Williams earns Athlete of the Week honors
UR ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Williams earns Athlete of the Week honors Steven Cary The Union-Recorder The Union-Recorder Fri Oct 18, 2013, 08:15 AM EDT MILLEDGEVILLE 鈥� It is rare that players on the offensive and defensive line get recognized, but Georgia Military Prep School鈥檚 Parker Williams showed it is possible with a standout performance in the team鈥檚 21-8 win over Warren County last week. His performance earned him U-R Athlete of the Week honors. Williams recorded eight tackles in the contest, including four for a loss of yards and a half sack. 鈥淗e鈥檚 just one of those guys you really enjoy coaching,鈥� Steven Simpson, head coach, said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 just one of those guys you want on your team. He works hard every day 鈥� when he鈥檚 between those white lines he鈥檚 full force.鈥� Growing up around the game, Williams has gathered a lot of his football knowledge from his dad, Bert Williams, which he believes is an important asset as a high school player. 鈥淚鈥檝e grown up with football. Growing up and going to practice with my dad and seeing how excited he is with the players 鈥� as I鈥檝e grown up being exposed to that, I鈥檝e learned an abundance of knowledge from him, and for him to be able to help me play is a big deal,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淜nowing about the game is really important. If you don鈥檛 know where you鈥檙e going on the offensive or defensive line you鈥檙e kind of useless. The junior admits having an idea of what is going on during the game is crucial to being a successful player. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to recognize the defense when you鈥檙e on offense,鈥� he said. 鈥淏asically just recognizing formations is key to being a football player.鈥� Knowing and understanding football has helped Williams since his freshman season with the Bulldogs, as Simpson suggests that the young lineman is fundamentally sound. 鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty obvious that he鈥檚 been around the game for a long time with his dad coaching the college team; he has a very high football IQ. The biggest thing is, Parker鈥檚 always been one of the bigger body kids, but his understanding of the game allows him to play in some situations where other kids might not have the understanding to play in those situations,鈥� Simpson said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 played a tremendous amount to still be a young player; because, he鈥檚 very fundamentally sound and he鈥檚 continuously working to better those fundamentals. Parker鈥檚 also developed into one of our leaders.鈥� The Bulldogs have relied heavily on Williams鈥� fundamentals this season, as they have competed against some of the best teams in the state. 鈥淒efensively, our defensive line is our strength. We rely on those guys to control the run game. I tell them every week that they have to be successful for us to be successful,鈥� Simpson said. 鈥淥ur defensive line takes pride in trying to dominate a game, and they generally do a pretty good job of it.鈥� Williams and the GMC Prep line plan to continue to carry the Bulldogs this season, with hopes of making it to the postseason. 鈥淥ur team has a great goal of getting to the post season real soon,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e still very optimistic about our chances.鈥� Though, Williams was named with the Athlete of the Week honor, he admits it was a team effort last week. 鈥淏eing selected as a nominee was really cool because that鈥檚 never happened to me. Normally the people who get selected are pretty good, because I never think of myself as being really good,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 do it without my teammates. Being a part of this team is awesome, because I wouldn鈥檛 trade these guys and these coaches for the world.鈥�
