DC Metro Sports - 2007 High School Football: DeAntwan "The Rocket" Williams Prepares for Liftoff

Written by Wendall Stevens
Friday, 07 December 2007
Head Coach of the Woodbridge Vikings Robert King is quick to spit out stats and superlatives about his all world tailback DeAntwan Williams. The two words that come to his mind when describing the running style of Williams are "physically punishing." When coach King talks about Williams, he always starts off by saying rocket. Yep, "The Rocket", that's what they call him. This season has been a breakout year for the 5'9" 203 lb running back from Woodbridge, Va. The Rocket has left an undeniable mark not only in the district in which he plays but in the state of Virginia. Williams has racked up over 2,120 yards rushing in only his junior year which includes 259 yards against Franklin County. After the Vikings playoff victory against Hermitage, a very good team out of the Richmond area, Coach King mentioned he heard their receiver say to a newspaper reporter, "we ain't seen nothing like him." "DeAntwan Williams was special as a freshman," coach King said. "The one thing that comes to mind when describing DeAntwan is his physicality." 'He was a 5-9 165 lb 14-year-old but very strong. He could bench 280 lbs then. Rocket had the physical stature of a senior as a freshman." Williams went on to gain 1,089 yards as a freshman and ran for over 100 yards in a playoff game against Hylton. This was a glimpse of things to come. The summer after his freshmen year, Williams attended a combine at the University of Pittsburgh and clocked in at an impressive 4.38 40 yard dash. Besides his explosiveness, coach King says his most endearing quality is he "finishesruns and gets stronger as the game goes on." "He just wares opposing defenses down withhis punishing style of play and kids get tired of tackling him." "If I had to compare him to an NFL running back currently, I would say Marion Barber of the Dallas Cowboys. Like Barberhe just wares you down but if he breaks one, you're not going to catch him." As a sophomore, Rocket Williams rushed for 1,690 yards and in the process picked up over 40 pounds of muscle mainly thru his natural maturation process and hard work in the weight room. "Rocket is very talented but he has really worked hard to get where he is." Coach King mentioned that it feels good to have a player of Rocket's caliber but adds he understands he has to be humble and that his work ethic can't change. "Rocket reads the clippings but doesn't talk about it. He's quiet about it." Because of early season injuries Woodbridge struggled early. The Vikings were missing as many as 10 starters in one game in the beginning including road grader Division I tight end prospect 6'4" 265 lb Jay Weatherton. Weatherton, a devastating blocker opened holes for Rocket Williams. Despite this, Williams hasn't slowed a bit. 'I'd put Rocket up against anyone in the state,” proclaims coach King." The Rocket looks to lead his team to victory in the Virginia state championship game this Saturday at Scott Stadium at UVA against an undefeated Westfield (14-0) team led byquarterback Mike Glennon. "Everyone's trying to stop him. They all know what's coming but no one has been able to slow him down," says coach King. The Virginia Group AAA Division 6 state championship game is T-minus 24 hours and counting as of this writing, buckle your seatbelts and prepare for liftoff as the Rocket warms up. Log onto www.dcmetrosports.com for a wrapup on the Virginia state championship game. For high school football images go to www.dcmetrosports.com/prepsportgallery

< Prev		Next >