Junior quarterback Troy Williams put up great numbers, but was equally gritty playing through injury in title game.
Despite being only a junior, quarterback Troy Williams demonstrated great leadership for Narbonne, which captured the L.A. City Section championship.
All throughout the season, Narbonne junior quarterback Troy Williams had one singular thought.
To win the L.A. City Section title.
Through his poise in handling Narbonne's glitzy no-huddle offense and his pinpoint passes, Williams put Narbonne on the cusp of that championship moment.
Then Williams found a way to win.
It wasn't just that Narbonne topped Marine League rival Carson 48-32 on that chilly Friday night at East LA. College.
It was the perseverance that Williams displayed while enduring a painful ankle injury when his team needed him the most.
It was true grit.
"It was about desire. I did not want to let my teammates down," Williams said. "During the week, the pain was about an eight out of 10. But I knew I was going to play regardless.
"Then I (aggravated) the injury in the first quarter, and after that, the pain felt like a 20. But I had to suck it up."
Williams said there was no way he was coming out of the game, and his presence might have made the difference.
The Carson defense was forced to respect his golden arm and his playmaking ability.
And that opened the door for running back Tray Boone's epic 304-yard, six-TD performance that gave Narbonne its second upper-division City title while setting the stage for what could be a spectacular senior campaign for the 2011 Daily Breeze Player of the Year.
"I had to pick my teammates up and be a leader,"
Williams said. "I was not coming out of the game. Even if they asked me, I would've said no. Even if it as a broken leg, I would've found a way."His final passing numbers were not overly impressive in the final. Williams completed seven of 13 passes for 75 yards and two interceptions.
But Williams found himself in a role no one expected: a major decoy.
And that allowed Boone to have his magical senior moment.
"I forgot about my pain. It was beautiful. My job was easy watching him," Williams said.
Williams made sure to leave his mark on this final with a 1-yard scoring run in the third quarter. He was going to have a piece of this title.
"I still ran one in," Williams said with a sly grin,.
It capped a stellar campaign in which Williams threw for 3,247 yards, 34 TDs and 11 INTs on 211-for-339 passing while also rushing for 587 yards and 11 TDs.
Maybe even more impressive was how Williams elevated his performance in the playoffs. Williams scored 16 of his 45 total touchdowns in the four playoff games, all decisive Narbonne routs.
Williams also was the Marine League's Co-Most Valuable Player and the City's Division I Player of the Year and the ESPN L.A. South Region Player of the Year.
"He's just such a special player," Narbonne coach Manuel Douglas said. "I love his competitiveness and his mental toughness.
"He's a leader, an unspoken leader. I see these guys defer to him all the time. They always say, `As long as it's OK with Troy.' And the best thing is that he's not a jerk about it. He probably doesn't even realize it."
Williams started as a sophomore, but seemed to come into his own this year as he learned the nuances of the no-huddle offense that mimics the University of Oregon's attack.
Williams also took advantage of a talented receiving corps that included Antoine Anderson (972 yards, 18 TDs), A.J. Richardson (947 yards, nine TDs) and Greg Clark (564 yards, four TDs).
"Last year was more of a learning curve for him," Douglas said. "There's not much more we can show him. We've just got to trust him to make the right decisions.
"Our offense is great and has pieces, but it needs a trigger man like him."
Williams also dazzled in his ability to make something out of nothing.
Williams, who also serves as a punter, saw the ball was snapped completely over his head in the fourth quarter against San Pedro. Williams chased it down in the end zone, cocked his arm back and fired a laser to receiver Greg Clark for a stunning first down.
It might be a candidate for the play of the year.
And Williams promised it wasn't a trick play.
"It was a busted play, but we made it work," Williams said.
Williams is also a smart quarterback. He credits his linemen Beau Lauti, Joshua Tanuvasa, Alanta Toussant, Orlando Ford and Andrew Ruiz as often as he can.
"I love my O-line," Williams said. "I even buy them In-N-Out (gift) cards every time they don't allow a sack."
Williams has scholarship offers from the University of Washington, Nevada, Bowling Green and Southern Methodist University, and that is believed to be just the tip of a major recruiting iceberg.
Now that Williams got his first City title out of the way, Narbonne can begin plotting bigger and better ideas. Marine League title. Back-to-back City championships. Maybe even a state bowl.
"This was a great year, and hopefully it sets up my senior year," Williams said. "I know I am going to work 10 times harder to be better and to win another City title. We're ready for it."
No comments:
Post a Comment