DELIVERING A BLOCK — Martin County West’s Wyatt Williamson (51) blocks Minnesota Valley Lutheran linebacker Justin Ziemer (33) to clear a path for running back Joseph Forsberg (behind) during prep football action last fall. Williamson, who made the transition from offensive lineman to tight end, and the Mavericks have compiled a 6-1 record and earned the No. 8 spot in the 1A poll. (Photo by Greg Abel)

SHERBURN — Martin County West senior Wyatt Williamson has made big strides in helping the Maverick football team start its season with a 6-1 record and ascend to No. 8 in the Minnesota Associated Press’ Class 1A state rankings.

Springfield ended MCW’s perfect season with a late 14-8 win on Thursday night in Springfield.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder is a two-way starter for the Mavericks, playing tight end on offense and linebacker on defense. His size, athleticism and strength make him a threat to catch passes or hone in on tackling either the ball carrier or sacking the quarterback.

Williamson plays each position with an undaunted courage.

Just for kicks, Williamson also is the placekicker and has made 8 of 12 PATs.

In the Mavericks’ Homecoming game, Williamson displayed his versatility by collecting a quarterback sack and eight tackles on defense, as well as catching three passes for 46 yards to guide Martin County West to a 6-0 victory over then 4-1 Murray County Central.

For his quarterback sack, Williamson read the play perfectly and was tackling the quarterback just seconds after Murray County Central snapped the ball.

“I like playing linebacker,” said Williamson. “I’ve been playing football since the age of 3 and I played fullback my first year, but since then it’s been at linebacker. I enjoy getting after the quarterback.”

“He (Williamson) really turned the corner exactly a year ago,” said Martin County West head football coach Tom Elliott. “It seemed like he flipped a switch.

“He is like a coach on the field. He makes the defensive calls from his middle linebacker position, but moves around a lot.”

Williamson is tall and stands out among his peers. He is a head taller than some of the players on the field. His long reach is an advantage when he tries to shed a would-be blocker or outjumps opposing defensive backs when trying to catch a pass.

Through the first six games this fall, Williamson has nine catches for 134 yards with two touchdowns on offense, and on defense has 42 tackles, one quarterback sack, 10 tackles for a loss of yardage and one forced fumble.

“We take the season one game at a time, but we know we have an opportunity the next couple of weeks to get a No. 1 seed in our section playoff,” Williamson said. “My teammates and I have been optimistic about this season since we lost in the section playoffs last year.

“We knew we would be a competitive team and we’re not surprised with our 6-0 start. Our coaches put us in great position every week.”

“It’s hard to be upset with our 6-0 start,” Elliott said. “Wyatt and others on the team in his class like Max (Olson) have done a great job at helping get our program in this position.”

Williamson first took the field as a member of the varsity team as a sophomore. He played a lot as a junior and this season as a senior is one of the team captains.

His motor is always going at 100 percent on the field, but it’s a controlled 100 percent. As the team leader on the defense, he reads the offensive sets and gets his teammates in the best position to limit any gains.

Williamson spends a lot of time in the gym. He bench presses 200 pounds, squats 345 and runs the 40-yard dash in 4.95 seconds.

Colleges recruiting him include Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa; University of Sioux Falls in Sioux Falls, S.D.; and Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter.

“I’m thinking about playing college football,” Williamson said. “I’ll talk to my coaches and family and come up with a decision.”

The tapes of his games this season will only help his recruiting status.

Williamson also wrestles during the winter season, and plays baseball in the spring.

Last season, Williamson wrestled at 182 pounds for the Red Bulls — a co-operative program between Martin County West and Fairmont high schools — before donning the Mavericks’ baseball uniform. This winter, Williamson said he will most likely wrestle at 195 pounds.

He helped the Mavericks’ baseball squad gain a spot in the Section 2A semifinals during the 2022 season.

Williamson maintains a 3.9 grade point average and is interested in pursuing a business or kinesiology degree.

“I would love to play professional football, but realistically I want to get into business or kinesiology,” Williamson said.

Williamson patterns his football prowess to that of Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks.

“I’m a big Vikings fan and I like watching Kendricks play,” Williamson said.

Martin County West ends the regular season by playing host to 2021 Section 3A playoff runner-up Tracy-Milroy-Balaton at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in Sherburn.

Wyatt Williamson is the son of Sonja and Adam Williamson, and has an older sister, Kyra.