ATHLETE OF THE WEEK : Big-Play Capabilities Earn Sizable Praise for San Fernando Receiver

Although San Fernando receiver Sean Williams amassed 159 yards on 8 receptions in Friday’s 31-15 win over Taft, what most impressed opposing Coach Tom Stevenson was a play in which Williams never touched the ball.

“It was a punt. We downed the ball, but the whistle hadn’t blown. Then he came swooping in like a hawk. It looked like he was going to pick it up and run, but a defender was in the way,” Stevenson said.

Why worry so much about a punt? A week earlier, Williams returned one 66 yards for a touchdown in a 24-20 loss to Crespi. Williams also had a 40-yard touchdown reception called back because he was offside.

Since then, Williams, a 5-foot, 10-inch, 150-pound senior, has more than lived up to his billing as a game-breaker.

Said Stevenson, no stranger to hyperbole: “He’s a big, big-play guy. He’s lightning out there. He’s got great hands, great speed and great moves. He’s probably a great disco dancer, too.”

San Fernando Coach Tom Hernandez has no insight about Williams’ dance moves, but he shares Stevenson’s enthusiasm for Williams as a football player. “He can make a five-yard catch into a 50-yarder.”

Case in point: Williams turned a 7-yard pass into a 45-yard gain against Taft for his longest reception of the season.

Williams downplays his speed, saying, “I’m not that fast. I just have quick feet. If somebody is not standing in the hitting position, I’m going right past him.”

Despite his success at wide receiver, Williams started out at the other end of the passing game. Eight years ago, in a Pop Warner league, he was a quarterback throwing behind an offensive lineman named Michael Wynn. Now, Wynn, San Fernando’s quarterback, throws passes to Williams instead of throwing blocks for him. He also hurls compliments at his best receiver.

“He makes my job real easy,” Wynn said. “He’s the spark plug. When he does something, the team gets excited. He’s the guy the coach on the other team points out when they watch films of us.”

Wynn also praised Williams for his leadership abilities. “When he talks, his voice carries and people listen,” he said.

Against Taft, Williams caught only 2 passes for 45 yards in the first half, but after a pep talk with his quarterback at halftime, he grabbed 6 more passes for 114 yards. “He just came out and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got to do it.’ ” Wynn said.

Williams has accounted for more than half of San Fernando’s passing yardage through 4 games. Wynn has completed 39 of 80 passes for 443 yards and Williams has accounted for 229 of those yards with 17 catches, including 2 for touchdowns.

“We’ve got a few things designed for him,” Hernandez said. “And we’d like to see him get the ball 10-15 times a game.”

That suits Williams just fine, who said, “My coach told me that’s what I do best--keeping them in shock and getting by them.”