In command

Even before his team’s Sept. 1 victory over rival Vestavia Hills, Ben Berguson liked his Patriots’ mojo. 

Berguson, Homewood High School’s fourth-year head football coach, sensed an air of confidence among his players during summer workouts and preseason camp. Internally, he suspected a potential streak of forthcoming success.

Homewood’s 6-0 shutout victory over the Rebels only confirmed Berguson’s hunch. Not since 2006 had the Patriots downed their familiar foe. 

“It’s just been different this year, the whole year,” he said. 

Larkin Williams is a big reason why. 

In his first season as Homewood’s full-time starter, the junior quarterback has displayed a valuable combination of maturity, poise and resourcefulness. His polished play through the air and on the ground has the Patriots off to their best start in more than a decade. 

“He’s just a competitor,” Berguson said. “All he wants to do is win.”

Williams has been at his best when his team has needed him most. In Homewood’s season opener, he engineered an 85-yard, game-winning drive to lift his team to victory. Williams, who is 6-foot-2, treads the line between pocket passer and dual-threat quarterback. On that decisive series, for example, he relied on his accurate arm and sufficient speed to push his team down the field. 

“[The coaches] preach to me, and they tell me to preach to [my teammates], ‘one play at a time,’” Williams said. “That’s been a big focus.”

Last season, it wasn’t so easy. 

Williams spent the entirety of the 2016 campaign — from spring practice to fall Friday nights — entrenched in a position battle with former teammate Ty Hatcher. Like clockwork, the two swapped in and out every couple of series in each game throughout the season. Hatcher, then a junior, would run the offense for a pair of possessions. Then, he would toss the keys to Williams. 

“There were games last year where I could have played terrible,” Williams said, “and we’d still come out and win.” 

The quarterback carousel challenged Williams’ competitive spirit. He recognized his reduced impact on a game’s result and worried that a mistake might cost him his role. But that is no longer the case. 

Hatcher transferred in the offseason, and the Patriots’ offense now rests squarely on Williams’ shoulders. He wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“It’s really going to depend on you, and you have confidence,” Williams said. “But then again, there’s a pressure point there too. It’s pretty cool, I think.”

Williams now views last season as a learning experience that helped mold him into the player he is today. It taught him how to maintain composure amid pressure, how to crack but not crumble. Plus, it allowed him an opportunity to gain mental reps from the sideline. 

“If I were not to watch Ty play while I was out, I would miss adjustments that we could make,” he said. 

Williams has called on that experience this season. He’s tightened his grasp of the offense, grown in confidence and sharpened his decision making. Homewood offensive coordinator David Jones, who works directly with Williams, said he’s noticed improvement across the board in his pupil’s performances. His leadership, too, has advanced to another level. 

“He always has command of the huddle,” Jones said. “The other kids, I think, look up to him in that respect.”

Snap by snap, Williams and his team have been raising their relevance. The fast start to the season — the Patriots were 4-0 as of Sept. 20 — suggests Homewood is primed for a run. 

To do that, it will need Williams at his best. 

“He’s the leader,” Berguson said. “He’s the quarterback.”

This year, it isn’t even a doubt.