Williams honored with state coaching award in football

Craig Williams, a 1992 Red Oak High School graduate, was awarded the Class B Behrens Coaching Award for 2016 by Huskerland Preps.
Huskerland Preps honors the top coaches in each class in Nebraska high school football.
Craig Williams, the son of Mike and Carolyn Williams of Red Oak, has been the head football coach since 2006 at Columbus High School, Columbus, Neb., where he lives with his wife Amy, and their three children.
Williams said that three things keep him coaching.
“One is the challenges that the game provides,” Williams said. “Secondly, I am extremely competitive; I love the adrenaline that coaching provides. Third of all, helping young kids become young men and watching them grow and develop on and off of the field is very important to me.”
Williams has led his teams to the high school playoffs five times since beginning his coaching career at Columbus High School in 2006. But this season’s playoff berth was unexpected, to say the least.
Williams took the 0-9 Discoverers from 2015, to a playoff berth this season, with a 7-2 record. But the year began much as it had ended the season before, with the Discoverers losing its opening game by three points.
The following week, the team was down by eight points with a minute and a half to play. They tied the game and sent it into overtime. Twice. In the second overtime, the Discoverers were able to win the game, 50-49.
Williams said that game, as well as two others, were the highlights of his season with the team.
“We were down 19-3 against an outstanding Norris team and came back to win,” Williams said. “Then we were down nine to Ralston with five minutes left, but drove 80 yards with no time outs to kick the winning field goal with 15 seconds left.”
Although the team lost in the first round of playoffs, Williams said these kids inspired him throughout the year.
“While this was a group that struggled through an 0-9 junior year, the seniors never lost sight of the fact that their senior year had a chance to be a special year,” Williams said. “These kids remained calm in the face of adversity and never lost their confidence, regardless of what challenges they faced.”
The game plan was executed, the competition was fierce, and the players demonstrated perseverance on and off the field. Exactly why Williams continues to coach. And, exactly why he received this award.