Leonard Williams, a defensive lineman from Mainland High School and USC, is expected to be selected in the top five picks of the upcoming NFL draft. At 6'5" and 302 pounds, Williams has an ideal size and athleticism for the NFL. He overcame obstacles like being told he was too heavy to play youth football to become a star at Mainland and USC. On Thursday, Williams is poised to realize his dream of being drafted in the first round and becoming just the fourth local high school product to achieve that honor.

1. Associated Press file/RUSS HAMILTON JR.
Jimmie Johnson was baffled by his
qualifying effort Friday at Richmond.
Wire Reports
RICHMOND, Va. — Call them mystified.
Hendrick Motorsports teammates
Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne were
baffled by their performances during Fri-
day’s qualifying session for the NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series race that was scheduled
for Saturday night at Richmond Interna-
tional Raceway. The race was postponed
and rescheduled for 1 p.m. today.
Johnson fully expected a strong effort
during time trials. Instead, he was 28th
fastest in the first round of knockout qual-
ifying and is 36th overall.
“I’m really puzzled,” Johnson admitted
as he stood on pit road with a quizzical
look on his face. “We had such a great
practice session, in race and qualifying
trim. So, I’m just scratching my head right
SPRINT CUP
Johnson, Kahne seeking speed
SPORTS SECTION
C
NEWS-JOURNAL
SUNDAY, APRIL 26, 2015
RED HOT BAT
The Tortugas’ Phillip Ervin has
been on fire offensively to start
the FSL season. PAGE 4C
MY TWO
CENTS
KEN
WILLIS
A
s the boys of Cypress
Head’s Men’s Golf Associ-
ation paid their tabs and
sauntered out of the 19th hole
after their weekly Thursday
outing, they were exiting the
doorway for the final time until
November.
By and large, they’re OK with
it, for two reasons:
zzThere are other courses
nearby (three of them within a
five-minute drive, in fact) that’ll
be happy to extend tee times
and cold post-round mugs; and
zzWhen Cypress Head reopens
in six months, there should be
an obvious difference in the
course conditions.
Like a roof, a golf course’s
greens have about 15 good years
in them before you start worry-
ing. At least with a roof, you’ll
get a clear and damp message
change is needed. With a green,
it’s a casual regression that’s not
exactly noticeable to the casual
golfer.
“It’s like gaining weight,” said
Don Taylor, a retired cop from
Virginia and Cypress Head regu-
lar. “We play three times a week
or so, so the condition isn’t a big
‘all-of-a-sudden’ thing. It’s been
doing it for 10 years. Like I say,
it’s like gaining weight — all of
a sudden you’re fat and you say,
‘How in the hell did I get here?’ ”
Cypress Head is the latest of
several area courses to bite the
financial bullet and upgrade
its earth, which will include
a much needed rebuild of the
driving range, where drainage is
just a rumor.
Riviera, in Ormond Beach,
went to temporary greens and
stayed open last year as new
greens were planted, without a
total rebuild. Good move, since
Riviera is life’s fourth necessity
to its loyal and generational
membership.
Spruce Creek, a few years ago,
did it nine holes at a time, clos-
ing the under-construction nine.
“That’s not the best way to do
it,” Creek pro Mike Kelly now
says. “The best way is all at
once, like they’re doing at Cy-
press Head. That way you only
annoy the golfers one time, not
twice. Just get it over with.”
Port Orange’s Crane Lakes
closed for six months last year
for a total rebuild of greens
and most tees, along with some
tinkering with the routing. In
a senior community where the
golf course is the focal point of
social life, that was a hard sell.
“Six months can be a long time
when you’re up there in age,”
said Rod Perry, Crane Lakes’
pro. “But most of our people,
when they saw the finished prod-
uct, they were glad we did it.”
At a privately owned course,
the cost of such an undertaking
can be kept secret if desired.
But Cypress Head is owned by
the city of Port Orange, and city
government laws allow us to
learn this project will cost about
$750,000.
