Lehman’s all-everything football player Charles Williams has switched from safety to linebacker this year and has made the transition in fine fashion, recording 20 tackles during the Lobos’ 2-0 start this season. (Photo by judy Cooper)
by WES FERGUSON
Charles Williams may fly to the ball, but he hasn’t taken any shortcuts to get there.
Last spring, Williams knew he wanted to be a faster player heading into his senior season with the Lehman Lobos, so he ran track.
He wanted to get bigger and stronger, too, so he hit the weight room at least twice a day this summer. When he showed up at two-a-days, he was packing an extra 15 pounds of muscle.
The effort is making a big difference on the Lobos’ defense. Williams has racked up 20 tackles, including three for a loss, in Lehman’s fast 2-0 start to the 2011 season.
“Charles is playing at another level than most of our kids,” said Toby Spivey, the Lobos’ defensive coordinator. “He’s worked hard, not that our other kids haven’t worked hard, but he’s done a lot of things outside of school to get better, and that’s paying off on the field.
“It’s showing in his speed, his aggressiveness, his tackling,” Spivey added. “He wraps up, he drives his feet, he knows his reads, he knows his keys. He’s a very smart football player.”
The improvements in Williams’ game are even more impressive considering he has made the switch from free safety as a junior to outside linebacker this year. Williams said he’s glad to be playing the new position.
“I’m more in the action, more hands-on, hitting more people,” he said. “Running and hitting people – you can’t get anything better than that, and I’m not getting in trouble for doing it.”
With Williams’ talent, his 4.5 second speed in the 40-yard dash, and his willingness to work, Spivey and head coach Steve Davis think he has the potential to play on Saturdays next fall.
“If he continues to have the year that he’s had and continues to improve every game and every day and every week, which is our expectation for all of our kids, there is no reason to believe that Charles can’t play at the next level anywhere he wants,” Spivey said.
Williams also believes he has a chance to play college ball.
“I think I could see me going to the next level playing football,” he said. But, he added, “I’m not really worried about that right now. I’m focusing on the season, and it will come afterwards if I do what I’ve got to do in the season.”
Williams is also a smart student and a joy to have in the classroom, according to Spivey, who taught him U.S. history.
Williams may be all smiles off the field, but he is the acknowledged punisher on the Lobos’ defense.
“My favorite play is whenever the running back doesn’t see me coming, and I just come across the field and blindside him,” he said. “That’s my favorite play. I’ve already had about two or three of those.”
Williams helped lead Lehman to only its second shutout in team history last Friday night against San Antonio-Edison. If he and the rest of the Lobos continue at their current pace, they may very well find themselves in the playoff mix for the first time in team history later this season.
“I want to beat Hays, number one, and be the first team to make the playoffs,” he said. “If we keep working hard, and keep pushing each other like we’ve been doing in practice now, eventually we’ll meet our goal.”
