Williamson College of the Trades Mechanics

It was anything but pretty and it took at late rally,  but in the end it was enough for a win, as Williamson came from five down in the second half to rally and then hang on for a 55-51 win over Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences on Saturday afternoon.

The win for Williamson was in question for much of the game.  A back and forth first half saw Albany score late to grad a 24-23 lead at halftime.  In the second half, the Panthers led by as many as six points and were up by five with just over eight minutes left before the Mechanics offense finally woke-up. They went on 17-2 run over the next four minutes to eventually go up by nine points with 3:50 left.  The Panthers though, who played tough the entire game, went on the run of their own and actually pulled to within two with under 20 seconds left at 53-51 before two foul shots by Garrett Watkins (JR/Mechanicsville, MD) iced the game for Williamson.

From a statistical standpoint, it was not pretty for Williamson, as they turned the ball over 26 times and shot just 32 percent from the floor, but they did manage to force 27 turnovers by their opponents and held ACPHS to just 33% shooting on the game.

Jack Grace (SR/Ridley, PA) led the way for Williamson with 19 points and five rebounds, while Garrett Watkins added 10 points and six rebounds.  Freshman guard Kamar Attaway-Watson helped light a spark for the Mechanics in the second half as scored all seven of his points over a two minute period to start Williamson's rally. 

The win moves Williamson to 4-9 on the year.  They get back in action on Tuesday, as they travel to Central Penn College for an 8:00 P.M. tip-off.

Jack Grace (SR/Ridley, PA) scored 21 points, but it was not enough as Williamson opened the second semester with a loss.  The team fell to Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology on the road, 90-70 on Tuesday night.

Williamson will play their first home game of the second semester this Saturday, as they host Albany College of Pharmacy and Science in a 1:00 P.M. tip-off.

Juniors Nazaire Miller (JR/Wilmington, DE) and Joe Kelly (JR/Newtown Square, PA) highlight the 2022 All Seaboard Conference selections for the Williamson football team, as announced by the conference recently.  Along with that pair, six other Williamson players were named to a first team selection.  Miller was named the 2022 All-Purpose MVP, while Kelly was named a 2022 co-Defensive MVP.  Joining them as first team selection are seniors Jordan Griffin (SR/Germantown, PA), Zachary Keeney and Connor Smith (SR/Springfield, PA), along with juniors Chris Meiklejohn (JR/Marple Newtown, PA), Chris Sheffer (JR/Drexel Hill, PA) and Garrett Watkins (JR/Mechanicsville, MD).

Miller had an incredible season in a variety of ways for the Mechanics.  He led the team in rushing with 473 yards, averaging 5.6 yards per carry, while adding six touchdowns on the ground.  That was good enough to have him named as a first team selection at running back.  He was third on the team in receiving, averaging an astounding 25.0 yards per catch, while scoring two more touchdowns through the air.  He also led the team in kick-off returns, averaging 25.2 yard per return and punt returns, averaging 21.5 per return.  All of that was good enough to get him also named as a first team selection at the All-Purpose position.

Coming off a record-breaking freshman year, this year Kelly, a first team selection at defensive end, was double and even triple teamed at times.  Despite that, he still led the team in sacks with nine, and tackles for loss with 13, as well as hurries with 17.  He was third on the team in tackles with 33, and he also forced two fumbles, blocked two kicks and had one fumble recovery.

Griffin, a two-year starter at defensive tackle, was a major force on the interior line.  He had 17 tackles, including three for loss.  He also had eight hurries, an interception and a fumble recovery.

Keeney was key to the offensive line play for the Mechanics.  A two-year starter at center, his toughness and football IQ made his play stand out.  His ability to read defenses and make correct calls was a big reason Williamson averaged a whopping 4.6 yards per rush as a team.

A team captain, Smith was a first team selection at cornerback, and for good reason.  Teams would make sure to throw away from his side whenever possible.  He had 11 tackles, eight passes defended and three pass break-ups.  He also had a fumble recovery.

Sheffer's play at inside linebacker was at times dominating, and was one of the big keys to an outstanding Williamson defense.  He wound up leading the team in tackles with 36.  He also had two interceptions, two forced fumbles, two pass break-ups and a sack. 

Meiklejohn, who had a good freshman year at outside linebacker, took his game to another level in 2022.  He was tied for third on the team in tackles with 33, including six for loss.  He also had two fumble recoveries, a sack and a forced fumble.

Watkins had a phenomenal year at wide receiver for the Mechanics.  He led the team in receptions with 18 for 378 yards (21.0) and a team leading six touchdown receptions.  He also added 11 extra points as the team's kicker to lead the team in scoring with 51 points.  At one point he was forced to play defense as well, and managed to intercept a pass in his only game in the secondary.

Williamson players Isaiah Bolden (JR/New Castle, DE) (DT), Nasir Bowman (JR/Philadelphia, PA) (FB), Cooper Conroy (FR/Broomall, PA) (CB), Jack Grace (SR/Ridley, PA) (WR), Isaiah Joubert (JR/Chester, PA) (OL), Cole Hunter (JR/Cinnaminson, NJ) (DL), Tyler McLaughlin (JR/Brookhaven, PA) (LB) and Kevin Mayoros (FR/Aston, PA) (S) were all named second team selections.  The Mechanics finished the year at 4-3, for their fourth straight winning season.  It is the first time they have had four straight winning seasons since 1977-80.

