This past football season, Will Lambert held the distinction of being something you rarely see at Fluvanna County High School: a starting varsity football quarterback who is only a sophomore. However, he is more than that to many at FCHS, being a brother, a son, a friend, and a teammate.
“One word I would use to describe Will is intelligent,” said one of Lambert’s coaches, Jay’von Jackson. “Will is a very smart person and football player. As his coach, Will and I have a very close relationship. We can speak to each other in ways that a lot of people would not understand. We can be very vocal to one another and neither one of us takes it personally because we both put our all into what we do. We can also be very goofy and funny around one another because that’s who we both are as people,” Jackson added.
Lambert has played football since he was four-years-old. He started playing because his dad was the coach and his brother always played, so he wanted to follow in their footsteps. His family’s motto is: “If you’re going to be dumb, you got to be tough.” Lambert uses this motto to remind himself to always make good choices, and if he decides not to, he knows he’s going to have to face the consequences that come with it.
Since Lambert has played for many years, he has seen many coaches come and go, but the two that have had the most impact on him are Coach Mitchell Pace and Coach Brandon Townes.
“Pace I have known since middle school to varsity. He has been my quarterback coach and has always worked to make me the best player I can be. He knows all of us on the team as individuals. He talks to us at school and checks on us if something is going on in our family. And if something isn’t going right at school, he is always there and is someone to talk to,” said Lambert.
As for Townes, Lambert said, “Coach Townes–from off-season workouts to early morning lifts and loads of conditioning–has been there as a coach and mentor to me. Basketball and football, he’s helped me become a better athlete, and most importantly, did his best to make me the best person I can be inside the classroom and on the field,” he explained.
While this was Coach Paces’s first year being head coach, it wasn’t the first time Lambert has worked with him. He coached the sophomore when he played on the middle school football team, so he has seen the growth that Lambert has made since he was younger.
“I’ve coached Will before, and he has matured in many ways. He has grown up and understands the game of football better. Because we have worked together before, he can kind of read my mind and can anticipate and play calls and [know] what I expect from him as a quarterback,” said Pace.
He added, “When deciding who would be quarterback, we looked for players that exempted not only football skills, but leadership skills. We were looking for a well-rounded individual who could be a leader in the huddle and make plays when they need them to. And Will was an example of all of these qualities. So we knew he would be the perfect person for the position.”
Lambert has been working since a young age in hopes of achieving success, something which seems to have paid off for him having secured the quarterback role at such a young age.
“I didn’t know I would be on varsity and a starter,” said Lambert. “With Coach Morris, he had talked about pulling me up, but when Coach Pace became coach I knew I was going to have to work hard and prove myself. It meant a lot knowing that all the work I put in paid off. To be an underclassman on varsity is a big thing,” he said.
Last year, Lambert was the JV quarterback and was coached by Jackson. Since then, Jackson was promoted to the role of Offensive Coach, somthing which means he has spent a lot of time with Lambert. “Coaching him on JV last year was a great experience. I was able to watch him mature throughout the season as a QB. He was faced with adversity multiple times and never backed down from the challenge. He is a very tough competitor,” said Jackson.
One way Jackson helped Lambert was in teaching him how to maintain a good mindset. “Coach Jackson focused on working on my mechanics and working one-on-one with me. It wasn’t as much helping my skills as it was my mindset,” said Lambert.
Both coaches believe Lambert has always had the potential to be great and defy the opposition. “I think very highly of Will because he has grown up a lot. He is a fine young man and has become a better quarterback every week. And I expect him to continue to make strives in his junior and senior year,” said Pace.
Jackson agrees, adding, “I always knew Will had the potential to be a varsity QB. He has all the physical and mental attributes to lead a football team and be a very good player.”
Lambert hopes to continue to work hard for the next couple of years in hopes of gaining a football career. He plans to attend either a four-year college and play football, or attend a lineman school to work on power lines. In the meantime, Lambert finds a way to remind himself of the joys of the sport.
“What I love about football is just being out on the field with all my brothers bleeding together and sweating together every day, even at practice. My hopes for next season are to step it up, make more improvement, and be better than this year,” said Lambert.
