Hillcrest players poised to be “big-time contributors” for Williamsburg football

WILLIAMSBURG

Kale Bailey and Owen Scott were happy to be back in Raider red during Williamsburg’s preseason scrimmage with Benton on Friday. And first-year head coach Austin Blythe was equally thrilled to see the Hillcrest students return to the turf.

“The Hillcrest boys, they’ve been great for us,” he said. “We first thought that Hillcrest wasn’t going to be sharing with us this year.”

An error in calculating the combined enrollment of the two schools put the sharing agreement in jeopardy as the Raiders were facing a move from 3A to 4A. Luckily for Bailey, Owen Scott, Gibson Scott, Charlie Hughes and the Raiders, that wasn’t the case.

“Having those four guys — it would have been devastating not to have them with us,” Blythe said. “Three of them are going to be big-time contributors for us on the varsity level, and Charlie is just a great kid who’s really getting better. So, to not have those guys would have been bad for our program, but good for us that that’s not the case.”

In 2023, Bailey and Owen Scott played junior varsity, but were dressed on the sideline during the Raider’s state championship run. Last year, Scott stepped into a starting role in the defensive backfield as a junior and also carried the ball 20 times for 111 yards and a touchdown.

“He’s going to be a starting cornerback again this year,” Blythe said, “and then as far as the offensive side of the ball goes, he’s just a good 1-2 punch for Dallin (Sullivan). Both of those guys are dynamic, they can see the hole well and they make good cuts. I’m excited to see how they both do.”

Last year, the Raiders had a 7-1 start that included a 42-13 thrashing of No. 5 Solon in week seven, before dropping the season finale and a first-round playoff game.

Bailey had four catches for 74 yards during the season and is expected to see the field more as a junior.

“I’m expecting to jump into a starting role here and I’m hoping I’m going to be able to help the team out a lot more and score some touchdowns,” Bailey said after the scrimmage.

The 6-foot-2 junior was a 1A state qualifier in the high jump a year ago, and the Raiders are looking to see that athleticism translate to bigger things this year.

“We’re counting on him to make some plays as he continues to grow up, “Blythe said, “he’s going to be one of our guys, and we need him to make those type of plays.”

Sophomore running back Gibson Scott piled up yards during Friday’s scrimmage against Benton’s second-team defense. He also saw the field at defensive back and made an athletic play to break up a high pass.

“He’s made some strides from last year to this year already,” Blythe said. “For those younger guys, the season does get long, so for him, it’s just going to be staying in it and helping us as much as he can.”

Hughes, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, saw snaps on the defensive line and at tight end during Friday’s scrimmage.

Blythe is in his first season as the Raiders’ head coach after coaching the offensive line for the last two years. A Williamsburg alum, Blythe was a four-year starter at the University of Iowa and played seven seasons at center in the NFL.

“His football knowledge is so good,” Bailey said about his head coach. “He’s keeping a lot of what (former head coach Curt) Ritchie did, but he’s also implementing some of his own stuff that he learned from the NFL. I think he’s been great.”

Even though the Raider football field is over 20 miles away from Hillcrest Academy, Bailey and Owen Scott said that the Williamsburg team has embraced its Raven athletes.

“It’s great, they’re so welcoming with all of us,” Bailey said.

“It’s fun,” Scott added, “their community is definitely inviting, and I like these guys.”

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