​Williams earns new nickname, leads Eagles to 49-28 win over Grandview

by Michael Smith


Head football coach David Allie has a new nickname for Grain Valley senior running back Ty Williams – “The Grain Valley Express.”
 
That seemed to be a fitting nickname when he and the Eagles took on the Grandview Bulldogs Friday on the road. The senior totaled 239 yards from scrimmage which included 182 rushing and 57 receiving with three total touchdowns as he helped lead his team to a 49-28 win over Grandview Friday on the road.

Through two games, Williams has looked like one of the best running backs in the Kansas City metro area. He has 402 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
 
He went from a three-man committee at running back in 2022 to a workhorse this season. He had 15 of Grain Valley’s 21 carries from running backs on Friday and he’s handled the new role well, Allie said.
 
“Ty wants the ball and he’s very productive when he gets it,” Allie said. “He’s a great combination of size and speed. When his motor is going, it’s hard to stop him.”
 
He had some explosive plays on Friday. With Grain Valley down 14-7, He dodged two tacklers, raced along the right side, spun out of another tackle at the Grandview 2 yard line and scored on a 64-yard run to tie it with 8:53 left in the first half.
 
After the Eagles’ defense got the stop, he helped the Eagles get their first lead. Senior quarterback Sal Caldarella threw a screen pass to Williams, on a misdirected play in which the offensive line moved left. Williams caught the ball along the right side line and dashed to the end zone from 51 yards out to help his team go up 21-14 with 5:43 left in the first half.
 
“As soon as I caught that ball, I saw nothing but green grass,” Williams said. “I saw Stylz (Blackmon) leads blocking for me, I had a big ol’ smile on my face and I just ran right behind him and scored a touchdown.”
 
He third score came during a 28-0 run from Grain Valley in the second half. He made it to the end zone from 45 yards out as he broke one tackle and raced the rest of the way at the 4:27 mark in the third.
 
If Williams is the “Grain Valley Express,” then Grain Valley’s senior wide receiver Noah Olah could be nicknamed “Olah Airlines” as he often flew by Grandview defenders.
 
Williams and Olah have come up big through two games in which the Eagles combined to score 95 points.
 
“We are explosive from anywhere,” Olah said. “We can run inside and outside and we can throw deep and throw short. We run the right plays in the right situations.”
 
After the Bulldogs (1-1) went up 8-0 early in the first quarter, Olah caught a pass from senior signal caller Sal Caldarella near the left sideline of the end zone. He had a Grandview safety in front of him but he still managed to make a diving catch for a 22-yard score to narrow the gap to 8-7.
 
The senior also had two scores during Grain Valley’s 28 unanswered second-half points after going into halftime up 21-20. He got wide open and caught a laser from Caldarella for a 37-yard receiving TD and he found pay dirt following a pre snap motion, in which he took a handoff 35 yards for a score, which started the run.
 
The other score from Grain Valley during the second-half run came from senior running back Tyler Wyzard, who punched it in from 50 yards out to make it 49-20 with 4:31 remaining.
 
“Their defense is very aggressive and fast,” Allie said of Grandview. “We got the edge on them a couple of times. They were over pursuing and he ran with it well.”
 
Olah and Williams had a friendly competition to see who could score the most touchdowns. They both ended up with the same amount.
 
“We were competing, we were seeing who would score the next touchdown,” Williams said. “It was that friendly competition that helped us win.”
 
Throughout the offseason and during the regular season, they have also have been competing to see who is faster. The duo had different opinions.
 
“He’s got me in the 40, but 100 meters, I got him,” Williams said with a wide smile.
 
When asked who would win in a 40 or 100-yard dash between him and Williams, Olah smiled and said: “It’s me. For sure.”

Senior running back Ty Williams totaled 239 yards from scrimmage which included 182 rushing and 57 receiving with three total touchdowns as he helped lead his team to a 49-28 win over Grandview Friday on the road. Photo credit: Clara Jaques

After the Bulldogs (1-1) went up 8-0 early in the first quarter, senior Noah Olah caught a pass from senior signal caller Sal Caldarella near the left sideline of the end zone. He had a Grandview safety in front of him but he still managed to make a diving catch for a 22-yard score to narrow the gap to 8-7. Photo credit: Clara Jaques

Photo credit: Clara Jaques