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'07 OH RB Morgan Williams (Toledo walk-on)

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Now that i think of it, Illinios may be a better prediction for Morgan. Zooker has been really hitting Stark county hard these last 2 years. I read an article where is mentioned he signed 4-5 kids from there this past season w/ McKinlley WR Joe Morgan being one of them.

Illinios or MSU is where i would put my $$. His talent level is way to high for him to go MAC.
 
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I think that Mendenhal at Illinois is going to have great year if he can get some blocking. Illini got a good transfer at LT from Oklahoma that might help out.

Minny would be a great place for him assuming Gary doesnt get back in.
 
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Front Page of CNN

si_scoreboard.jpg

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Running back Morgan Williams of McKinley (Canton, Ohio) High is an all-around threat out of the backfield and on special teams.
Photo courtesy of Brenda Robinson
All-star candidates

Ten contenders for Player of the Year honors

Tuesday August 8, 2006



<!--startclickprintexclude--><script>cnnEAUrl="";</script> <script> function cnnEmailAlerts() {document.location.href='/alerts'+cnnEAUrl;} </script> <script language="JavaScript" src="http://i.a.cnn.net/si/.element/ssi/js/2.0/clickability/button2356_1.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script language="JavaScript"> window.onerror=function(){clickURL=document.location.href;return true;} if(!self.clickURL) clickURL=parent.location.href; </script> <!--endclickprintexclude--> By Jon Mahoney, Special to SI.com, SchoolSports.com
Many players deserve consideration for Class of 2007 Player of the Year honors, but we narrowed it down to 10 preseason candidates. Unlike the players in the Top-100 rankings, these guys aren't necessarily on this list because of their potential to excel in college. Instead, they made the list based on how they performed last year and how they are expected to play this fall. Players are listed in alphabetical order.

RB Morgan Williams, McKinley (Canton, Ohio)
Last year, Williams put up numbers like he was in a video game. He ran for 2,417 yards and 29 touchdowns on 271 carries, caught 13 passes for 65 yards, returned 13 punts for 217 yards and a touchdown and brought back five kickoffs for 155 yards and a score. That's why it was no surprise Williams was named All-Ohio Division I co-Offensive Player of the Year by The Associated Press.
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Tailback striving to exceed expectations for Bulldogs

Senior rusher Morgan Williams doesn't want repeat of Canton McKinley playoff letdown to archrival

