Williams goes out on top

There were so many moments to choose from when Reed Williams thought about his greatest during his stellar senior season with the Corona del Mar High boys' soccer team.

Most would think he would select as his favorite being named the Gatorade California Player of the Year.

However, as trite as it may sound, Williams isn't so much about awards, or even fame. For all his flashy skills on the pitch, he's more of a down-to-earth young man who loves the game.

It's no wonder Williams chose a moment with his teammates as his favorite of the season, and of 2010.

This past year no one seemed to grab more headlines than Williams, the 6-foot-2 speedy forward who was a scoring machine for the heralded Sea Kings.

Williams, who recorded 32 goals and 12 assists and led CdM to unprecedented heights, is the 2010 Daily Pilot Sports Newsmaker of the Year.

Part of that reason came from his greatest moment of the season. The Sea Kings beat JSerra, 3-2, March 11. It was in the CIF Southern California Regional Division II semifinals. But for Williams it meant so much more.

The victory essentially made CdM the best team in Orange County. Before the game, several players from JSerra used Facebook to deliver trash talk to the Sea Kings.

A champion (CdM) from CIF Southern Section Division IV could not handle the Division I kingpin (JSerra), the Lions spewed.

Williams wanted the Sea Kings to silence them.

"I hate JSerra," said Williams, now a freshman at UCLA. "That was a fun team to beat. Those guys didn't think kids from Newport Beach could beat them. We had a very good team."

Williams was also out to prove he was the best player on the field. JSerra junior Juan Gutierrez was named Orange County Player of the Year by a newspaper and Williams took that as a sleight.

"I wanted to prove myself," Williams said after scoring two goals in the victory.

Williams also said he enjoyed helping the CdM boys' soccer team win its first CIF Southern Section Division IV title.

"We had tons of fans there," he said. "Everyone ran out on the field after we won. It was very cool to be a part of."

After CdM took down JSerra, the Sea Kings beat Santa Barbara for the CIF Southern California Regional Division II championship. CdM (27-1-1) finished as the No. 2-ranked team in the nation, by ESPN RISE.

Williams scored the game's only goal in CdM's 1-0 win over Santa Barbara. He finished his varsity career with 69 goals and 27 assists.