Narbonne’s Troy Williams is among top quarterbacks, but humble

Quarterback Troy Williams of Harbor City Narbonne is the reigning City Section player of the year. He passed for 3,247 yards and 34 touchdowns, ran for 587 yards and 11 touchdowns and he commited to Washington over the summer.

You would think all the attention and accolades might have earned him a special place in the family hierarchy.

“I have to vacuum the whole house, pick up after the dog, feed the dog, take the trash out, sweep up after my dad cuts the grass, clean the bathroom,” he said.

So now the picture becomes quite clear how the 6-foot-2, 190-pound senior has become the invaluable leader and role model for the defending City Division I champions.

“It’s who he is inside that makes him a great quarterback,” Coach Manuel Douglas said. “He’s never had the attitude,’I’m Troy Williams and this is what I’ve done.’”

When he’s on the field, everyone looks to Williams for guidance. Running the Gauchos’ no-huddle, rapid-movement spread offense, Williams is the trigger man for everything that’s about to happen.

He has to read the defense while getting his own teammates into the proper positions and recognize what they’re supposed to be doing. And it all takes place in a matter of seconds, requiring quick reflexes, fast decisions and the ability to improvise.

Williams fits the mold of the new breed of quarterbacks. Those are players who possess athleticism, quickness, good arm strength and versatility.

He has been throwing footballs since he was in his backyard as a 3- or 4-year-old with his cousins tossing the ball through a tire hanging from a branch.

“My first time, I got it through the tire, and I wanted to do it all day,” he said. “I guess that’s when I fell in love.”

He has been on Narbonne’s varsity since he was a freshman, helping the Gauchos win a City Division I title last season even though he played with a bad ankle in the championship game against Carson. His mere presence changed the game and led to a 48-32 victory.

“Him being in the game made the defense for Carson do something they had committed to do, which is take away the pass,” Douglas said. “Fortunately, we were smart enough to figure that out early and we ran the ball 36 times with Tray Boone.”

Said Williams: “I could have thrown 10 picks in that game and still be happy. We won.”

Now Williams is preparing for his final season of high school. Narbonne has ambitious goals, with hopes of playing in a CIF state championship bowl game.

Williams will graduate after the fall semester ends so he can enroll at Washington for spring practice.

“When I first got to Narbonne, everybody told me it was going to go by fast,” Williams said. “I thought it was going to be a long four years. It’s gone by real fast. I kind of wish I was a freshman again, having fun with my friends, but it’s going to be over soon and you have to move on with life.”

Asked whether his parents are going to be sad he’ll be leaving the house soon, Williams said, “They’ve wanted me to get out for a long time. They’ll probably get sad when I’m gone for a while, but they’re happy I’m going to college.”

Williams was asked, “Do you ever tell your parents, ‘I’m the City player of the year. Why do I have to vacuum?’”

He replied, “I might get punished for that. I can’t just sit around the house and lay around all day.”

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

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