The Details: Sometimes A Moment Catches You By Surprise
By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
It started as an ordinary interview. Kasen Williams talking about what it was like to go through his final practices as he prepared for his last game at Washington.
After explaining why he was tired of looking at his senior year of a series of “lasts,” the receiver turned toward the locker room. Then he stopped. He asked a question: “This isn’t the last time we’ll talk, is it?”
Sometimes a moment catches you by surprise.
I wasn’t prepared for the question. All of a sudden, Williams wasn’t just an athlete. This wasn’t a typical post-practice interview. With one question I realized our paths had run parallel for the past six years.
So, when posed with a question about the finality of a conversation that has spanned half a decade, my response was simple: “Of course this isn’t the end.”
As I made my way back to the team hotel, I thought back to one of my first days as the high school sports coordinator at The Seattle Times. It was 2009, a few weeks before the start of the football season.
I knew Skyline and Bellevue were prep powerhouses in the region, so I wanted to introduce myself. On a sunny fall afternoon, I drove out to Sammamish for a fall scrimmage.
Rhonda and Aaron Williams – Williams’ parents – were the first people I met. We talked for most of the scrimmage and then throughout the season.
When Skyline won the Class 4A championship, I was on the sideline as Williams finished the game with eight catches for 89 yards and three touchdowns.
Then before his senior year, I sat in his living room with his parents and a pile of mail from some of the most prominent programs in the country. He was days away from announcing where he would play college football. He let me in on the secret.
He revealed his decision to the public at Skyline in front of about 1,000 teammates, friends and members of his family. He got creative, asking his father to unzip a jacket and reveal the jersey Aaron wore at Washington. He passed it on to his son.
Williams followed in family footsteps.
Later that season, the Spartans knocked off Bellevue at Memorial Stadium. When I tracked down Williams in the postgame celebration, he lifted me in the air, while I vehemently protested.
Spend enough time (years) around an athlete and professional lines blur. In that moment, I wasn’t a reporter.
Then there were the tough times. When Skyline lost in the state championship game in 2010, we talked as tears welled in his eyes. I was also on the sideline in 2013 when Williams landed awkwardly after leaping for a pass against Cal. I watched as he pulled himself to the sideline. He held up his hands to form a “W” as he was carted off the field with a season-ending foot injury.
Six years ago I arrived at Skyline to catch a glimpse of one of the state’s most highly touted prospects. What started with an interview has grown into a friendship.
But, as meaningful as anything that happened on a football field, the day-to-day conversations were always entertaining. Before walking through a revolving door at the J.W. Marriott in Chicago last season, we joked about the prospect of walking through the city to a public park for a walkthrough. There was also the time we sat down to talk about Williams’ lengthy recovery from his season-ending injury.
All of that led to a high school practice field in Arizona days before the Cactus Bowl. Williams asked if we would do one more interview after the game if he played well.
He did, making catches five passes for 73 yards. It was a throwback performance. Back at the hotel, I caught up with Williams in the lobby. We talked about the game and how he had finally regained his fitness and feel for the game. His college career is over, but he believes there is plenty of football in front of him.
As he turns his attention to the NFL, we talked about where he has been and where he is headed.
Six years ago I arrived at Skyline to catch a glimpse of one of the state’s most highly touted prospects. What started with an interview has grown into a friendship.
The conversation continues.
Here are previous articles on Kasen WIlliams, written by Mason Kelley:
- Skyline's Jake Heaps, Kasen Williams Share State's Top Honor
- Big Shoes Fit Skyline's Kasen Williams
- Kasen Williams Commits to Washington
- Finding His Silver Lining
- No 'Lasts,' Only Moments For Senior Receivers
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