JOHNSTOWN — Alkwan Williams’ 400th career tackle wasn’t just another stop.

Ordinary just wouldn’t fit the script for one of the area’s most extraordinary linebackers.

Even though the Johnstown High senior is known for his quiet demeanor away from the field, Williams has a knack for making the big play at the most opportune time.

No. 400 came at exactly such a moment.

Johnstown had bounced back from an early deficit to lead Penn Cambria 20-8 late in the first half of Friday’s game at Trojan Stadium. But the Panthers marched to the Johnstown 24-yard line after a muffed punt attempt. In one of those game-changing moments, Williams stopped Penn Cambria quarterback Andrew Buck on a sneak for no gain on a fourth-and-1 play.

“Oh my. No question. Every once in a while you see a kid that’s like a man playing with boys,” Penn Cambria coach Ernie Fetzer said of the 6-foot, 218-pound Williams. “He’s one of them. He really stood out. We knew that before we played them. We really confirmed that after we played them.”

Johnstown took over on downs after Williams’ 400th tackle and went on to a 34-8 victory.

“Alkwan has a flair for the dramatic,” Johnstown coach Tony Penna Jr. said.

A Pitt recruit, Williams enters Saturday’s game at Westmont Hilltop with 407 tackles, including 23 this season for 2-0 Johnstown.

“Many times in that game we were moving the football and he single-handedly disrupted us,” Fetzer said. “He’s one heck of a player.”

Williams is projected as a linebacker at Pitt. But he’s also an effective part of Johnstown’s high-scoring offense. He has five catches for 105 receiving yards.

“Sometimes you get to the point where you run out of adjectives,” Penna said. “Alkwan has that ability to take it one notch up. I think his classmates share that with him.”

Williams is coming off a junior season with 137 tackles and five sacks on a District 6 Class AAA championship team. 

A two-time first-team Tribune-Democrat selection and an honorable mention pick as a freshman, he has had at least 123 tackles in each of his three varsity seasons prior to this year.

“He’s able to rise to the level of the bar,” Penna said. “It’s just a tribute to his tremendous athletic ability. He doesn’t get enough credit for it, but he’s also a tremendous student of the game. He’s very observant and he sees the game happening. He has great skills and he’s a nice guy to have on your side.”



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Heavy workload: Williams and the Trojans defense will face a formidable Westmont offensive line as well as a balanced backfield that includes workhorse Ryan Burnheimer, who has an area-high 63 carries in two games.

Burnheimer ranked fourth in the area through two weeks with 266 rushing yards. He ran for 161 yards and three touchdowns on 36 carries in a season-opening win at Bishop Carroll. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior fullback had 27 attempts for

105 yards against a tough Forest Hills defense during a Week 2 setback at home.

Windber’s Colin Bryan has an area-high 375 rushing yards on 36 carries and leads the scoring with 56 points on nine touchdowns and a two-point conversion.

Conemaugh Township’s Jordan Shroyer is second with

310 yards on 38 carries, and Richland’s John Rizzo is third after running for 294 yards on 31 attempts.

Conversely, Ligonier’s deep backfield is accustomed to sharing the ball with multiple runners putting up solid numbers.

Through two weeks, Russell Markosky has 239 rushing yards on only 16 carries. He’s averaging 14.9 yards per run.

The Rams’ Anthony Tutino has 13 carries for 185 yards, and teammate Ryan Torrance rushed for 153 yards on 14 runs.

That gives the Rams three of the area’s top-12 rushers.



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Dual threats: North Star senior quarterback Max Strasiser has an area-best 602 passing yards (30 of 42) and ranks 17th with 130 rushing yards on

13 carries. His favorite target is younger brother Tony Strasiser, with an area-high 267 receiving yards on 11 catches.

Johnstown senior Gervon Simon is second with 505 passing yards (21 of 32). He’s found a wealth of big-play receivers in Dwight Andrews (eight receptions, 171 yards, two touchdowns), Mark Watson (5-139, two touchdowns), Williams

(5-105, two touchdowns) and Daquan Minter (2-66, one touchdown).



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Panthers prowl: Shade evened its record at 1-1 with a win over Ferndale last week.

The Panthers have three backs among the area’s top

23 rushers.

Junior Brock Medva (23 carries, 238 yards) is seventh, followed by junior Dylan Glessner (15-157) in 11th and senior Brett Edwards (19-105) in 23rd. The trio combined to gain 354 yards on the ground against Ferndale in a 28-7 home win. Medva (184) and Glessner (122) each went over 100 yards against the Yellow Jackets.



Mike Mastovich is a sports writer for The Tribune-Democrat.

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