Growing up, junior running back William McMaster watched from the stands at Oak Forest football games as his sister, Colleen, was busy on the sidelines building an all-state cheerleading career.
There were a few lean years at that time for the Bengals. But while his sister graduated and went on make Purdue’s spirit team, William was dreaming of building, and playing, for a winner.
“It was definitely tough to watch your hometown team lose,” McMaster said. “I didn’t think about it much, but as the years went on, my friends and I talked about how we wanted to change and how we wanted Oak Forest football to be like it used to be.
“Every day until we were actually in high school, we wanted to achieve that goal and here we are.”
Where the Bengals were Saturday afternoon was punching their ticket to the second round of the playoffs for a second straight year.
McMaster, who’s been a key part of both teams, made sure of that by gaining 176 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries for host Oak Forest in a 38-12 win over Champaign Centennial in a Class 5A first-round game.
Oak Forest’s William McMaster (2) runs to the outside against Champaign Centennial during a Class 5A first-round playoff game in Oak Forest on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (Gary Middendorf / Daily Southtown)
Daniel Chopp, the South Suburban Blue’s offensive player of the year, connected on a 47-yard TD strike to Ryan Kruswicki for the Bengals (9-1). Ethan Copher chipped in with a 1-yard TD run and Ulysses Morales kicked an 18-yard field goal.
Senior linebacker Andrew Dawson added an interception and a fumble recovery for Oak Forest, which ousted Champaign Centennial (5-5) and will either play host to Bloomington (6-3) or visit Mascoutah (6-3) in the second round.
The 5-foot-9, 170-pound McMaster did most of his damage in the first half, running for 152 yards and two TDs as the Bengals took a 31-6 halftime lead. He has been called on most of the season to provide a spark after Collin Gentile was injured Sept. 26 against Tinley Park.
“I felt like I had to do it for my guys and my team,” McMaster said. “Next man up.”
Oak Forest’s William McMaster (2) finds a hole to run through against Champaign Centennial during a Class 5A first-round playoff game in Oak Forest on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (Gary Middendorf / Daily Southtown)
Zac Sadek, who’s in his first year as Oak Forest’s coach, was impressed with McMaster right away.
“Will is a guy that, in the summer, we knew he had to play somewhere,” Sadek said. “He’s a relentless runner. Toward the end of summer and after our first game, we knew he was really special.
“Having Collin go down, being a three-year varsity guy, was obviously a hit. But kudos to our guys having that next-man-up mentality. Will does what is asked of him and he does it really, really well.”
Dawson, who also playes receiver for the Bengals, called McMaster “definitely amazing.”
Oak Forest’s William McMaster (2) secures the ball on a run up the middle against Champaign Centennial during a Class 5A first-round playoff game in Oak Forest on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (Gary Middendorf / Daily Southtown)
“He keeps us honest when he is running up the middle,” Dawson said of McMaster. “And it opens things up for big plays for the rest of us.”
Much like many high school football players in the Southland, McMaster started out in flag football before transitioning to tackle.
Looking back, McMaster said he started playing flag in second grade. But he stuck with it for six years until he finally got the chance to play tackle when he reached high school.
Oak Forest’s William McMaster (2) powers his way into the end zone for a TD against Champaign Centennial during a Class 5A first-round playoff game in Oak Forest on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (Gary Middendorf / Daily Southtown)
“I liked flag because I was playing with my childhood friends,” he said. “I was building a bond with them, and it really helped us come together.”
The upgrade from flag football in eighth grade to tackle football as a freshman was big, but McMaster confirmed he was able to handle it. And then some.
“It was a little bit of a change, but I would say I’m a pretty physical kid for my size,” he said. “It didn’t really stop me from hitting everyone.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
