Williams one of keys up front for Elgin

Elgin has gotten off to a great start this season and while the Owls have talented players on both offense and defense, there is little doubt that the offensive line has lived up to expectations in helping the team get off to a 4-0 start.

While the offensive line has three talented NCAA Division I prospects, it’s been the improvement of a couple of younger players that has taken that group to a new level.

One of those DI prospects is senior Jace Williams, a 6-3, 290-pound offensive guard who has signed with the Naval Academy but first things first; he and the Owls are focused on entering district play and trying to reach that pinnacle of prep football, a stated championship.

“We expected our line to be good but it took plenty of work to get everyone ready for the season,” Williams said. “We knew Hudson (Begley) would be a good lineman because he started last year but the surprise is Jaxon (Deel) who was locked in a three-way battle for the center job. He worked hard to win that position and he’s not giving it up.”

And the sophomore Deel is also joined by another sophomore in tight end Adam Eaton.

“Our group is really a close-knit unit,” Williams said. “We love each other and we are all working toward a common goal and that’s to lead this offense to our goals.”

The unit is coached by Adam Castro who is the offensive line coach but also the offensive coordinator.

“Coach Castro is a great coach and a stickler for details,” Williams said. “He teaches us good footwork, which is critical, hand placement and communication. The offensive line must communicate so we can execute properly. We have a lot of combo blocks and we all have to make our calls to have everything work like it is supposed to work.”

Like many seniors, Williams is taking college courses to get prepared for the next level.

“All I am taking this semester are college courses,” he said. “I’m taking statistics, English Comp 2 and American Federal Government. I’ve always enjoyed numbers. My mom is an internal auditor and her mom was a math teacher, so it runs in the family.”

Dad Jared Williams is Lawton Fire Chief but when the Owls are playing at home on Fridays he’s the PA announcer. And, last Friday Chief Williams was leaving the stadium to take a crew of Lawton fire fighters to rural Comanche County to help get control of a wildfire that destroyed several structures in the Indiahoma area.

Young Jace started the recruiting process not serious about the Navy offer but that changed when he started interacting with the coaching staff.

“I wasn’t really interested at first but the more I talked with their coaches the more I liked them,” he said. “In the end I felt good about my decision.”

Williams will not let the reputation of offensive linemen go unnoticed as his favorite food is a big steak cooked medium rare by the Fire Chief. And the big guard is always willing to help mom mix up garlic mashed potatoes to complete the meal.

While he is now thinking of a career in the Marines, an option for Navy athletes, he also is thinking about coming back to Elgin to coach.

For now he and his teammates are focused on the long bus ride to Woodward Friday for the District 4A-1 opener.

“To be honest, I’m kinda excited about a long road trip,” he said. “We haven’t gone very far and this will be a different thing for us.”

The players will take along a submarine sandwich, chips, granola bar, Snickers bar and bottles of Gatorade for the long drive and they will stop at Thomas to stretch their legs at the Terriers’ field before finishing the drive.

“We have to get there and just execute and take care of business,” Jace said. “We don’t want to overlook any team regardless of their record.”

Williams was all business but we had to see how he’d respond when asked a simple question; being a single child are you spoiled?

“Some would say I’m spoiled,” Williams said with a huge grin. “The coaches kid me all the time but when they kid around with you, it just shows they love you and want you to be the best player you can be.”

One thing is certain, come kickoff time you can expect the Elgin offensive line to be focused and ready for anything that their offensive coordinator will demand of them.

“We are going to be ready to run any play from anywhere on the field,” Williams said. “We have confidence that we can always get the job done.”