In four years as a two-sport athlete at Bolingbrook High School, Chris Williams played lower level sports just one year.

He was brought up to varsity football his sophomore season and joined freshman baseball his freshman campaign.

This season he patrolled center field for a youth-laden baseball team and led the Raider receiving corp in football and was successful enough in both to be selected as Bolingbrook Bugle male athlete of the year.

Although a successful baseball player, football is what Williams will play in college, choosing Division-III powerhouse University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. A year ago, the Warhawks were 14-0 and D-III National Champions. This year, they are ranked first in The Sporting News Preseason top 25 Poll and second in the USA Today Sports Weekly Preseason top 25.

The Warhawks will look to make a return trip to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl where they have faced Mount Union (OH) in each of the last five seasons. Mount Union is ranked first in the USA Today Poll, and second according to The Sporting News.

UW-W will be looking to repeat as Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champions, a title they have earned five consecutive years.

“I visited Wisconsin Whitewater and it blew me away,” Williams said. “They are national champs. They win and I love to win. Their stadium is ridiculously nice. The players are not cocky and full of themselves even though they are champions. They really seemed to be good guys.”

Winning was something Williams got used to as a Raider, going 27-6 over his three varsity seasons. He was part of a junior team that went undefeated in the regular season.

All three years, however, ended the same way.

“We had a curse or something, we always lost in the second round of the playoffs,” Williams said. “I don’t know what it was.”

Williams is hoping not to bring that over to UW-Whitewater. What he does hope to bring is his speed and soft hands that allowed him to catch nearly everything quarterback Brad Geever put up the last two seasons.

His senior year, Williams caught 32 balls for a team-high 645 yards and nine touchdowns. His 64.2 yards per game average led all Joliet-area receivers. His junior year, he also led the team in yards, netting 461 and five scores. Receiver is what Williams expects to play in college, but he’s open to a position change.

“I was recruited as a receiver, but I’d play whatever,” he said. “If they decide they want me to play defense, I would play defense. I just want to play and help the team win. Whatever I can do, I will.”

Williams did not have the same success in baseball at Bolingbrook, as the team game in and game out found ways to lose close ball games.

“Individually, we were great we just couldn’t put hits together,” he said. “Or we would make an error that would let the game get away.”

Heading to a D-III school, which does not have the ability to offer scholarships, being a multi-sport athlete is not out of the question.

Williams said right now, football will get his full attention, but come spring, who knows, he may be looking to patrol center field for the Warhawks as well.