For three years, senior Gabe McWilliams waited. And he learned. Finally, he started.

In his freshman year, Tayven Jackson, who started for Indiana last weekend against Washington, was the play caller for the Trojans. And then that torch was passed to Tyler Cherry, another quarterback on IU’s roster. But now as a senior, McWilliams finally has his chance.

“Playing under Tayven [Jackson] and Tyler and all those guys was really cool because I was able to be teammates with the same people I used to play with back in first grade, and then finally getting the chance to be a starter by senior year,” McWilliams said. “They taught me how to prepare before games, and you have to practice how you want to play. They taught me the importance of staying consistent all year.”

While this may be McWilliams first year starting, football has been a part of his life all along.

“I started football at a really young age,” McWilliams said. “My brother played, so that’s kind of how I got into it. My dad always tried to push me into playing more sports since I was in about first grade. I definitely had to get a lot bigger and stronger. I was smaller than the other guys, and that kind of changed for me in my sophomore year because I got bigger, stronger and faster.”

McWilliams also learned to be a leader. With that kind of title also comes increased pressure and responsibility.

“The main struggle was just being inexperienced because I haven’t really been in those big situations since it’s my first year, but I have to trust in my teammates and coaches to put me in the right position to succeed,” McWilliams said.

This season, McWilliams has completed over 64 percent of his passes, including throwing for 17 touchdowns, including an 88-yard toss to Brevin Holubar in the Homecoming victory over Lawrence Central.

“My biggest success this year is just being able to play with my teammates and winning some games,” McWilliams said. “We aren’t finished though, so I think we are going to be doing great in the playoffs and it shows.” 

Winning a state championship is a feat desired by many. Center Grove has won a total of five state championships, three of which have been in the last four years, a trend McWilliams hopes to continue. 

“It would mean everything [to win state],” McWilliams said. “This is pretty much what I’ve stayed for, just staying behind Tayven and Tyler so we can win my senior year with all of my teammates.”

While Center Grove finished 5-4 on the regular season, their losses came to top teams, both in state and nationally. But with the post-season starting this Friday when the Trojans travel to Jeffersonville, McWilliams knows anything is possible.

“[We’re preparing by] focusing on ourselves, not so much about our opponent, but it’s getting our skills and our mistakes fixed so we can stay sharp for the playoffs,” McWilliams said.

To most, football is just a game. To McWilliams it’s more than that. To him it’s a guide to life, a way of learning things like teamwork and other real world skills. 

“Football isn’t just a national sport,” McWilliams said. “I feel like everybody plays it because it’s hard. I like football because it teaches you good important life lessons and you get to play with your teammates.”