STARKVILLE — The Northwest Rankin High School football team had to get creative.
On third-and-12 on their third play of the game, the Cougars chose to roll quarterback Jamari Jones to his right, hoping to create a seam.
As Jones rolled and saw the deep coverage was too good, he was left with one underneath option. Starkville High defensive back Zitavious Williams was in the passing lane and batted the ball down to force a punt.
“If you ain’t doing your job, you ain’t doing the right job,” Williams said. “In my position, I have to make sure I’m doing the right job. In my position, you have to use your head, use your eyes.”
Plays like that one are what the Starkville coaches most appreciate about their senior nickel defender. Williams doesn’t have to flash feats of athleticism to make his impact. He does so by being where he needs to be when the defense needs him there. Starkville (5-1, 1-1 district) will need more of the same at 7 p.m. Friday when it plays host to Greenville (1-5, 0-2) in a Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A, Region 2 game.
“He’s always doing the right thing,” Starkville defensive coordinator Kevie Thompson said.
Playing what Starkville calls the Star position isn’t easy. But Williams’ ability to be where he is supposed to be and to break things down have helped make it work. In base defense, Williams is at nickel, but Thompson isn’t afraid to move him to different positions in other packages. Williams attributes his versatility to the practice habits installed by Thompson and the way the Yellow Jackets move within the scheme to create opportunities. Starkville also uses Williams in different ways on the kickoff team.
Thompson said Williams’ athleticism allows him to flourish.
“A lot of times we like to put him in a position to make plays,” Thompson said. “We can set the Star on the left or the right and he’s dominant at blitzing. He’s very smart, and that helps us a lot. I’ll move him to the left side and the right side like you would Charles Woodson back in the day.
“He can be a run fitter if we need him to play the B gap in the run game. We can put him on the hash and blitz down the middle, whatever we need him to do. His mind-set, his athleticism allows him to do that.”
Williams has 19 tackles, one sack, three pass breakups, and a forced fumble.
“The way our team is — fly fast, sting hard — we have pursuit to every ball drill, pursuit to every play. It’s what we practice on,” Williams said.
Said Thompson, “A lot of kids that play DB, they don’t like to be physical, but one thing about him is he’s very committed to the game. He’s very physical, and he’s one of those kids you love on the field because he makes the team better with his aggressive mind-set.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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