Players like Jakory Williams are the reason why the St. Joseph Catholic School football team has won the last two state football championships.
Williams, a big strong lineman, goes to practice every day in order to help his team get better. He measures his success by his team’s success.
“Being a part of this football team is maybe the best thing that has ever happened to me,” Williams said. “Being a part of this team has taught me that you really can achieve anything if you are willing to sacrifice and work hard with a bunch of people for a common goal.”
This is Williams’ fourth year as a starter on the Irish football team. He plays offensive guard and nose guard and has made a number of big plays throughout the seasons. For example, many of his pancake blocks have set up huge gains for St. Joseph skill position players like Dillon Johnson, Trey Benson and Kaleb Lockett.
Tipping the scales at more than 300 pounds, Williams’ athletic ability is deceiving when he first lines up against his opponents. But, they quickly find out that he has both the strength and the speed to open up huge holes for his teammates to run through.
“I love how people underestimate me and think that I am just big,” Williams said. “I think I amaze some of them when I go out there and show them how quick I am. For a guy my size, I can run really fast.”
Said St. Joseph Coach John Baker, “You won’t see too many guys at his size who have his type of speed.”
While Williams said he loves being a part of the Fighting Irish football team, he has many other hobbies and interests.
Williams has been a member of the Boy Scouts since he was a young boy, and two weeks ago he earned the rank of Eagle Scout after he completed a year-long project of restoring a community garden.
For now though, Williams full attention is on helping the Irish pick up their third straight state championship. St. Joseph’s winning streak of 13 games is currently the longest in the state of Mississippi (public or private), and the Fighting Irish can make it number 14 when they travel to Glenbrook High School this Friday night.
“It is awesome to have this winning streakstreak, but it also means that other teams are going to be shooting for us,” Coach Baker said.
