Williams Powers Columbia Past Republic, 36-20

Columbia football turned to a pair of familiar names and got exactly the kind of production it needed. Behind a huge passing night from Dylan Williams, a twoway performance from Kaleb Williams and an explosive receiving effort from Hank Herrera, the Lions defeated Republic 36-20. “Picking up a win like this one was critical to our team’s mindset with having two of our starters out against Republic,” Columbia Head Coach Jacob Turner said. “On an 8 Man Team, that’s one-quarter of your offense and defense, and would be easy to use that as an excuse to not show up and play hard. This win leaves our postseason potential in our own hands moving forward.”

Dylan Williams led the offense with 298 passing yards and three touchdowns, giving Columbia a steady answer through the air throughout the game. “Our guys got a lot of experience this summer with camps and summer ball,” Turner said. “Our backup QB Dylan Williams had quite a few reps during summer ball and was ready to step in there for us. He is a great ‘utility player’ and knew coming into the season we would expect him to be that for us. He has played 3 different positions on offense and 2 on defense already this year.” His favorite target was Herrera, who hauled in eight passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns. That combination gave the Lions a big-play threat Republic struggled to contain.

Kaleb Williams added another dimension. He rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown while also catching a pass for 20 yards and another score. Then he went to work on defense. Williams led Columbia in tackles and finished with four sacks, giving the Lions a major presence on both sides of the ball. The performance came at an important time for Columbia, which had been forced to adjust after losing its starting quarterback to a broken collarbone the previous week. Dylan Williams stepped into the role and responded with nearly 300 yards through the air. Rather than scaling back the offense, Columbia kept attacking. Herrera’s 211 receiving yards gave the Lions a consistent downfield option, while Kaleb Williams helped balance the offense with his work on the ground.

Together, the trio accounted for much of Columbia’s scoring and yardage. “We have 2-3 guys with great hands and play making abilities in Michael Fagan, Hank Hererra, and Greg Baez, if a team tries to key on one side of the ball, we can attack the opposite and rely on the skill players we have on the edge to do their job,” Turner said. “We tell our qb to just give them a ‘catch-able ball’ and let them go to work. A big part of what opened up our passing game was that our rushing game stepped up in a big way this week with Kaleb rushing for 111 yards and a TD while also catching a TD out of the backfield.” The Lions also showed they could answer when Republic applied pressure. Instead of allowing the game to become a grind, Columbia repeatedly found ways to create explosive plays, whether through Herrera in the passing game or Williams on the ground. Defensively, Kaleb Williams’ four sacks helped disrupt Republic’s offense and gave Columbia another way to control momentum.

For a team forced to make a major adjustment at quarterback, the win was a strong response. Dylan Williams looked comfortable running the offense, Herrera emerged as a major receiving weapon and Kaleb Williams delivered in nearly every phase of the game. The result was a 36-point night and one of Columbia’s strongest offensive performances of the season. And with a new quarterback settling in quickly, the Lions may have found another way to keep moving forward. “Shooting ourselves in the foot during our first two games set us back a bit as far as league standings go, but it was a great teaching lesson for a young team about finishing all four quarters,” Turner said. “Every game from here on out is important, and with such a small enrollment at our school and small roster, we cannot take any game for granted. So we are focused on one game at a time, and this week its Curlew at home is the most important game of the season.