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Offensive Player of the Year: Williams shines on and off the field
By Joe Davidson - jdavidson@sacbee.com
Published 12:00 am PST Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C8
The first thing one notices about Deonte Williams away from the playing field is his smile, broad and engaging – a sparkling row of gold teeth.
His "grill" has nothing to do with dental necessity. Williams wears it to catch people's eyes, a shining example of his free spirit.
On the field, though, what people saw this season was a yardage-gobbling runner who found the end zone again and again for Pleasant Grove High School, earning recognition as The Bee's 2007 Offensive Player of the Year.
A reserve last season at Valley, Williams transferred to Pleasant Grove and had a huge offensive output. He rushed for 2,447 yards and scored 29 touchdowns. Not bad for a fellow who never dreamed of half that many yards, never mind a conference championship for a school fielding its first senior class and a sudden rush of college recruiting interest.
"If someone would have told me last year at this time I'd win this honor, I'd say, 'You lyin' to me?' " said Williams, who is 5-foot-10, 182 pounds. "I'm so proud. I put in a lot of work, a ton of work, especially the weight room. It all paid off."
Pleasant Grove coach Joe Cattolico said Williams earned his place in school athletic history, setting records that could stand for some time. He helped the team go 10-2 and win its first Delta River League title. He rushed for 188 yards against Roseville, 272 against Vanden, 267 against Chavez, 258 against Florin, 186 against Jesuit, 247 against Monterey Trail and 204 against Napa. Williams has drawn recruiting interest from Nevada, UNLV, Boise State, Utah, Sacramento State and Utah State, among others.
"He was just outstanding for us," Cattolico said. "Teams tried not to let us run the ball, but he still got a lot of yards. He just did it. Deonte's got a nice package of speed, quickness, vision, strength and durability. He was a rock for us."
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Deonte Williams transferred to Pleasant Grove High School this season and rushed for 2,447 yards and 29 touchdowns. Renee Bonnafon / rbonnafon@sacbee.com
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