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Lemoore's Winston Williams helps lead Immanuel High basketball team team to state title game
Sophomore starter, Winston Williams, at 6-4, 230 pounds, certainly derives from strong athletic stock. Mom Lupe Capozzi was a talented high school athlete who played basketball, softball, volleyball, and track. Dad, Winston Wayne Williams, was a talented football player who played major college football.
The young Williams more than pulls his weight on a team that has compiled an impressive 26-8 overall record, a 10-2 mark in the Central Sequoia League, and in just the past two weeks, claimed a Division III Central Section championship.
Williams and his teammates are looking to add a state title to the Eagles’ impressive resume, and they hope to do just that Saturday afternoon in the California State Division IV title game in Sacramento.
Williams has certainly been impressive in Immanuel’s season-long quest for championship nirvana. He’s averaging 14.5 points a game and pulling down nearly 11 rebounds per contest. And when he’s not pounding the court and helping to lead his team to championships, he's hitting the football field as a running back and defensive end. “I played running back last year and defensive end. I’m really better at football, but basketball is my favorite sport.”
And his coaches agree. It’s not every high school, with a student enrollment of less than 400, that makes it to the Division IV state title game.
Immanuel High School, a small private school in Reedley, with limited student enrollment, has marched defiantly through a bruising schedule that has spoiled the title dreams of many talented teams, including Lemoore High School. The Tigers lost to San Luis Obispo in the Central Section Division II semifinal game, and they were invited to participate in the Division IV state tournament. Lemoore dropped its opener, a 76-71 loss to Independence High School.
Had the Tigers fared a bit better, they could have been Immanuel’s opponent in Saturday’s state championship game.
Instead, the Eagles rolled through a litany of opponents to win the Central Section title in a surprisingly easy 70-39 win over Dinuba in the finale.
In the state tournament, Immanuel opened with a 67-57 victory over Leigh High before edging Brookside Christian 74-69 in the second round. Mission High School nearly broke the Eagles’ hearts in the third round before Immanuel prevailed in two overtime periods 88-86.
On March 5, Immanuel earned a spot in the state title game with a 60-48 victory over Wood High School. The Eagles will play Ribet Academy (26-3) at noon Saturday in Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center.
Williams mother, Lupe Capozzi, is a Kings County parole agent supervisor who with her son and 18-year-old daughter Mikayla, live in a quiet, friendly neighborhood in Lemoore. While mom and Winston were charmed by the high school when they visited during an open house, it didn’t hurt that Winston’s uncle, Joe Vasquez, was one of the school’s assistant basketball coaches. Never-the-less Winston virtually fell in love with the school and enrolled. Sometimes getting to school isn’t always easy. He sometimes catches a bus, or he may find a ride with friends. Mom often picks him up after football or basketball practice.
“It’s a real community feeling,” said the young Winston of Immanuel High School. “Everybody knows everybody. I love all of it. And the alumni and the parents are really involved. They treat you really well.”
Williams mom agrees. “It’s an amazing place. I can honestly tell you he loves school.”
Does Immanuel have a shot at the state title on Saturday? “I say we have a pretty good chance to win. We’re peaking now, and I think we can pull out a win. Everybody believes in us," said a confident Williams.
It is a young team that got Immanuel to the state championship game. Three sophomores, including Williams, start for the Eagles, and if he doesn’t get into foul trouble, he can be expected to play much of the game. “We try to pound it inside and get our points there. Anytime we can get in transition; we’ll run and try to score. I think we have a real balanced approach,” said the talented sophomore.
