KILGORE, Texas — The formal definition of talent is having a natural aptitude or skill. Many athletes are considered talented and some say they were "born with it." Kilgore's star quarterback Derrick Williams knows his skill on the field but doesn't rely solely on it.
"Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard," Williams said.
He added "putting in the hard work and dedication is always going to overwhelm the talent. You can't always depend on your talent, you have to work hard for what you want to do."
Practicing by this motto has led Williams to score four touchdowns, complete 11 of 18 passes for 241 yards to help his team secure the win over Chapel Hill last Friday.
Kilgore's Head Coach Clint Fuller described Williams as a leader who is resilient and hardworking. It was no easy task taking down the sixth ranked Chapel Hill Bulldogs when they have various play makers like Demetrius Brisbon, Rickey Stewart and many others. Therefore, a different form of developments had to go into this game.
"Prepare, prepare, prepare. We knew we had to have a great week of practice and also reinforce that they needed to take time outside of our practice and meeting time to watch film on their own," Fuller said. "They did an incredible job of getting themselves ready."
Williams feels a sense of pride in his pre-game preparations and ability to understand the task at hand.
"I had to watch a bunch of film, I know that they’re a really good team and they have a bunch of athletes sideline to sideline players they’re really fast," Williams said. "I had a good week of preparation, I had to watch a lot of film and just came out and did what I was supposed to do."
Although Williams stood out amongst the rest, he didn't fail to give his teammates credit also.
"I have a lot of players, my running back, my receivers, JT Towns, PJ Wiley, Jalen Stoker and Jaden Sanders," Williams said "They're all going to make plays for me, they make my highlights."