Langley and Williams helping to power St. Joseph in dominant spring season

Apr. 14—If the Knights would be playing, Darien Langley and Tyler Williams would be playing.

They both knew that. The only question was whether they'd actually get to suit up for their high school football team one last time.

When high school football got the greenlight to return last month amid the coronavirus pandemic, Langley and Williams were there front and center to lead the Knights through a unique five-game spring season.

As St. Joseph got off to a 4-0 start, Langley and Williams have been two of their key players, with Langley helping to lead the rushing attack and Williams powering a defense that has allowed 20 points in four games.

The thing that makes Langley's and Williams' participation in this odd season noteworthy is that they both have their college football plans set. Langley signed with UC Davis and Williams will play on scholarship at UTEP.

Some high school players have opted out of the season to play other sports. Some have already enrolled in college, while others have opted to sit out the season to avoid any chance of a career-altering injury.

Langley and Williams, meanwhile, have poured just about all they've got into this season, even though they'll have a short turnaround to embark on the first college seasons starting in the summer.

Langley, a 5-foot-9, 170-pound speedster, has scored multiple touchdowns in three of the four games this spring, being deployed as an every-down running back by coach Pepe Villaseñor. Instead of taking it easy, Langley's workload has actually increased.

William, meanwhile, continues to be the area's premier defensive back who also doubles as a tough-to-cover wideout in the St. Joseph offense.

Both expect to start, play and star in their final high school game Friday night against rival Righetti.

"I've been playing with these guys since second grade so I wanted to finish my high school career with them," Langley said after the 38-0 win over Templeton on Friday. "They've been there for me all the time, so I would want to play for them. The UC Davis coaches encouraged me to play, so that helped me even more."

Williams says playing amid a pandemic after a year-long layoff wasn't a difficult choice, even with an FBS scholarship in hand.

"I definitely know that Darien is a great leader on this team and I like to think of myself as a great leader as well. We're trying to build something special here and I feel like if I were to sit out, it wouldn't sit right with me," Williams said. "I definitely want to be a leader on this team and lay the foundation for the upcoming classes."

Other members of the team appreciate the commitment.

"It just shows the brotherhood that we've got and the family St. Joe's provides," said Max Stineman, a senior offensive lineman. "These guys got DI offers and they're still playing with us, balling week in and week out."

St. Joseph has been dominant this spring, winning its four games by a combined 168-20. Williams says he's not surprised his team is undefeated, though he didn't think the Knights would be outscoring opponents by nearly 40 points a game. Williams says the entire team has shown the same amount of dedication he, Langley and the other seniors have.

"Not by this margin, but I definitely expected us to go and win games and perform as well as we're performing," Williams said "We definitely worked in the offseason, even when we couldn't have practices. There were guys asking me to send them drills. Some of the younger DBs, some of the younger receivers were asking for tips and we'd have film sessions where some of the players would host a Zoom meeting and we'd go and watch film.

"We've definitely all been motivated and we never gave up hope."

Langley says he's happy to play his final game against rival Righetti.

"I know 'em pretty well. It's a big game, but it's just a normal game for us," he said. "I'm going to cherish the moment and do what I can to help the team."

St. Joseph (4-0) and Righetti (2-0) are both undefeated heading into the contest, which will almost surely be St. Joseph's last, though some teams are opting to add games to the season, which ends May 1.

Righetti should have two more games after Friday's game, both on the road, against Arroyo Grande and Templeton.