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Williamstown’s two-way leader, J.C. Collins, has Braves off to 2-0 start

The senior quarterback/defensive back is a UMass recruit.

Williamstown quarterback J.C. Collins (left) and wide receiver Vic Ruggiano in 2016.
Williamstown quarterback J.C. Collins (left) and wide receiver Vic Ruggiano in 2016.Read moreED HILLE / File

Twenty-four hours later, it was still raining.

But at least the skies around the Rancocas Valley football field had stopped flashing.

Saturday night was the Williamstown football team's second trek north to RV in two days — it's nearly  an 80-mile round trip from school to school.

On Friday night, the Braves showed up ready to play but were sent home when lightning postponed the game.

For J.C. Collins, the hardest part was the toll it took on his nerves.

"Every game, no matter who you're playing, you always get nervous, you feel it in your stomach, all day, as soon as you wake up" he said. "So when we left [RV] on Friday night, I had to calm myself down — I had to relax. I made sure I got on the video game and shut my mind off for a little bit."

It's hard to blame Collins for being excited. He admitted that even Fortnite, his video game of choice, could only do so much to take his thoughts away from a season in which expectations couldn't be higher.

When the game was finally played, Williamstown handled RV — last year's South Jersey Group 5 finalist — in a 17-6 win that could have been a rout in the Braves' favor if not for a couple of costly offensive mistakes deep in RV territory.

It only heightened the momentum that's been building around Williamstown for three years, ever since Collins — a dynamic all-around athlete and a UMass recruit, took over as starting quarterback and defensive back.

"As you get older, the expectations around you — around your talent — get higher," Collins said. "Sophomore year, it was 'Oh yeah, we should be good.' Junior year, it's 'OK, we should be in the playoffs this year.' Then senior year, it's 'We're expecting a state championship. Bring this championship home.'

"You think about that in the off-season, you think about that in the weight room. You know you have people that you have to step up your game for."

Fortunately, Collins is far from the team's only weapon. The Braves are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. Running back Wade Inge was the thunder to Collins' lightning (no pun intended) on Saturday night, as well as his top receiver, generating more than 200 all-purpose yards.

"Our backfield is incredible — ones and twos, anyone can break one at any moment — and our line has been doing a great job of opening holes," Collins said. "We  just need to keep working hard."

Williamstown coach Frank Fucetola isn't surprised by his team's fast start.

"We paid our dues the last two years — and we're back," said Fucetola, whose team sits at 2-0 after finishing 3-7 in 2016 and 5-5 in 2017.

When a reporter asked Fucetola about his star quarterback, the coach looked down at the reporter's recording device and said: "There isn't enough batteries in that thing for me to fully explain what a wonderful kid he is — he's amazing."

Those accolades are fuel to Collins' fire. He threw for 1,105 yards last year and ran for almost 600. And he knows he's capable of more this year.

"I want more for myself. I want more for my team," he said. "I hold myself to a very high standard. Even [after the RV game], we won, but I walk away thinking I should have had two interceptions.

"I always feel like I can play better. I want to be that player. I want to be the player that helps this team reach its goals."