By Michael Beaven

Beacon Journal sportswriter

Canton McKinley senior tailback Morgan Williams remembers the sour feeling of the Bulldogs' only loss last season.
The 21-3 setback to rival Massillon came in a Division I regional final, just three weeks after the Bulldogs handled the Tigers 38-8 at Fawcett Stadium.
``We had mental breakdowns,'' Williams said of the game at the Rubber Bowl. ``You have got to be ready to play every game. Most of the time you come out flat, you will lose.''
The game was a sharp contrast to the Week 10 matchup, when he rushed for 234 yards on 40 carries and scored four times.
``I remember that first touchdown,'' Williams said. ``I felt like they didn't come out ready to play... I felt the momentum shift in our favor.''
McKinley senior quarterback Dan Grimsley said the difference between the two Massillon games was obvious.
``We were completely ready to play,'' Grimsley said about the first Massillon game. ``We were so intense, so focused and so prepared. The second game was the exact opposite. Our heads weren't in the right place. We didn't come out focused.''
Despite that tough loss, Williams helped the Bulldogs to a 12-1 record and a Federal League championship.
He earned Division I first-team All-Ohio honors and was named the co-district Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for a school single-season record 2,417 yards on 271 carries and scored 29 touchdowns.
``In between the tackles he isn't easy to bring down and once he gets in the open field, I don't think anybody can catch him in Ohio,'' Bulldogs senior center Drew McIntyre said.
Williams matched a single-game school record set by Ryan Brinson by racking up 335 rushing yards on 27 carries and four touchdowns in a Week 9 win over North Canton Hoover.
``I think he got more physical as the season and each game went on,'' McKinley coach Brian Cross said. ``He would be stronger in the fourth quarter than the first quarter. Morgan was a very durable back last year.''
Asked to reflect on his success, Williams said: ``It was last season. It's a new season and I have to up my game to a new level this year.''
Williams' drive and humility makes him a pleasure to block for, McIntyre said.
``He knows what we go through, he is always thanking us,'' McIntyre said.
``I love seeing when Morgan Williams thanks his offensive line, because it's my way of sneaking in the paper,'' McIntyre said with a laugh.
McKinley enters this season with McIntyre as the only returning starter on the offensive line. Last season's line featured graduated seniors Zach Slagle, Tyrell McDonald, Jerrid Haywood, Anthony Robinson and tight end Dejaun Dickerson. Three of the linemen weighed more than 300 pounds, while the other two were at least 280.
Juniors Sean Whited, Isaac Gatlin, Isaiah Gatlin, Max Rehfus, Andrew Sewell and senior Alex Lyon are competing to start with the 6-foot-1, 240-pound McIntyre. The average weight of the line is about 240.
``It's going to be interesting to see,'' Cross said of the new offensive line. ``(Morgan's) a good running back, but you're only as good as your offensive line. We have a much smaller line this season. We must use our quickness by pulling guards and tackles to compensate for possible (weight) mismatches.''
Cross said the difference in size and weight is noticeable, ``It's such a big drop-off compared to last season... It looks like a bunch of running backs on the line,'' he said with a laugh.
Despite the changes up front, Williams remains confident.
``We've got a young line, but the talent is there,'' Williams said. ``We need to get the blocking assignments down and everything should be great.''
Williams realizes that McKinley needs to stay focused on the primary goals -- defeating Massillon once, maybe twice and winning a state championship.
``Massillon is always a big game, you always have to bring your `A' game,'' he said. ``It's the talk of the town, two weeks, three weeks, maybe even before the season. The winner of that game gets the bragging rights until the next time they meet.
``We have got to be mentally tough,'' Williams said. ``The last game, we lost because we had a mental breakdown. If we play our physical football, we should be a great football team.''
 
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McKinley 49, Toledo Start 21

Canton back Morgan Williams runs over Spartans

Senior leads team to win with four TDs, credits the young offensive line

By David Lee Morgan Jr.

Beacon Journal sportswriter

CANTON - It didn't take very long for Toledo Start defenders to introduce themselves to Canton McKinley running back Morgan Williams.
On the first play of the game Saturday night at Fawcett Stadium, Williams took the handoff from quarterback Dan Grimsley. Williams was gang-tackled near the line of scrimmage and was hit so hard that one Toledo player lost his helmet upon impact.
But from that point on, the Spartans mostly saw the back of Williams' jersey. The 5-foot-11, 178-pound senior put on an amazing offensive performance as he rushed for 159 yards (150 in the first half) and scored four touchdowns in the Bulldogs' convincing 49-21 win
``I had to get those jitters out, that's all,'' said Williams, who was a Division I first-team All-State selection last year. ``Once we started hitting, we were all ready to go.''
Williams also scored on a 41-yard reception. Even on that play, he did most of the work.
At Toledo Start's 41, Canton McKinley quarterback Dan Grimsley rolled right, then stopped and threw a pass to Williams back to the left. Williams was near the line of scrimmage when he caught the ball, then sprinted down the left sideline.
He cut, zigzagged and tip-toed his way past several defenders to turn a short pass into a highlight-filled touchdown run. The score gave the Bulldogs a 21-7 lead with 8:58 left in the second quarter.
``My line did a great job of opening up holes for me so all I did was run hard,'' Williams said. ``We have a young line, but they are going to be good. I think they are going to get better and better each week.''
Canton McKinley coach Brian Cross said, ``Morgan made some good down-field decisions. He made nice slide cuts, and he ran hard when he got into traffic. Plus, the line, for being so young, did a nice job for him.''
The Bulldogs (1-0) basically put the game out of reach in the final two minutes of the second quarter. Grimsley hit Lonnie Richardson on a perfectly thrown 49-yard touchdown pass, which extended the lead to 28-7 with 1:51 before halftime.
Grimsley then hooked up with Richardson again on a 1-yard touchdown pass in the left corner of the endzone with no time remaining to help give Canton McKinley a 35-7 halftime lead.
Grimsley was steady and effective despite an early miscue. The Bulldogs' first play of the game was a pass, and it was a perfect strike.
Yep, it sailed right into the hands of Toledo Start defensive back Rashad Cobham, who raced 24 yards for a touchdown on an interception that came on the second play of the game.
``I think what really settled us down early in the game is that after the interception, we went on a nine-play scoring drive and the kids felt pretty good after that,'' Cross said.
Other than a 94-yard touchdown reception by Sherrod Thompson in the fourth quarter, Canton McKinley's defense contained the Spartans' offense. Toledo Start had 26 carries for 15 yards.
``We played a 3-5 defense, which allowed us to do some blitzing,'' Cross said. ``I wouldn't say we're a blitzing team, necessarily, but we'll blitz according to our opponent.''
The Bulldogs will host Waterdown, Ontario, next week.
 
