Football practice had already started by the time Damien Williams showed up at Mira Mesa’s field back in 2008.
New to the San Diego high school, Williams wanted to join the team.
It only took a glance at the 5-foot-11, 210-pound junior for the coaches to know they wanted him on the field.
The only problem?
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They wanted him to play linebacker. He wanted to be a running back.
“We knew that we needed to get him on the field because he was a dominant player but at the time, at his size,” said Chris Thompson, then an assistant at Mira Mesa.