On behalf of all of us in the Williamson College of the Trades athletic department, I wanted to take this time to say thank you for the support you have shown our student-athletes this past year, and to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, as we celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus.  We pray God's richest blessings upon each of you in the New Year ahead.  

God bless you all!

Dale H. Plummer

Director of Athletics/Sports Center Manager

Williamson's shooting woes proved to be their undoing, as they shot just 21 percent for the first half, and a paltry 32% for the game, as they closed out their first half on a down note on a 59-52 loss to Christendom College.

The loss drops Williamson to 3-8.  They were led by Jack Grace (SR/Ridley, PA) with 14 points, while Cashmere Young (SR/Wilmington, DE) added 10.  They are now off until January 10 when they visit Thaddaeus Stevens.

While the Williamson football team was successful on the football field this past season, that success pales in comparison to the success they had in the classroom, as the 2022 football team had a Williamson record 15 players named to the 2022 United State Collegiate Athletic Association National All-Academic team. 

"To put things in perspective, we had 17 of our student-athletes from our eight varsity sports combined make last year's USCAA National All-Academic team for a sport.  Football just had 15 for a single sport named to the team.  It truly is an incredible accomplishment and one that is almost beyond comprehension," shared an ecstatic Williamson Director of Athletics Dale Plummer.

According to Plummer, the previous high for a single sport was eight, also in the sport of football back in 2017.

In order to be named to the squad, a player must either be a starter or be a major contributor to a team's success.  In addition, they must maintain a minimum of a cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.50 or higher with a minimum of 24 credit hours earned.  Because of that, freshmen are not eligible for the team due to not having completed the 24-credit minimum.

"Again, we could not be prouder of these 15 guys, who are not only outstanding players, but also are great representatives of Williamson, both on the field and in the classroom," closed Plummer

Those being named to the 2022 USCAA National All Academic team for football are as follows:

  Seniors:

+Jack Grace (SR/Ridley, PA) - QB

  Deonte Jones (SR/Forrest Hill, MD) - OG

#+Zachary Keeney (SR/Prospect Park, PA) – C

+Connor Smith (SR/Springfield, PA) – CB

 ^Shane Titus (SR/Springfield, PA) – S

  Juniors:

  Seamus Dougherty (JR/Chester, PA) – TE

  Kaleb Glynn (JR/Wilmington, DE) – FB

+Cole Hunter (JR/Cinnaminson, NJ) – DE

+Joe Kelly (JR/Newtown Square, PA) – DE

+Chris Meiklejohn (JR/Marple Newtown, PA) – OLB

  Kam Ron Patterson – CB

+Chris Sheffer (JR/Drexel Hill, PA) – ILB

+Garrett Watkins (JR/Mechanicsville, MD) – WR/K

  James Williams (JR/Lancaster, PA) - RB

+ = also named to 2022 All Seaboard Conference first or second team

^ 3 = time National All-Academic team member (football and lacrosse)

# = 2-time National All-Academic team member (football)

While the Williamson football team was successful on the football field this past season, that success pales in comparison to the success they had in the classroom, as the 2022 football team had a Williamson record 15 players named to the 2022 United State Collegiate Athletic Association National All-Academic team. 

"To put things in perspective, we had 17 of our student-athletes from our eight varsity sports combined make last year's USCAA National All-Academic team for a sport.  Football just had 15 for a single sport named to the team.  It truly is an incredible accomplishment and one that is almost beyond comprehension," shared an ecstatic Williamson Director of Athletics Dale Plummer.

According to Plummer, the previous high for a single sport was eight, also in the sport of football back in 2017.

In order to be named to the squad, a player must either be a starter or be a major contributor to a team's success.  In addition, they must maintain a minimum of a cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.50 or higher with a minimum of 24 credit hours earned.  Because of that, freshmen are not eligible for the team due to not having completed the 24-credit minimum.

"Again, we could not be prouder of these 15 guys, who are not only outstanding players, but also are great representatives of Williamson, both on the field and in the classroom," closed Plummer

Those being named to the 2022 USCAA National All Academic team for football are as follows:

  Seniors:

+Jack Grace (SR/Ridley, PA) - QB

  Deonte Jones (SR/Forrest Hill, MD) - OG

#+Zachary Keeney (SR/Prospect Park, PA) – C

+Connor Smith (SR/Springfield, PA) – CB

 ^Shane Titus (SR/Springfield, PA) – S

  Juniors:

  Seamus Dougherty (JR/Chester, PA) – TE

  Kaleb Glynn (JR/Wilmington, DE) – FB

+Cole Hunter (JR/Cinnaminson, NJ) – DE

+Joe Kelly (JR/Newtown Square, PA) – DE

+Chris Meiklejohn (JR/Marple Newtown, PA) – OLB

  Kam Ron Patterson – CB

+Chris Sheffer (JR/Drexel Hill, PA) – ILB

+Garrett Watkins (JR/Mechanicsville, MD) – WR/K

  James Williams (JR/Lancaster, PA) - RB

+ = also named to 2022 All Seaboard Conference first or second team

^ 3 = time National All-Academic team member (football and lacrosse)

# = 2-time National All-Academic team member (football)

Montgomery County Community College proved why they are one of the top NJCAA programs in the nation, as they jumped out to an early 14-1 lead against Williamson to start Tuesday night's game.  They would eventually stretch their lead to 20 points at 24-4 with nine minutes left in the half.  Williamson finally woke up and went on a 22-10 run the rest of the half to close the gap to eight at the break at 34-26.  That would be as close as they would get.