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Canton

[FONT=Verdana,Times New Roman,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Playing every down like it?s his last[/FONT]
Tuesday, October 10, 2006 [FONT=Verdana,Times New Roman,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]By Chris Beaven
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER[/FONT]

CANTON - Big numbers continue to add up. More attention surrounds him, from defenses on the football field to media off it.
Morgan Williams? attitude, though, remains the same. The McKinley High School senior tailback locks in on the moment and just does his thing.
?You have to come out every game and give it your all,? Williams said. ?You never know when it could be your last play.?
It?s the next play that causes concerns for teams defending Williams. They never know when the 5-foot-11, 178-pound Williams will break free. About the only thing everyone can count on is that at some point in a game, it?s going to happen.
?He?s so deceptive,? McKinley coach Brian Cross said. ?It almost doesn?t look like he?s running hard, but he just setting up blocks ... reading the defense and seeing how they?re coming at him.?
Williams uses a mix of power, vision, moves and speed to get loose. In a 38-20 win over previously-unbeaten Perry on Saturday, his 41-yard touchdown run got McKinley going. He later had a 74-yard run to set up another TD.
?We just came out executing, did our job and got it rolling early,? Williams said in his usual low-key manner.
Williams has 1,097 yards. He said after the Perry game that he does not pay attention to how his career numbers are stacking up all-time. But with three regular season games left and a potential third straight trip to the playoffs, he has a chance to graduate ranked at the top or near the top of some impressive lists.
Williams is 173 yards shy of becoming the fifth Stark County back to reach 4,000 career yards, according to Repository research. He also is second all-time on the school?s scoring and rushing list. He set McKinley?s single-season rushing record last year with 2,417 yards.
?We won?t take him for granted,? Cross said. ?We know he?s a senior, so he won?t be around. But we expect him to have big games and big plays, and he definitely shows up for big games.?
Williams rushed for 241 yards against Perry with first place in the Federal League at stake. It was the ninth-best performance in school history. Last year, in a game at Hoover, he tied a school record with 335 yards. He rushed for 234 yards to lead McKinley past Massillon in last year?s showdown of 9-0 teams in Week 10. That is the most yards by a Bulldog against Massillon.
Williams also is consistent. He has rushed for at least 100 yards in 19 of 20 career starts. The lone game under 100 yards (73 vs. Hoover) came four weeks ago when an injury limited him to 12 carries.
Williams may be known best for his ability to break the long run. He has 22 TD plays of 30 yards or longer in his career, including seven this season.
?He?s able to read, get up there, slide right or left and get that big burst,? Cross said.
As Williams reads and waits for his opening, it seems like time is standing still while chaos goes on around him.
?He?s very patient, probably more patient than his coach a lot of times,? Cross said with a slight laugh. ?I?m ready to get on him about not hitting the hole quick enough. But you just have to let him play, admire what he?s doing, and go from there.?
Reach Repository sports writer Chris Beaven at (330) 580-8345 or e-mail: [email protected]

