Easy Does It

Myers Park’s star running back eases away from the competition

 

Myers Park #5 Eric Williams

Some may be quick to doubt the skill of Myers Park’s running back, junior Eric Williams. Generously listed at 5-foot, 6-inches Williams may not look like a typical football player. But neither Mustang fans nor opponents even take that into consideration about his game; it’s clear to anyone who has seen Williams compete that he plays with the heart of an athlete twice his size.

At the beginning of the season, Myers Park coach Jim Ruark predicted that Williams would have a big year, “He has tremendous speed and balance,” noted the coach. “I really feel that he is going to be a surprise to a lot of people this year.”

So far, Ruark has certainly been right. In only four games this season, Eric has scored six touchdowns and has amassed 514 yards. What makes that even more impressive is that Eric is averaging an astonishing 7.6 yards a carry. Believe me; colleges have started to take notice with Williams revealing that he has received recruiting letters from several universities. A facet of his game that recruiters certainly must admire is Williams’ toughness. The back, who tries to incorporate in his game what he sees from the ever-popular San Diego Chargers running back LaDanian Tomlinson, had sprained his ankle in a previous contest, and the injury hampered him again on Friday night. “I didn’t play in the second half because of my ankle,” he said. Until then, the extent of his injury was not known, and neither was the threshold of pain Williams was tolerating in order to play. Only this seriously painful injury could force Williams out of the game, and not without a valiant fight to remain in the game.

However, Williams remains humble despite all the attention. After games, he can be seen helping his teammates rather than basking in his own accolades. When asked about his big year, Williams replied, “My whole line, I give all my credit to them.”

Though Williams might be smaller than the average football player, his heart is significantly larger. Those hackneyed sayings about size not mattering are really true, Williams continues to prove this.