Williamstown trio enjoys acting

Williamstown trio enjoys acting

By JAY W. BENNETT

WILLIAMSTOWN - This might be the first year Williamstown senior Chris Green has played football with the likes of fellow Yellowjacket teammates Matt Sexton and Jordan Goode, but when it comes to acting the trio has been together for quite a while.

Not afraid to go out on a limb and do the unusual, the senior threesome have had their fair share of fond memories when it comes to taking theater class at Williamstown High School and putting on plays for the student body and the community.

While some moments - like when Sexton had to take on the role of an intriguing character in the play "Every Baby Sitter's Worst Nightmare" - might be more light hearted than others, it's all business as usual this week when it comes to the gridiron.

That's because No. 1 Williamstown has one final football game left at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Northern Panhandle when the 'Jackets (13-0) take on defending Class A state champion Wheeling Central (9-4) on its home island turf for all the marbles.

"I wanted to come out and try and help as much as I could," said Green, who is a wideout for head coach Terry Smith's Yellowjackets. "(When you play) you realize how hard everyone works.

"Everyone works so hard and so long. I mean it seems like we've been doing football forever."

Even though Green has just been doing it for a year, acting is a different story.

The three 'Jackets started taking theatre as freshmen and have enjoyed their time acting out different characters.

In a recent production of "Grease", Green played Danny Zuko, who is considered the leader of the pack tough guy. Meanwhile, Sexton played Kenickie while Goode was gang member Sonny LaTierri.

"We've always did acting to kind of stay together," Green added. "It's nice having all your friends in class and it's a lot of fun to entertain everybody."

Although Green is more of a support person on the sidelines, Goode and Sexton have done plenty of entertaining this fall.

Sexton has four touchdown catches and nearly 250 yards receiving on 18 receptions while playing as a wide receiver. Goode, who also plays receiver and is a starting defensive end, has 75 tackles to go along with nine catches for 117 yards and one score.

"I don't think it's really sunk in yet that it's really the championship," Goode said. "We're just treating it like another game.

"Wheeling Central is a good football team, but we are just taking everything they do well, analyzing it and getting prepared for it all week during practice."

Sexton too knows the Maroon Knights have a formidable program, but one that's not unbeatable.

"They are a great team," he said. "But, we feel we are pretty good too. I really think it's an even game going into it.

"We've been in the semifinals for five straight years and in the championship in 2003 and we know what it's like to be in that kind of atmosphere, but they do too because they are the defending champs.

"I really think we can do it this year because we are such a good team. We've played football together and everybody knows their role. We just need to step up and have a good game."

That's exactly what Goode hopes will transpire.

"We don't want it to slip away," he said of the final chance to go out on top as seniors. "I think we take great pride in our conditioning and we just want to win it for everybody."

Win or lose, these three Yellowjacket football players won't be done together as a group since they will be in the school's April production of "The Oz", a musical.

"Yeah, Matt and I are thinking about being munchkins," Goode quipped.

If Williamstown can win the Class A title Saturday night, maybe they'll be dancing on a special Yellowjacket road instead of a yellow brick one.