Batman and Robin. Tom and Jerry. Hall and Oates. All famous duos in their respective genres. Bixby High School has its own formidable one-two punch this season with junior quarterback Mason Williams and senior wide receiver Brennan Presley.
The Spartans’ dynamic duo exploded onto the 2019 scene with an amazing performance in their season opener. Bixby was nearly unstoppable in a 77-44 win against Mansfield (TX) Timberview. Williams threw for 435 yards and eight touchdowns, with six of those scores going to Presley.
Through Bixby’s first three games, Williams has tossed an impressive 17 TD passes, while Presley has been just as stellar with 12 touchdown grabs.
“Coach Snyder, our offensive coordinator, does a great job of putting our players in positions to be successful,” said head coach Loren Montgomery, who has led the Spartans to four state titles in the past five years. “Mason is super calm. You don’t see him get flustered. Brennan has put on about 15 pounds since last year. He’s always run track and as he’s getting older, he’s getting faster.”
“I think it just comes down to all the preparation that we’ve done,” said Presley, who committed to Oklahoma State earlier this year. “Also, the weight room and conditioning. It lets us play longer in the games and sustain more hits.”
Just as impressive as their stats is the fact they’ve put up those video game-like numbers while being two of the smaller players on the field. Both Williams and Presley are five-feet-nine and weigh less than 165 pounds.
“Number one, they’re just great athletes,” commented Montgomery. “They have extremely great work ethics. Pound for pound, they’re some of the strongest guys we have.”
“A lot of people tell me not to worry about my size,” said Williams, who threw for 3,225 yards last season and 36 touchdowns. “I can’t control how big I am. I just go out there and do what I can.”
The Bixby pair have been starters for the past two seasons and they’ve developed a special connection on the field.
“Me and Brennan have always had kind of a connection,” admitted Williams. “That’s what a lot of practice does. I know where he’s going to be and he knows where I’m going to put the ball.”
“Sometimes when we call certain plays, I don’t have to say anything,” added Presley, who also excels as a defensive back and kick returner for the Spartans. “Last year, I called for a slant that I scored for a touchdown and I don’t even think he saw that I called it, but we both knew what I should do. Every time we do something, it’s perfect. If we mess up it’s my fault and not his.”
The pair aren’t resting on their laurels. They know they’ve still got a lot of work to do in order for the Spartans to win their fifth state title in the past six years.
“We can’t get too big-headed about what we’ve done so far,” claimed Presley. “We’ve beaten a couple of good teams so far, but you don’t win a championship in week three or week four.”
“They’re always extremely well coached,” said Montgomery of the Hornets. “Booker T. always has some really good players. When you play against those guys, you’ve got to guard against the big play. Defensively, they’re super aggressive and they’ve got good enough guys that they can go cover your guys. It’s very challenging game planning against a team like Booker T.”
Bixby faces a stiff test this week when they take on Booker T. Washington in a key 6A-II showdown live on Yurview Cox Channel 3 on Friday, October 4, at 7:00 p.m. This Ford Game of the Week is also being streamed live on Yurview.com.
