Williams' season-ending injury has Lake Wales scrambling to get new quarterbacks ready

ORLANDO — Lake Wales’ offense appeared on its way to beginning fall practice at a high level after strong performances by quarterback Chad Williams and the Highlanders’ talented receiving corps in the spring as well as in early summer camps.

However, a knee injury originally sustained in the spring game in Fort Myers then aggravated at a summer camp in June  turned out to be more severe for Williams. Instead of preparing for the start of fall practice next week, Williams is on crutches after surgery two week ago and Lake Wales is scrambling to get its two young and inexperience quarterbacks ready for the season.

“Chad Williams was doing everything great,” Lake Wales coach Tavaris Johnson said at the prep football media day in Orlando. “He was a great leader and had a high ceiling to be great.”

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Williams sustained a torn ACL and torn meniscus. Williams said that although they looked into the possibility of playing the season with a brace, it was determined that the best course was to have surgery, which will force him to miss the season.

Williams, who was on ha said he still hopes to play college football. He had strong workouts in camps before being sidelines and was receiving college interest. After the dust settles from next year’s signing day in February, he hopes to catch on with a school.

“I will be back,” Williams said. “My football career isn’t over.”

Williams will go into college as junior with his AA degree. Despite the injury, he said he plans to remain part of the team and help out on the sidelines in anyway he can.

With Williams out, Lake Wales is looking to junior Kamari Threatt or freshman Kingston Lloyd to emerge as the starting quarterback.

“We’re going to do what we need to do to get the job done,” Johnson said. “At the end of the night, we’ve got a great defensive until. We got a good group that’s back. Some guys transferred in, and special teams is going to be just strong. You got to win all three phases. The quarterback position, everybody is questioning it. That’s why you coach. If one guy goes down, you got to get the next guy up to go. There’s no use in complaining and saying what could have been. Our goal is to be at our best every day. We’re excited about what we see coming out of camp, and Chad wasn’t there. We had success. So we like what we see from the younger guys.”

Both quarterbacks will continue to complete throughout fall practice, but Johnson said Lloyd currently has the advantage despite his youth.

“Kingston is obviously out front,” Johnsons said. “He's going to develop. He’s going to get better every day. He's a young kid that first year playing at a high school level. It just changes speed, quickness, decision making. Everything's got to get just a little bit better, but we believe in it. We, believe in our coaching staff.”

Whoever wins the position will replace last year’s starter Brycen Levidiotis, who graduated after throwing for 2,081 yards and 24 touchdowns. The new quarterback will benefit from having perhaps the top wide receiving corps in the county, led by senior Gabriel LeGrand and junior Kanielius Purdy. Both players are explosive athletes, and their ability — along with the great depth at the position — could help the new starter develop quickly.

“I believe that it it definitely helps the situation,” Williams said. “It helps the youth and the quarterback to know that we're not asking you to make the the big throws. We're not asking you to make the special plays. It's pitch and catch. I think it definitely takes some of the pressure off. We know we have a special group outside.”

Johnson said the new quarterback will have to make the right reads and go through is progressions, but the ability of the receiving corp will help. Johnsons said Lloyd has tremendous upside and Lloyd reminds him of Ronald Scarlett, who was the starting quarterback in 1994 when Johnson played and led the Highlanders to a state runner-up finish.

LeGrand said he and his teammates will do whatever it takes to help the quarterback be ready.

“I feel that we can coach him up and just knowing that he, can trust us if the ball goes up in the air,” LeGrand said. “As coach said, we don’t know who's starting right now at QB, but I trust both of my QBs that they're going to come in and get the job done.”

Fall practice begins on Monday. Lake Wales will play Treasure Coast at home in the Kickoff Classic on April 15 then open the season again Specially Fit at home on Aug. 21.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lake Wales looking to inexperienced quarterbacks to replace Williams