RUSHING TO GET THERE
Stark County?s all-time career high school football rushing leaders:
1, E.J. Lilly, Alliance, 1996-98 5,162
2, Scott Weber, Northwest, 2002-05 4,891
3, Ryan Brinson, McKinley, 2001-04 4,772
4, Leon Powell, Minerva, 1986-88 4,307
5, Morgan Williams, McKinley, 2004- 3,827
 
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Canton

McKinley playoff-bound ? but first, there?s Massillon
Monday, October 23, 2006
By CHRIS BEAVEN

CANTON - It never takes long for the McKinley High School football team to shift its focus from Week 9 to 10.
But just in case, with less than a minute left in Friday's win over Jackson, the scoreboard at Fawcett Stadium helped everyone make the switch. What remained of the crowd of more than 8,000 instantly cheered when it saw two words flashing:
"Beat Massillon."
For two communities, the one football game that matters the most every regular season is just five days away. McKinley and Massillon play for the 115th time when they clash at 2 p.m. Saturday at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
This matchup will not have quite the hype of last year's, when both teams entered 9-0. But plenty will be on the line.
McKinley is 9-0 again and assured of a spot in the playoffs for the third straight year. It wants to complete a second consecutive 10-0 regular season - something not done by the Bulldogs since 1955-56. These Bulldogs also have won 24 straight in the regular season, eclipsing the record set by those teams when McKinley won 21 in row from 1955-57.
Massillon is 5-4 and needs a win Saturday to guarantee a playoff spot for a second straight season. The Tigers were the Division I state runner-up a year ago, beating McKinley in the third round of the playoffs, 21-3, at the Rubber Bowl in Akron.
McKinley won last year's Week 10 matchup, 38-8, in front of a sold-out crowd at Fawcett Stadium.
Who knows what to expect Saturday?
But the Bulldogs showed in Friday's 41-10 win over Jackson that there are reasons they believe they can make a run in the playoffs.
The biggest bright spot for them was their work on defense. They ran to the ball with abandon, making a number of big hits and coming up with three interceptions. Head coach Brian Cross said it was the first time all year the Bulldogs "flew to the football like a McKinley team is supposed to."
Senior cornerback Will Sheeler came up with two of the interceptions. He has a team-high seven.
"He played the deep ball as well as he has in his two years with us," Cross said.
Offensively, Morgan Williams was dominant at tailback with 172 yards on just 17 carries. His backup, Sheeler, went for 62 yards on eight second-half carries.
"Sheeler could be starting for just about anyone else," Cross said.
Fullbacks George Tabron and Myrell Smith added 59 yards.
Also, quarterback Dan Grimsley hit some big throws, including touchdown passes to Jewone Snow and Lonnie Richardson.
What Cross liked was how the Bulldogs also established themselves at the start of each half.
Jackson fumbled on the game's first play. Linebacker Disi Alexander quickly pounced on the ball.
"That set the tone," Alexander said.
Soon, Williams scored the first of his two TDs.
"That's huge when you get a turnover like that and put it into the end zone," Cross said.
Friday night's win was made complete by the presence of McKinley's 1981 state championship team watching from the sidelines. That team was honored at halftime.
"We love it," nose tackle Darius Williams said of having the past players there to watch.
That '81 team offers these Bulldogs some motivation. The core of that team played in 1980, when a strong McKinley team beat Massillon during the regular season before losing to the Tigers in the playoffs.
McKinley bounced back in 1981 to run the table, going 13-0, and beating Massillon, 9-6, to complete the regular season.
And after wrapping up the Federal League title with last Friday's win, it was apparent the Bulldogs have bigger things in mind.
"It feels good," Darius Williams said of winning the league. "But we're thinking about winning state and beating Massillon."
 
