For many, a game-winning touchdown catch in the final seconds of a state championship would go down as the highlight of a career.
That was almost the case for Lumberton senior wide receiver K’nylan Willis, who caught a 42-yard touchdown in the final seconds of the fourth quarter to seal the Panthers’ 20-14 win over Biggersville on Friday.
Biggersville desperately tried to come up with a miracle in the final seconds, which came to no avail.
As Lumberton celebrated winning its state championship after having lost in the title game the previous season. Willis was captured lifting up and consoling a Biggersville player.
In a span of a moment, Biggersville junior Jarrell Jones felt the emotion of having his team’s undefeated season spoiled in what was his school’s first state championship game as well as what was his head coach’s, Stan Platt’s, final game.
“I was just heart broken,” Jones said. “I didn’t want to lose that game.
“That dude came over and said that he had been there before. He knew where I was coming from. He knew how it was to lose a state championship.”
Willis, who didn’t even know Jones, noticed Jones falling to the ground and without hesitation opted to console Jones rather than join his teammates in the postgame festivities.
“I knew how it felt because the year before we had lost,” Willis said. “I saw the guy on the ground and I went and picked him up. I told him that I know how this feels. I was just trying to make feel (better).
“He is a junior and that’s exactly how it was last year so he was exactly in my position.”
That brief moment did help Jones, who says he was grateful for Willis’s words and kind actions.
“I’m not going to lie; it did (help),” Jones said. “I appreciate him doing that.”
However, that moment almost never happened for the 6-foot-2 Willis, who was Lumberton’s top wide receiver in 2019. Willis broke his collarbone at the start of Lumberton’s fifth game against Sacred Heart.
“I got tackled on a little bubble route and I fell on my shoulder,” Willis said. “I went down and when we were getting up one of the players feet kind of stepped on my arm. I thought I was going to play until I started clapping my hands. I just thought, ‘Dang, I’m feeling kind of weak.’
“That was the first play of the game. The next play Robert (Henry) scores and I walked to the sideline and then everything was hurting.”
That same night, Willis was told his season was likely going to be over due to the injury.
“I was in the room crying,” Willis said. “I couldn’t stop. I worked for it. I never thought it would (end) like this.”
Despite a typical collarbone injury taking at least 12 weeks to heal, Willis became dedicated towards having a quick recovery. Willis managed to return for just seven snaps in Lumberton’s South State championship against Simmons.
“They were telling us season-ending, but we knew that the state championship week was on the right mark of being able to come back from that injury,” Lumberton coach Zach Jones said.
“It was a clean break all the way through and so there was no misalignment or anything. It was hard for a teenager to walk around with a brace, especially when it started feeling better. He stayed disciplined on that and did what he was supposed to do. We were fortunate to get him back.”
While the moment was extra surreal for Willis given his circumstances, many later asked him why he chose to comfort Jones in the championship game. His answer was simple.
“It’s sportsmanship,” Willis said. “That’s what the game is about. It’s not just about the winning. It’s about everybody loving the game.”
