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Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014  |  7 p.m.  |  Bearcat Stadium  |  Maryville, Mo.

By David Boyce

MARYVILLE, Mo. - Every senior on Northwest Missouri State football program will have vivid memories of past seasons when they hear the alma mater song followed by the national anthem Thursday evening at Bearcat Stadium.
 
It will be their last season-opener in a Northwest uniform. The moment should be exhilarating as they gear up the 7 p.m. kickoff against Nebraska Kearney.
 
Northwest is coming off a perfect, 15-0 national championship season. The excitement will be high for other reasons such as the unveiling of a brand new, state-of-the-art scoreboard.
 
Bearcat fans will be in a frenzy.
 
Excitement will definitely fill senior defensive tackle Zach Williams. Like a few of his teammates, Williams, a captain, is back because of an injury caused him to miss a season.
 
Last year was supposed to be Williams' final season in a Bearcat uniform. He was off to a great season. He forced a fumble in the second game that helped Northwest beat Central Missouri 28-24 in what turned out to be the closest game for the Bearcats.
 
In the following week, Williams saw his season come to an end near halftime at Fort Hays State. As he hobbled to the sideline, he figured it was simply tendinitis in his left knee.
 
Northwest head athletic trainer Kelly Quinlin put him through some drills and determined he had a torn ACL.
 
"I had mix emotions," Williams said. "I was depressed. I didn't know if I believed her. As soon as I knew it was torn, it was getting my mind right to focus on the next year. There was no doubt I was coming back."
 
Williams knew it was going to take a lot of hard work to get back on the field. In his mind, it takes nine months to recover from ACL surgery. The rehab process means fighting through the pain and soreness that comes with strengthening that area in the knee.
 
He handled the process like a pro, said Northwest football coach Adam Dorrel.
 
"Anytime an injury like that happens to a captain, it is tough," Dorrel said. "But a credit to him, he was never a distraction. He never sulked. He was at practice when he got the bad news and he was focused on the team and not himself. That is what makes that kid special."
 
Williams arrived at Northwest in 2009 from Center High School in Kansas City, Mo. He worked his way up the depth charts through the years. He had a goal of starting every game last season.
 
"That is why I came back, to start a whole season, riding it out with the boys," Williams said.
 
The Northwest football program has provided an opportunity for a college education that he might not have had. He is on schedule to get his degree in December. He is majoring in horticulture and a minor in business.  
 
"It was an amazing opportunity to play football here," Williams said. "If it wasn't for this football program, I probably wouldn't have tried to get a degree. I wouldn't be this close to a college degree. I will be the first in my family to get a college degree. This program means the world for me."
 
Words like that invigorate college coaches.
 
Dorrel joked that he feels so blessed that he could coach at Northwest for free, but please keep that information away from the administration.
 
Seeing players like Williams stick with it in the classroom and on the field is every bit as valuable as a paycheck.
 
"It is neat," Dorrel said. "I've known Zach a long time. I recruited him. That is what makes coaching special, to interact with kids like him. He has a great personality. He is funny."
 
Williams provides leadership for the front four, helping younger players like Brandon Yost and Tristan Patterson.
 
"He is doing a good job mentoring those guys," Dorrel said. "We feel we have a pretty good group of young interior linemen so it is great to have him one more year to foster the leadership with those kids."
 
Two days before the first game, Dorrel said he was so amped up that he wondered if he would be able to sleep the next two nights.
 
Imagine what Williams is feeling. Six years is a long time in a college football program. Williams knows this is his last ride with the Bearcats. He put in many long hours of work to get back to the starting lineup.
 
Now Williams is ready to hit an opponent and get another season underway.
 
"The first hit I make will be nothing but joy," he said.