming a very versatile player able to play all over the field.

Employing this versatility, Williams  has racked up 22 tackles and an interception this year, greatly improving on his junior year stats. His teammates have taken notice of Williams’ noteworthy year describing him as “a tackling machine” or simply as a “beast.”

Star running back, Jake Bain ‘18, praises Williams:, “Off the field, Hutson is a fairly reserved guy, but when he steps in between the lines of the fields, it’s like a sleeping giant has awoken. One play that stands out in my memory is when, on our senior day, Hutson’s fearless attitude and drive to win was exemplified when he completely flipped a receiver trying to catch a ball, effectively breaking up a pass. I have loved playing with Hutson these past few years, and he truly exemplifies Bomber football”.