EAST JORDAN — You’ll see a lot of football players being labeled positionally as an athlete.
But, if that’s the case for someone that’s lining up at a couple positions, then what do you call William Webb?
The East Jordan senior is something of a created video game player more than anything you can put an actual position label on.
“I think he’s an incredible football player,” East Jordan coach Adam Grybauskas said.
Incredible is exactly how you have to start to explain Webb on the field. The tape fills in the rest from there.
In Week 7, with the Red Devils welcoming a Johannesburg-Lewiston team still in the playoff hunt, Webb took his stat line to another level.
He touched the ball just 14 times against the Cardinals, though accumulated 526 all-purpose yards. If you’re doing the math, that’s a 37.5 average. You can also add seven touchdowns to the night as well.
He finished the game 5-of-7 passing for 219 yards and two scores, ran six times for 131 yards and three touchdowns, caught a 25-yard pass, returned an interception 76 yards for a score, then brought a kickoff back 75 yards for a touchdown.
For Webb, those kind of game days start in practice.
“Every practice we just give 100 percent,” Webb said. “We try to be the best practice team we can be because it truly helps. To be a great team, you’ve got to be a great practice team.”
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Webb, who has been all-state as both a wide receiver and quarterback over his three-year varsity career in East Jordan, also credits being a multi-sport athlete.
He’s been all-conference in basketball and baseball and qualified for the state finals in sprints on the track.
“All the sports I play helps diversify my ability,” Webb said. “Track to get fast, some of the hand-eye coordination from baseball. Stuff like that really helps me.”
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For the season, Webb owns 23 touchdowns across six games, with one game forfeited by an opponent. That also doesn’t include all the second halves he’s sat with the game well in hand.
“We pulled him out in the first half against Mancelona and the first half against Tawas,” Grybauskas said. “He hasn’t played a lot of football.”
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That TD total, which is sure to grow, has Webb with 71 career touchdowns, a mark that places him on the list of career touchdowns in the MHSAA record books (minimum 70).
He passed former Michigan great Tyrone Wheatley and former Notre Dame and New England Patriot Jonas Gray. Wheatley finished eighth in Heisman voting with the Wolverines and Gray won a Super Bowl and met the cover of Sports Illustrated.
“That’s some good company,” Webb said with a laugh, unaware of any of his numbers.
For Webb, the touchdowns are great because they’ve come with wins and been shared with teammates more than anything.
Ask which one of 23 stands out the most this season and you might expect an 80-yard punt return or something dramatic.
But no. It was a pass to former offensive lineman turned tight end, Wyatt Dionne.
“Throwing one to big Dionne,” Webb said. “A big man running down the field. It was 32 yards. He caught it, then ran for 20 some yards. It was awesome. From left tackle to tight end. I went straight up to him and gave him a hug.”
He’s got a similar relationship with stud wideout Brady Wilson, who he connected with against JoBurg for 204 yards and two scores.
“We’ve grown up together,” Webb said. “Some plays where our coach calls something, we might tweak it a little and we’re both on the same page about it.”
Webb’s unselfish mindset comes from the top down on the team, with coaches preaching the kind of qualities that make teams winners.
It’s what has the Red Devils in the driver’s seat for a Northern Michigan Football Conference title, entering Week 8 at 6-1 and 6-0 in the league.
But, finishing out the season with an unbeaten title and hosted playoff game are just the start.
“We’ve expected to do good,” Webb added. “We had our goal meetings and we set big plans for ourselves.”
With Webb leading the way, it would be hard to expect otherwise.
Reach Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com and follow him on X @DrewKochanny and Instagram @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: William Webb’s 500-yard, 7-TD game eye-opening, but not surprising for EJ senior
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