Lemoore athlete, playing for Immanuel High School, signs football letter-of-intent to attend UC Davis in the fall

By Ed Martin, Editor
Immanuel High School standout football player Winston Williams (center), flanked by friends and family, signs a letter-of-intent to attend UC Davis to play football.
Immanuel High School standout football player Winston Williams (center), flanked by friends and family, signs a letter-of-intent to attend UC Davis to play football.
Photo Contributed

One of the San Joaquin Valley’s top football recruits, who currently resides in Lemoore, signed a letter-of-intent last week to play football at UC Davis even though he hasn’t played his senior year yet – due to the pandemic. And it’s quite up in the air whether he and his teammates will even play football this year.

Williams, who attends Reedley’s Immanuel High School and is currently in his senior year where, in addition to his considerable athletic skills, is also a standout student. He is one of Immanuel’s best football players, and when he’s not on the gridiron, he also plays a mean game of high school basketball, averaging 22.8 points and 12 rebounds a game last season for the Eagles.

His decision to attend Davis comes on the cusp of visits and offers from various colleges wanting the talented tight end on their rosters. Several schools, including Cal Poly, Fresno State, Sacramento State, New Mexico, Wyoming, and West Point, have also shown considerable interest in the 6-foot-4 and 220-pound Williams, who also plays linebacker on the defensive side of the line.

The formidable Williams is the eldest son of Guadalupe Capozzi, a Kings County parole agent supervisor, his mother, and dad Winston Williams.

Why UC Davis?

“I had a special relationship with them (Davis),” said the friendly and confident athlete. “It was also the only school that I visited on my own time. And other than the football aspect of it … after all my offers other than probably West Point, I think it offered the best education.”

He fully expects to join the team as a tight end or possibly a defensive end, both positions with which he is familiar. He’ll play for UC Davis Coach Dan Hawkins, who guided last year’s Aggies to a 5-7 overall mark, recording victories over San Diego, Lehigh, Cal Poly, Southern Utah, and Portland State.

The friendly Immanuel athlete began playing football at five or six years old, he recalled. “I always liked the team aspect of it (football)( the most,” he recalled. “I liked being able to go and do something tough, but you’re doing it with a group of guys.”

Does he think that during this COVID-19 year that Immanuel will field a football team?

“I don’t know. It’s up in the air,” he concluded. He added that even his other beloved sport, basketball, remains undetermined.

He’s played varsity football throughout his high school career, even getting pulled up to varsity during his freshman year.

The Eagles were 9-3 last year as a high school football independent. Immanuel lost in the second round of the CIF playoffs to Caruthers High School.

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