The Mustangs, who shot a blistering 55% from the field in the first half, shot a mind-boggling 70% in the second half!  After falling behind by 21, the Mechanics once again made a run, pulling to within 13 with 5:41 to go at 61-48.  They then got outscored 20-5 to close the game.

Williamson was led by Corby Bennett (JR/Harrisburg, PA), who had a career high 15 points, to go along with eight rebounds.  Robert Whiley (FR/Newark, DE) added 12 point and eight rebounds as well for the Mechanics, who fell to 3-7 on the year.  Montgomery was led by Will Anderson with 26 points. 

Williamson closes out their first semester of play on Saturday, as they host Christendom College in a 1:00 P.M. start.

Williamson honored 17 senior Fall student-athletes for participating in varsity athletics all three of their years at Williamson.  Each member earned a special Varsity Letterman jacket for their efforts and were awarded their jacket in a special assembly today. 

"We are extremely proud and extremely thankful for our Fall student-athletes that have hung in there through the pandemic to participate in athletics during their time at Williamson.  It has not been easy for them, but they have been great representatives of Williamson both on and off the field of play and we are extremely grateful for their efforts," shared longtime Williamson Director of Athletics Dale Plummer.

"This year's jacket earners had it much tougher than most, in the sense they had their freshman year taken away from them due to COVID.  Our guys were genuinely upset by that.  COVID took what they loved to do away from them, but we were going to make darn certain it didn't take their Varsity Letterman jacket was from them. 

"It is a huge commitment to play a varsity sport at Williamson.  Our guys are in class for eight hours each day and then have to go to practice.  They have games on the weekends and over breaks and yet these seventeen young men were more than willing to make that commitment.  We could not be more thankful they did so, and today was our change to say thank you to them," closed Plummer.

The list of Fall senior athletes who earned their jacket is as follows:

Edward Casey (SR/Woolwich, NJ) – Soccer

Gideon Cyr (SR/Bedford, NH) – Soccer

Ken Dunham – Football

Luke Dutton (SR/Wilmington, DE) - Soccer

Steven East (SR/Springfield, PA) – Soccer

Jack Grace (SR/Ridley, PA) – Football and Basketball

Jordan Griffin (SR/Germantown, PA) – Football

Ian Hampton – Cross Country

Brandon Jessup (SR/Wilmington, DE) - Football

Deonte Jones (SR/Forrest Hill, MD) Football and Baseball

Zachary Keeney (SR/Prospect Park, PA) – Football

James Mack (SR/Aston, PA) – Football and Wrestling

Jason Minch (SR/Brookhaven, PA) – Soccer

Connor Smith (SR/Springfield, PA) – Football

Shane Titus (SR/Springfield, PA) – Football and Lacrosse

Luke Van Auken (SR/Haddon Heights, NJ) – Football and Lacrosse

Scott Wiltshire – Soccer

Down 18-0 to start their match at Thaddeus Stevens on Saturday, the Williamson wrestling team never gave up.  They kept chipping away at that lead until they eventually tied things up at 24-24 with one match remaining. 

During that final match, senior Ainsley Doyle (SR/Wilmington, DE), ranked 11th in the nation at 133 pounds in the latest National Collegiate Wrestling Association rankings, found himself trailing 10-4 in the first period.  Just like his team however, Doyle never gave up and kept at it.  He scored a four point near fall in the second period to draw closer.  Then after being reversed, he reversed things himself before eventually pinning his Bulldog opponent at the 4:04 mark to give Williamson the dramatic, come from behind win.

Junior Talon Pisarchuk (JR/Bensalem, PA), currently ranked 5th in the nation at 165 lbs. got Williamson on the board with a pin at the 1:26 mark.  Not to be outdone, freshman Michael Kling (FR/New Castle, DE), fresh off a 5th place finish last week at the prestigious Bob Quade Open, then pinned his opponent in 1:41.  Senior Daniel Tommarelli (SR/Springfield, PA) then made it three pins in a row, as he also pinned his opponent in the first period.

The teams then both forfeited at both 149 lbs. and 141 lbs., leaving it all in the hands of Doyle, and he did not disappoint, as his big win at 133 lbs. moved the Mechanics to 3-1 on the year. 

"I'm proud of our guys and the way they battled.  We now have a long break but we will hit the ground running once they return from Christmas break.  All-in-all, it has been a good start to the year," shared Williamson head coach Ron Frank.