Typically, my writing does not cover high school students or sports. High school is tough to cover. I used to do it part time. On one hand, you have to tell the truth of what happened. On the other hand, you don’t want to make anyone sound like they are at fault for losses because you are dealing with high school kids. It is a very faint line.
I am going to break that rule here and talk about a kid who is having one of the best seasons in Louisiana High School Football history. Not that he isn’t getting the recognition he deserves, but one more ray of sunshine blown up his ass won’t hurt.
There is no such thing as hype when it comes to Hahnville football mega star Pooka Williams. Hype only exists when there is something left to prove. This kid is ALL real. Williams plays running back for the Tigers, but he can do so much more than tote the rock. 
Unfortunately high school stats are quite a pain to find. Here is what I found…
Pooka has rushed for nearly 3,000 yards on the season and I believe he had 700 or so receiving yards with 41 touchdowns. In the four playoff games alone, he has over 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns. Numbers aside, in the semifinals against Acadiana, he brought his team back thanks to a kick return touchdown and scored the game winning 2-point conversion to avoid OT. Something about this kid just screams special.
Prior to the playoffs, he wasn’t getting full workloads. I worked with one of HHS’s coaches and each week he was telling me about Pooka. He would tell me his stats and they would always be something like 9 carries for 180 yards and multiple touchdowns. He would show me his highlights and the kid is just magic when he touches the ball.
It also seemed like every week I would hear that he had a touchdown or two called back. In one of the playoff games alone where he rushed for over 300 yards, he had two runs which totaled about 170 yards and two touchdowns called back.
Come playoff time, I thought it was funny when I had another high school coach write down Pooka’s stats from game one of the playoffs, 300 yards of Hahnville’s 370. He said there was no way he could keep that up. The guy was just drinking the haterade. I told him the kid hasn’t had a full workload all year. Here he is four games later and Hahnville is set to compete for the state championship. 
This kid is as real as it gets and I hope Hahnville can bring another title home to put the final stamp on what has been an incredible run.
Considering I went to rival school, Destrehan, I am not supposed to be cheering for them. But the sports fan in me is just too much of a fan of this kid. I think it is an absolute travesty that Pooka is only a 3-star recruit. What he has been for the Tigers this year is nothing short of spectacular.
He has verbally committed to Kansas, but I am sure that after his historic run, more teams will be knocking at the door.
No matter where this kid ends up, I wish him the best. I hope he stays humble and doesn’t buy into his own hype. That is a recipe for disaster. I have seen too many college athletes with potential throw it away because they think they are better than they are.
This kid is damn good, but remember, so is every kid once you get to college. These are all the best players in their respective states and schools. Stay level headed and work hard.
Stay strong. Stay humble. Go Tigers. Knock them dead at state.
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