On paper, that cost never will
be recovered. In fact, few if any
municipal courses are money
makers when you look solely
at their books. In the case of
a course like Cypress Head,
however, which has several sur-
rounding neighborhoods along
with its specific subdivision,
you have to consider how many
property-tax contributors are
contributing in that particular
city because they could move so
close to a playable and afford-
able golf course.
People such as another retired
The price
of doing
business
By CHRIS BOYLE
chris.boyle@news-jrnl.com
L
eonard Williams could become
the biggest football star this area
has produced. With an emphasis
on big.
The defensive lineman from Main-
land High School and the University
of Southern California stands 6-foot-
5 and pushes
the scales to 302
pounds.
His rare mix of
size and speed so-
lidified him as the
big man on campus
on both coasts.
On Thursday,
Williams will
fulfill his biggest
dream — hearing
his name called in
the first round of
the NFL draft in
Chicago.
A likely top-five
selection, he would
become just the fourth Volusia-Flagler
high school product to become a first-
round pick — joining Seabreeze’s Se-
bastian Janikowski (2000), DeLand’s
Tra Thomas (1998) and New Smyrna
Beach’s Wes Chandler (1978).
According to Pro-Football-
Reference.com, just 25 athletes from
the area’s 16 prep football programs
have been drafted since 1936.
Williams’ road to the draft hasn’t
been free of obstacles. He’s navigated
his way around occasional detours
and potholes to reach a destination
enjoyed by few.
“I feel like I’ve put in the time
and the effort into the thing I have
a passion for, and that’s football,”
Williams said in a phone interview
earlier this week. “Each step that
it takes to get to the next level, I’m
willing to do it.”
SIZE IS AN ASSET
Williams, who turns 21 in June, was
born in Bakersfield, California, but
spent most of his childhood in Florida.
He is the third of Aviva Russek’s five
children — Nathan Jones (26 years
old), Natasha Russek (22), Alexander
Williams (19) and Andrew Williams (9).
Williams remembers leaving Cali-
fornia around the age of 5. His family
also made stops in Michigan and
Arizona before arriving in Daytona
Beach.
As a kid, being large was a detri-
ment. Williams weighed 220 pounds
by the time he was 12 and was told
he was too heavy to play Pop Warner
football. He cried after hearing the
NFL DRAFT I THURSDAY-SATURDAY (ESPN, NFL NETWORK)
At Mainland High and Southern Cal, Leonard Williams was the Big
Man on Campus. On Thursday night in Chicago, very early in the NFL
draft, some team will make him an anchor for its defensive line.
LIVIN’ LARGE
Associated Press file/MARK J. TERRILL
Leonard Williams likely will become the fourth player from an area high school to be selected in the first round of
the NFL draft. The others are Seabreeze’s Sebastian Janikowski, DeLand’s Tra Thomas and NSB’s Wes Chandler.
The Williams File
Height: 6-5
Weight: 302 pounds
Arm Length: 34 5/8 inches
Hands: 10 5/8 inches
40 Time: 4.97 seconds
Broad Jump: 8 feet, 10 inches
Strengths: Ideal length, athleti-
cism, frame and power. Explosive
off the snap. Versatile lineman,
should easily fit into any scheme.
Weaknesses: Still a bit raw, admits
to fine-tuning technique. Needs to
transition better from run defender
to pass rusher.
Outlook: Williams is a likely top-
five pick and has been compared
to Richard Seymour.
Inside
NFL Draft
picks from
Volusia,
Flagler high
schools.
PAGE 6C
Where the
experts have
Leonard
landing.
PAGE 6C
SEE WILLIAMS, PAGE 6C
Up Next
What: Toyota Owners 400
When: 1 p.m. today
Where: Richmond (Virginia) International
Raceway TV/Radio: Fox/1150 AM
Inside
Motorsports roundup, lineups, PAGES
4-5C
SEE BUSINESS, PAGE 5C SEE SPEED, PAGE 4C
0002128943
Our Customers
Come First!
See our ad on the back cover of Classified.GaryYeomansFord.com • 888-928-0806