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Great breakdown and comparison with Boom Herron at the bottom..

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Eyes of the Tigers on McKinley back
[FONT=verdana,Times New Roman,Times,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]By CHRIS EASTERLING
[/FONT] [FONT=verdana,Times New Roman,Times,arial,helvetica,sans-serif][email protected][/FONT]


To call the secret to beating McKinley a secret wouldn?t be far from accurate. Because it?s absolutely no secret at all what the Massillon Tigers must do to stop the Bulldogs: contain Morgan Williams.
Then again, to say it and do it are two entirely different things.
A year ago, the Tigers couldn?t do it in the highly-anticipated regular-season showdown at Fawcett Stadium, as Williams ran for 239 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-8 McKinley romp. But, when the teams reacquainted themselves three weeks later in a regional championship game at the Rubber Bowl, Massillon was able to contain ? if 108 yards and no touchdowns is containing ? him as the Tigers prevailed 21-3.
Now, as the legendary rivals prepare for the 115th installment of their rivalry on Saturday afternoon at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Williams once again is on the minds of Massillon?s defenders. The Bulldog senior has rushed for 1,524 yards ? averaging 8.7 yards per carry ? and 19 touchdowns.
?How we can defend Morgan is by watching film and strategizing and putting ourselves in the best position we can knowing his tendencies,? senior free safety Darion McGuire said following Tuesday?s Touchdown Club meeting at Amvets. ?That?s the best way we can defend a back like Morgan. If you don?t know that much about him, he?s going to shred the defense up all day.?
Williams has been doing just that to teams this season. He has gone over the 100-yard plateau in eight of the nine games this season, and the one game ? against Hoover ? he didn?t, he missed much of the game due to an injury.
Over the last four weeks alone, Williams has averaged 208.3 yards a game. That number was aided by a 241-yard effort against Perry and a 255-yard outburst against Boardman.
?We just have to tackle,? senior strong safety Brian Gamble said. ?We have to break down, because he can make you look stupid. We have to do our part, that?s all there is to it.
?You have to meet him in the hole. You can?t let him get into the open field, or he can turn it into a big play. I think we?ll meet him in the hole and shut him down pretty good.?
Williams isn?t the first good tailback the Tigers have faced this season. In fact, depending on who you talk to, he might not even be the best one they?ve defensed.
That honor may just go to Warren Harding?s Danny Herron, who has already committed to Ohio State as a running back. The Tigers saw him on Week Eight, a 21-16 loss to the Raiders.
In many ways, the two backs are similar. Both are close in size ? Williams is 5-foot-11, 178 pounds, while Herron is listed as 5-11, 193 pounds ? and both have good speed once they get into the open.
?They?re both real shifty,? Gamble said. ?I think Danny Herron hits the hole harder than Morgan does. They?re two top backs. Some stuff you see from one, you?re going to see from the other, and some you?re not.?
This may be a case where Massillon?s defense hopes the past repeats itself. The Tiger defense stifled Herron to a tune of just 75 yards on 30 carries ? an average of 2.5 yards a carry.
?I think it?s similar to trying to stop Daniel Herron,? Tiger coach Tom Stacy said. ?It?s the same scenario. They want to run the football. The first thing you have to do when you play Canton McKinley is stop the run. Defensively, that?s first and foremost in our minds.?
In that game, the Tigers altered their look by showing more of a four-man line with Dorie Irvin up on the line of scrimmage, instead of the usual three-man front.
Massillon, obviously, isn?t tipping its hand as to its defensive strategy against McKinley. But Tiger defenders say, whatever the alignment is, the strategy to try and contain Williams is quite simple.
?What it?s going to come down to is just everybody playing their holes, their responsibilities and tackling,? senior linebacker Antonio Scassa said.
?In Warren, we all played our gaps, broke down and tackled and contained (Herron).?
If the Tigers can do the same to Williams on Saturday, a win over the Bulldogs could very well be in the cards.
 
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