Jven Williams on collision course with history

Track & Field coverage presented by ATT Sports, Inc.

By Jason Guarente — MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent

Each throw has become a must-see event. Passersby stop and watch. Teammates line up along the fence and wait. Everyone wants to know how far it will fly.

Jven Williams has turned into an entertainer. The rare athlete who inspires awe from others trying to compete. His attempts don’t look like anyone else’s. His attempts are a spectacle.

Wyomssing’s junior rewrote the Leonard Stephan Meet record book at West Lawn Saturday. He touched distances unmatched in the 60-year history of the meet.

Williams reached 60-10.5 in the shot put, surpassing Dane Miller’s mark of 60-4. Then he hit 177-5 in the discus to eclipse Kirk Devine’s 176-8.

Sixty is a big milestone in the shot put. Among Berks athletes, only Miller, Ron Turpin and Joe Mundell had crossed that threshold before Williams launched himself into the club.

“That’s a number that I’ve been chasing since I’ve been throwing,” Williams said of 60 feet. “It just shows my progression. It shows I’m getting closer to the county record. That’s really my goal right now. Breaking stuff. That’s all I really want to do. Just get myself in the history books.”

The county record is owned by Miller at 62-6.25. It appears to be in serious jeopardy.

Williams started throwing in seventh grade and his rise has been remarkable considering the obstacles placed in front of him. He missed his freshman year due to the COVID cancellation. He has one season and one month’s worth of experience upon which to build his resume.

Last year he won District 3 Class 2A gold in the shot put and placed third in the PIAA discus. This season he’s headed into a different orbit.

Wyomissing throws coach Ty Smith believes Williams can reach 70 and 200. That’s a whole new world. According to Smith, it comes down to one two-letter word.

“It’s all about if,” Smith said. “He has to control it. He has to have the ability to understand it and do what it takes outside of the noise, outside of everyone that’s in his ear. All of that. If he sits there and focuses, he can do things that we’ve never seen.”

Williams’ football future has taken off since we saw him spinning in the circle last May. The 6-4, 285-pound tackle became a 5-star offensive lineman recruited by Power Five schools while helping Wyomissing reach the PIAA Class 3A final in December. Williams chose Penn State. He was sporting a PSU T-shirt between events.

Although his life has changed dramatically because of his football success, track was his first love. He followed in the footsteps of big brother Rushard, the PIAA Class 2A champ in the discus last year.

“Track is where I started,” Williams said. “I wouldn’t be where I am without it. It shows character as far as being one person in the ring. You can’t really blame anyone else if you do bad.”

The technique Williams has developed for throwing has assisted his work in the trenches. The balance. The strength. All of it ties together.

Williams is going to spend four years shoving people around at State College. He believes track gives him a better chance to succeed. He said more football players should give throwing a shot.

“It’s underrated in my opinion,” Williams said. “You get stronger and you’re working on your footwork. What else do you need to be a lineman? That’s everything you have right there.”

Williams’ throwing fortunes started to shift during workouts last summer. That’s when he became more consistent and put up big numbers regularly. One time, after a two-a-day session of football practices, he unleashed a nearly 60-foot bomb in the shot and broke 185 in the discus.

“It sounds like an urban legend,” Rushard Williams said with a smile, “but it’s true.”

The next five weeks will be spent watching and wondering. What level can Williams reach? Where can he take it from here?

“He has earned every inch of it,” Smith said. “Dealing with COVID, dealing with having (to follow a successful) older brother, there’s so much that goes into all of that. He’s a special talent, a special kid. “

Williams walked away from his record-setting performance at the Stephan Meet feeling proud but not satisfied. He delivered a 65 in the shot and a 186 in the discus that were erased by fouls. There’s obviously more ground he can cover.

That’s the tantalizing part. There doesn’t seem to be a limit.

“That’s what keeps me going,” Williams said. “I feel like my best throws are never as good as they could be. That’s the best part of throwing. You feel like you can get better after every throw. That’s how I look at it when I’m in the ring.”

The next number to chase is Miller’s county record. It has stood for 20 years.

“Hopefully I break it,” Williams said. “That’s my goal.”

Following one day of oohs and aahs, it felt inevitable. All that stands between Williams and history is a little more time.