News-Argus Coach-of-the-Year -- Bubba Williams

By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on December 22, 2013 1:52 AM

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Bubba Williams knows the foundation has been laid for Eastern Wayne's football program. It's now up to the rising seniors to keep the program moving in the right direction.

Williams, the 2013 News-Argus All-Area Coach-of-the-Year, helped guide the Warriors to historic accomplishments this past fall.

Eastern Wayne set school records for single-season wins, home wins, playoff victories and the best start in program history this season. The Warriors' season ended with a 44-20 loss at eventual state champion Havelock in the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 3-A (small-school) east finals.

"A lot of that goes to the senior class," said Williams, whose team compiled an 11-3 record. "They led this group. They laid the foundation to the guys below them, the juniors and sophomores, and they helped us be as successful as we were."

Picked to finish fifth in the newly-realigned Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference, the Warriors began the season 5-0. The fast start to the season helped instill belief into a program that hasn't always had much confidence.

Eastern Wayne finished 4-2 in league play.

"The confidence thing is something we've struggled with since I've been at Eastern Wayne," Williams said. "This team had confidence and we thought we could be successful. Against Rose, I don't think we showed up and it taught us that we had to show up every night."

Williams and his coaching staff got the most out of undersized offensive and defensive lines that were question marks entering the season. An offensive scheme that centered around pulling linemen helped keep larger defenders off of smaller blockers.

The Warriors averaged 30 points a game and compiled more than 4,000 yards of total offense. Junior quarterback Mitch Pike progressed as the season went along and threw for more than 1,800 yards with 24 touchdowns.

Sophomore tailback K.K. Best led Eastern Wayne with 958 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns. Lavoris Vick supplied 799 yards and eight scores.

"We try to utilize movement with smaller guys and our linemen pulling," Williams said. "They're not going to be successful if they're blocking someone who has 50 pounds on them all night. We try to employ some blocking schemes that confuse the defense a little bit and allow us to use those guys a little better."

The Warriors' defensive line routinely held its own against larger, stronger opponents. Eastern Wayne's front seven limited the physical rushing attacks of West Carteret and Southern Nash to 14 and 17 points respectively in the first two rounds of the state playoffs.

The Warriors' defense forced 37 turnovers and held five different opponents to 14 points or less.

"Defensively, every time you watched film of us, there were 10 or 11 guys on the screen," Williams said. "If you're not forcing turnovers you're not going to be successful. We were able to get to the ball and make plays. I was pleased with how we held up against bigger teams."