By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports
For anyone who has watched Airline football in the last couple of years, it’s been pretty obvious that quarterback Chase Williams can do it all.
He can throw.
He can run.
He can lead.
He can wash.
Whoa … come again?
That’s right. Williams’ talents extend beyond the football field. He’s great in the film room, but he’s also great in the washing machine room as well.
“I’ve got him in Third Block (in the daily schedule),” Airline coach Justin Scogin says. “So he is spending a lot of time watching video during that class. But I also get him to help with the washing and drying.”
And make no mistake: Williams is up to the task. He knows how to separate the colors into trays (“I’ve seen my mom do that at home,” he says) and he’d almost rather throw a Pick Six than get caught putting the reds mixed in with the whites.
“He’s always ahead of the game,” Scogin says.
The Airline coach was referring to Williams’ laundry habits, but he might as well have been talking his football ability as well.
In a landscape littered with outstanding local quarterbacks, Williams isn’t exactly sitting in the back seat as he has thrown for more than 4,000 in the last two years. This season, he has 16 touchdowns and only two interceptions. But what’s more impressive is how he stepped into the role as the Vikings quarterback after record-setting star Ben Taylor finished his Airline career two years ago.
There may have been some people who were surprised by that. Justin Scogin wasn’t one of them.
Actually, the best of example came when Williams was a sophomore and backing up Taylor.
“Ben got his helmet knocked off and Chase had to go in for one play,” Scogin says. “We called four verticals (all receivers running deep down the field). He went in there and made the right read. I remember thinking after that, we were going to be in good shape.”
“I felt like I was 100 percent prepared (to start) after Ben left,” Williams says. “I had watched him for the first two years on the varsity.”
The first game of the 2025 season was against Barbe – not exactly a layup to begin a career – but Williams says he “was pretty calm after the first drive. I was just trying to execute what I needed to do.
“I have learned that when I can stay level-headed and calm, we can continue to roll the way the way our offense is supposed to go,” Williams adds.
That offense has been on a roll as the Vikings have scored at least 40 points in every game except one on the way to a 6-1 record. They will be back in action Friday night at home against 7-0 Haughton with both teams carrying 3-0 District 1-5A records.
Scogin says it’s hard to pinpoint Williams’ biggest asset.
“His intelligence is pretty high up there,” he says. “That and his athleticism and two pretty good things to have when you are a quarterback. He’s able to extend plays with his legs and he just doesn’t make stupid mistakes. He doesn’t let the game get too fast. He just goes out there and does what he is supposed to do.”
A quarterback who can do all of that and check the dryer lint filter?
Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com