New Williamstown HC Pat Gallagher to Coach Top 2022 Prospects
To say any high school football team in New Jersey – or elsewhere – doesn’t find themselves in a unique situation preparing for the 2020 season would be untrue. However, put yourself in the shoes of Williamstown’s Pat Gallagher. Preparing…
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Continue ReadingTo say any high school football team in New Jersey – or elsewhere – doesn’t find themselves in a unique situation preparing for the 2020 season would be untrue. However, put yourself in the shoes of Williamstown’s Pat Gallagher. Preparing for your first season at the helm of a back-to-back state championship winner should be exhilarating, but as Gallagher deals with COVID-19 regulations which have pushed NJ’s start date for football into October, he knows this will also be his only season leading Williamstown football.
Taking over for Frank Fucetola, whose resignation left the Braves without ample time to conduct a full coaching search, Gallagher was appointed by his fellow assistant coaches after leading the Williamstown offense and coaching with Fucetola for 21 seasons.
A team that has lost just two games over the previous two seasons, there’s little Gallagher could do to take the shine off of what will be one of the top available head coaching jobs in the state for 2021. The state of the program is as much in the hands of the young players Gallagher will work to develop too. Without a prospect in our 2021 rankings, it’s the 2022 class that offers plenty of hope for Williamstown.
Keon Sabb Keon Sabb 6'2" | ATH IMG Academy | 2022 FL leads the entire 2022 class as a transfer from Glassboro. He’s joined by classmate and defensive back Turner Inge Turner Inge 5'11" | DB Williamstown | 2022 NJ as the 32nd ranked prospect and 16th best defensive player.
Here is a look at what both bring to the field this Fall for Williamstown.
2022 Keon Sabb Keon Sabb 6'2" | ATH IMG Academy | 2022 FL , ATH
A three-sport athlete, Sabb comes in at seventh on 247Sports’ national ranking and is the top overall safety according to ESPN. He recorded 31 tackles and five interceptions last season, posting more production as a receiver where he led Glassboro in receptions, yards, and touchdowns.
The raw athleticism jumps off Sabb’s tape. At the high school level, a player of his status should simply be bigger, faster, and stronger than his competition. The 6’3″, 195 pound Sabb runs receiver’s routes for them at DB and high points the football like the star pass catcher he is. A track standout in the 100 meter event, Sabb’s quick bursts make him a hawk for the football.
This is a player that rarely takes a false step, using his length well in man coverage to play the ball. As a receiver, Sabb plays with terrific awareness and body control. Traversing the sideline for acrobatic catches or patiently following his blocks on a short pass allows Sabb to be a difference maker on both sides of the ball.
When Sabb breaks on the ball, he’s a force of nature coming downhill that can stop runners in their tracks with teaching-tape quality tackles. Sabb is currently weighing offers from Arizona State, Baylor, Boston College, Central Michigan, Clemson, Kentucky, Michigan, Georgia, Florida, Miami, North Carolina State, Maryland, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Penn State, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Temple, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and Greg Schiano’s Rutgers program.
2022 Turner Inge Turner Inge 5'11" | DB Williamstown | 2022 NJ , Defensive Back/Running Back
Inge may not be the nationally touted prospect that Sabb is in the WIlliamstown secondary, but he is a chess piece that should create a formidable tandem.
A magnet for the football, Inge is regularly a step ahead of the offense. This is a player that understands how to rush the half man when playing down in the box, freeing himself with both power and finesse to finish plays. The more Inge is able to read plays while staying clean from blockers the better, creating disruption as both a weak side linebacker and safety.
Inge uses his long arms to his advantage, creating leverage while possessing the grip strength and motor to chase down runners from sideline to sideline.
This overall toughness in his game should allow Gallagher to create a larger role for Inge on offense, wearing down defenses as a running back. Inge was the featured player in Williamstown’s latest Group V state title, the last game Gallagher coached as offensive coordinator. A patient runner that takes pride in running through defenders, Inge is a north-south player with the long speed to finish runs downfield.
Expect more of the same from the Braves offense in 2020 as Inge’s all-around development catches up to his standout intangibles and instincts.
By all reports, the Williamstown coaching staff is a tight-knit family that will embrace Gallagher’s run as head coach. There are examples all over the state of teams and players that deserve this season in whatever form it may come, but with Sabb and Inge at their disposal it’s hard to look past the up and coming talent at Williamstown – laying the foundation for a successful program to remain on track.
Gallagher is no stranger to being around top talent, and the same will likely be said of his replacement. In the short term, his utilization of these two-way stars will be a scouting tidbit to revisit once Williamstown kicks off their season on October 23rd against Vineland.