Bo Williams of Shiloh Christian (Arkansas) runs ‘angry’ on the field, smiles off of it

The senior running back opened the season with 391 yards and 6 TDs in a win over Class 6A No. 1 Little Rock Christian last Friday

SPRINGDALE, Ark. - When Shiloh Christian’s Bo Williams is not on the football field, you will rarely see him without a broad smile across his face. He is a kid that is full of life. 

But on the field, his demeanor changes quite a bit. 

“He’s just one of those kids that just runs angry when he has the ball in his hands,” said first-year Saints Head Coach Tucker Barnard. “And you like to see that, because he is a kid that plays the game with a lot of passion and desire.” 

Just one game into his senior season, the 5-foot-10, 190-pound running back has already amassed 2,395 career rushing yards, averaging 8.3 yards per carry, with 47 touchdowns. He has also hauled in 46 passes for 645 yards and four scores.

Williams earned all-state honors a year ago, finishing with 1,482 yards and 30 TDs on the ground, leading the Saints to their fourth consecutive state title game – and their first in Class 5A.

Shiloh Christian running back Bo Williams is fierce on the field but all smiles off of it. (Photo by Steve Andrews)

But Williams will be the last one to rest on his own laurels. 

“Every day we wake up, the Lord has given us another day to live, so it’s another day to go do something enjoyable,” he said with his customary grin. “I’m just thankful for the life and talents that God has given me, and the people he has surrounded me with. I couldn’t have asked for a better support system, a better family, than what I have here. And I thank God every day for that.”

Shiloh stepped up a class last Friday night in the season-opener, taking on the No. 1 team in 6A, Little Rock Christian, and their nationally ranked quarterback Walker White, who is committed to Auburn.

After the Warriors traveled to Springdale last season, throttling the Saints 49-14, Shiloh’s return trip to Little Rock Friday had quite a different outcome. Williams exploded for 391 rushing yards and six trips to the end zone, in Shiloh’s 43-22 payback victory.

“Having that chip on our shoulder, going into that game, really helped us,” he admitted. “If you can go out and beat a team that mercy-ruled you last year, it’s a big confidence boost for everybody. I was extremely motivated going into that game. There were a lot of things said from their side before that game, so I kind of took it personal and that really did fuel me and the rest of our team to go out and do what we did.”

Williams began playing football for the Springdale Kiwanis Club in the second grade, then advanced through the city league, spending two years at Helen Tyson Middle School, before landing at Shiloh as an eighth-grader.

“I fell in love with the running back position early, and just took it and ran with it,” he said. “I was pretty timid in the beginning, but about fourth grade I started learning that I really liked hitting people, so that’s when I really started to fall in love with this game.”

He made the varsity squad as a sophomore, playing in all 15 games, with 522 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. His first two seasons at the high school level were under the leadership of all-state quarterback Eli Wisdom, who has since graduated. That left Williams to shoulder more of the leadership role this season.

“At the beginning, it was quite a lot to take in,” he said. “But with this offensive line we have this year – they are some special guys – I think we have one of the best lines in the state, so that took a lot of the weight off my shoulders. Those guys make it that much easier for me to run the ball.”

Shiloh Christian's Bo Williams ran for nearly 400 yards and six touchdowns at Little Rock Christian on Friday. (Photo by Tommy Land). 

He has also spent a lot of time as a linebacker on the defensive side, sometimes playing both ways. That came into play on Friday, when freshman starting quarterback Cole Creighton went down with a collar-bone injury. Junior starting linebacker Evan Baker had to fill in as the backup quarterback, which pushed Williams into linebacker duties. He did not leave the field in the second quarter. 

“I could tell he was tired in the first half, and it was evident,” Barnard said. “But he made a conscious decision at halftime to work himself into a state of mind, where he didn’t believe he was tired anymore. And he came out and played on fire in the second half and was huge for us.”

It’s that kind of spirit and commitment that brings a sense of comfort to Barnard and his staff, knowing that the leadership Williams brings to his team is unwavering.

“He brings a lot to the table for us,” the coach said. “He’s a strong, emotional leader. He fits that’s cliché that we always hear about, that your best player is also your hardest worker. But Bo is a guy that will try to win every sprint and he’s a guy that will try to raise the level of the entire team. And he just has that contagious spirit that everybody else kind of catches, too.”

In return, Williams is quick to praise his coaches for mentoring him the right way, which has made him the young man he is today. Not only has he enjoyed his brief time under Coach Barnard, but he also gives a lot of credit for his success to former Head Coach Jeff Conaway, who practically raised him in the Shiloh program. Conaway left to take a job in Orlando after spending the past nine season as Saints’ head coach.

“Coach Conaway was here when I got here, and through the years he really did teach me how to become a man and grow spiritually,” Williams said. “There have also been a lot of great guys who were older than me, that came through this program, and they also taught me how handle things the right way.

“This year, with Coach Barnard, he is a very vocal and juice-filled guy, and all the guys really like that. I’m glad I get to have at least this one year with him.”

 Bo Williams and Shiloh Christian lost to Little Rock Parkview in the Class 5A state championship game but hope to return to Little Rock for another shot this fall. (Photo by Tommy Land)

Williams also has two younger brothers that he is proud to mentor, as both, football players and as emerging young men. Cale is an eighth grader in the Saints program, and 8-year-old John Ross just began his first season in the Kiwanis League.

“I just love those kids to death,” Williams said, with pride in his voice. “Cale is my rock. We’ve been through a lot together. And I always want to be there for those guys and supporting them, no matter what.” 

Despite his production as one of the state’s top running backs, Williams’ size has kept most Division-I programs from showing interest. He does have offers Division II programs from Arkansas Tech, Southern Arkansas University and FCS program Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He also has a preferred walk-on offer from Arkansas State, where he will visit this weekend.

But what he may lack in stature, he has made sure to balance with speed and strength. Not only can he run a 40-yard dash in close to 4.5 seconds, and he bench-presses 345 pounds, squats 435 and power cleans 325.

“I started to realize at a younger age that I was going to be an undersized guy, so I knew that if I did want to chase the dream of playing Division I football, it was going to take a lot of hard work on my part – whether that was in the weight-room or on the field doing sprints” Williams said. “I just began learning how to do those things, day-by-day, and I feel like I have started seeing the benefits of it. But there is just more hard work to come, now.”

His main focus right now, is going out as a champion. The Saints have fallen in three of the last four state championship games. Williams and the Saints looks to turn that trend around this season.

“We expect nothing less than to go win a state title.”