Lee Williams Strives for Academic and Athletic Success

Williams has had a season 1,660 yards rushing with 30 touchdowns. He is definitely the man at Union Pines.

"He is the franchise," coach Jim Hicks said. "We look to give him the football 30 times a game. He has also scored five times through the pass. He does so many things. People gang up on him every week."

"I want the ball," Williams said. "I figure big players step up and make good plays when it's crunch time. I want to be a big player, so I figure that I've got to step up when the game is on the line."

Williams is an amazing student athlete. He has lettered in football, basketball, track and golf. He carries a 3.4 grade point average in the classroom, and is a member of the National Honor Society.

Both of his parents are educators, and Williams says his mom always told him, 'bad grades, no sports.'

"If I don't do well in the classroom, then there are no sports," Williams said. "She wants me to get an education. She wants me to get an academic scholarship as well as an athletic scholarship."

"Lee Williams is such a joy in the classroom because he brings that competitive spirit into the academic arena," teacher Karen Griffin said. "He wants to be first. He wants to win. He always gives the extra effort and goes the additional mile. He always wants to do extra credit and extra reports because he wants to be on top."

"I want to try to do more than anybody else," Williams said. "I want to stand out in a crowd. I just want to be an over-achiever."

Senior Lee Williams of Union Pines High School is this week's winner of the Extra Effort Award.