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Senior Bearcat midfielder Brock Williams has been crowned the 2023-2024 Region 1-4A Player of the Year. 

Williams wins the award after a career year, a year that can be explained in a multitude of ways

Maybe you care about season stats. Williams led the Bearcats in goals (25) and goals per game (1.5) and finished second in assists (10) in the 2023-2024 season.

Or maybe, it’s bigger than just one season; how about a career? Williams became the program’s all-time career scorer this season, setting a new record of 75 total goals over four years.

OR, just maybe, it means more than one player’s career. In this year’s post-season, Williams led Bainbridge to its deepest playoff run in program history.

Any way you slice it, Williams was a star this season.

“Brock’s an offensive weapon,” said Bearcats head coach Brian Hill. “He’s got a really big leg, and he can swing with both his right and left. He’s a threat.”

 

Scoring Weapon

Along with leading the team in goals, Williams recorded four hat tricks. The midfielder scored a handful of impressive-looking goals this season, but his best is arguably a diving header he hit against Wayne County in the second round of playoffs. 

Williams layed out and soared through the air to connect with a cross at the back post, netting the team’s third goal of the night.

“He brings a spark to us,” Hill said after the game.

 

Record Breaker

Williams etched his name into the record books this season. He surpassed the program’s career scoring record of 62 goals, accruing 75 by the end of this season. He broke the record in a hat-trick performance against Hardaway on February 29.

“I’ve always wanted it,” Williams said. “It’s a goal I set as a freshman, and I didn’t really know if I could accomplish it… I worked four years for this, and I finally got to it.”

Williams said he knew the record was attainable going into the season. He entered the year 11 goals from the mark.

“We’ve kind of been counting it down,” Williams said. “I knew it and was like, ‘I’ve got to hold these emotions in because I have a whole other half to play,’… I had to wait ‘till I got home to really let that emotion hit me.”

William’s father, Garrett Williams, said it was surreal to his son break the record.

“It was something that he set out to do,” Garrett said. “To see him accomplish that was just crazy… Super proud dad moment.”

 

Playoff History

The Bearcats made it to the third round of the GHSA 4A state playoffs this season, the furthest ever in program history. 

They opened their historic playoff run with a first-round nail-biter against Troup County. The game went to a penalty shootout after the teams ended regulation and overtime tied 1-1. Senior goalkeeper Lathan Holt saved the day for the Bearcats, making two game-saving stops to set up freshman midfielder Junior Miranda for a game-winning PK.

“I feel ecstatic,” Holt said after the game. “I’ve always dreamed of being in a PK shootout.”

Miranda knew the game was on the line when he walked into the 18-yard box for his shot, yet he didn’t let his nerves get the best of him.

“Probably like a three,” Miranda said when asked how nervous he was on a scale of 1-10. “It was a gamble… who knows if we would have won if I didn’t make it.”

They advanced to a second-round matchup against Wayne County with the win over Troup. Williams scored his highlight-reel diving header in this game, and the Bearcats won 5-1 in commanding fashion.

The win pushed Bainbridge to its first-ever third-round playoff berth. They fell 0-2 to Westminster School in the matchup, but Hill was proud of his team’s perseverance late into the game.

“We played hard and competed and hung right there with them,” Hill said. “They caught a few breaks, and ours didn’t go in the goal when we needed them to.”

Holt was a major reason the Bearcats were still in the game late. Holt made four to five remarkable saves in the second half to keep the team alive.

“He definitely stepped it up in the playoffs, and it showed tonight,” Hill said. “He had some great saves tonight and kept us in the game.

The third-round loss ended the season, and the Bearcats will be losing seven seniors: Lathan Holt, Joel Sarmiento, Joseph Perez, Tomas Gallo, Brock Williams, Mason Lamkin and Nicholas Tyre.

 

2023-2024 Bearcat Region 1-4A award recipients

Brock Williams- Player of the Year

Lathan Holt- Goalkeeper of the Year

Jose Bonilla-Ortiz- Co-Offensive Player of the Year

Angle Bonilla-Ortiz- Midfield Player of the Year

Tomas Gallo- 1st team All-Region

Cesar Hernandez-Rodriguez- 1st team All-Region

Nicholas Tyre- 1st team All-Region

Henry Vanstone- 1st team All-Region

Eduardo Miranda- 2nd team All-Region

Joel Sarmiento- 2nd team All-Region

Olegario Villegas-Ramos- 2nd team All-Region

Joseph Perez- Honorable Mention