Lee Williams making its name on football field in playoff run
It’s only been around for nine years. But its Kingman roots trace back to 1973 when Lee Williams, the principal at the high school and a volunteer firefighter, died in the line of duty.
He and 10 other firefighters died July 5, 1973, when an inflamed Doxol propane tanker exploded.
Almost 40 years later, Lee Williams High School was born. And, fittingly, they were called the Volunteers.
Now, their name is being heard across the state after winning its first football playoff game, beating Apache Junction 55-32 as an 11 seed in the first round of the 4A tournament.
They have won the most games in school history with eight. And they travel to take on two-time defending champion Gilbert Mesquite on Friday in the quarterfinals.
“I am extremely proud of our team for what we’ve been able to accomplish up to this point in the season,” coach Patrick O’Boyle said. “We are excited to take on a team like Mesquite in the next round and we understand that they will be a very tough team to play. They are very disciplined and very well coached on all sides
of the ball.”
After going 4-3 during the COVID 2020 season, ending with a win over Bullhead City Mohave, O’Boyle appealed to the players’ pride to come back stronger and have the best season in school history.
“We told the boys, ‘If you want to take the next step as a program, then we have to do more,’ “O’Boyle said. “That really resonated with the kids in the offseason through workouts.
“Then the season started and we got off to a relatively slow start.”
The Vols opened with an 18-13 loss to
Phoenix Northwest Christian. They won their next two over Lake Havasu and Phoenix North Canyon, before losing by a point to Prescott.
“We had a group of seniors and leaders who decided that enough was enough and we needed to start playing to their potential,” O’Boyle said. “We then started playing differently and with more attention to detail and energy focused in the right direction.
“We have a great group of kids that are really tight knit. They are all best friends and would do anything for anyone on the team. We are a player-led team as far as leadership goes and the standards being upheld in our program. Those things are what have allowed us to take the next steps as a program and why we have had the successes that we have had this year.”
One of those leaders is Devean Santos, who has passed for 1,661 yards and 19 touchdowns and rushed for 1,031 yards and 18 scores. He has accounted for 37 touchdowns, helped by offensive linemen Nick Kennedy, Henry Ogata, Aaron Caraveo, Caleb Farris, Jarred Cardiff, Peyton Cundari, and Drayden Allen.
“They have really taken on the mentality that if they play well, the other people have a chance to do what they are best at,” O’Boyle said. “We would be nowhere without the play of our offensive line this season. Those guys have done a tremendous job.”
They’ve opened holes for RBs Jimmy Berry and Kruz Yocum. The receivers have been great with Troy Edwards, Thomas Doxtader, Reilly Feil tough to defend.
Defensively, the Vols are led by Payton Wayman and Brayden Petersen, who both have more than 100 tackles.
The back end of the defense is led by Devin White, Doxtader, Feil and Andrew Towning. Justin Wright has been a weapon punting and kicking.