When it came to dedication and determination in their respective sports, no two students at Palisades Charter High displayed those qualities more this year than Kenny Jones and Marissa Williams.
Recipients of the Palisadian-Post Cup Awards as the school’s outstanding senior athletes in 2014-15, Jones and Williams both began 12th grade with specific goals and by the time graduation rolled around, each succeeded in achieving them.
Jones’ journey began in the fall as a 6-foot-1, 280-pound defensive lineman on the varsity football team, which tied for second place in the Western League and made the City Section Division I playoffs for the second straight season.
A pivotal member of Palisades’ defensive front four, Jones played in all 11 games, finishing with 34 solo and 33 assisted tackles (his total of 67 was fifth-best on the team), three sacks and a forced fumble. He was a second-team All-League selection and demonstrated valuable leadership in the locker room, during practices and in the huddles on game day. He was presented a game ball by his coaches several times and is eager to continue his career at Santa Monica College in the fall.
His story, however, didn’t end there. Jones had unfinished business to take care of on the wrestling mat, where he lost to Birmingham’s David Hernandez by two points in the City finals as a junior – a defeat that haunted him all summer long. He vowed to avenge that defeat and made the most of his second chance in February, building a 5-0 lead in the first two periods before pinning Hernandez with 10 seconds left in the match to win the heavyweight division and vault the Dolphins into second place – the highest finish in the program’s four-year history.
Jones, who led the team in pins, joined two teammates as the Dolphins’ first state qualifiers and dedicated the season to head coach Randy Aguirre, who died of brain cancer in January.
“The [City] final was really intense but I owed that guy one from last year,” Jones said after his title-winning effort. “All the work we did in the [wrestling] room paid off. I owe it all to Coach Randy and this was for him.”
After placing third at City finals his sophomore year and second as a junior, first-place became an obsession for Jones. He perfected his technique in practice, adding new moves to his repertoire. The cat-like quickness and agility he used to rush opposing quarterbacks also served him well in the circle, but determination is what separated Jones from his peers.
Jones gave a glimpse of what was to come at the Canyon Springs Tournament in Moreno Valley, pinning top-seeded David Eubanks of Lake Elsinore Temescal Canyon in the second period to take first place in the heavyweight division.
“The first period is technique, the second is conditioning and the third is heart,” Aguirre said at the start of the season. “Kenny is our best third-period wrestler.”
Meanwhile, the pressure Williams was under entering her last prep campaign was immense because of the expectations to not merely win, but make history doing it.
In order to cement her legacy as the City’s best female distance runner ever, Williams’ first challenge came on the dusty switchbacks at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, where she sought to win her third straight section cross country title – and break her own course record in the process.
Williams led the 2.9-mile race from start to finish, setting a new City standard in 16:33.11, four seconds better than her previous-best clocking at Pierce and 15 seconds faster than she ran as a sophomore when she established the prior finals mark. Just as important to her, taking first place helped the Dolphins repeat as team champions.
Seven days later, Williams finished runner-up at the state meet for the second straight year in a personal-best 17:02 on the 5K course at Woodward Park in Fresno.
A stellar student, Williams signed her letter of intent with California in November and will join a talented program in the Bay Area. Perhaps no one is prouder of her accomplishments than Palisades coach Bob Macias, who describes her as “one in a million.”
Williams showed why in the spring, starting the track season with state-leading times in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters at the Redondo Nike Invitational and capping it with personal-best performances in the City finals at Cerritos College, where she became the first in section annals to win both events four times.
The only thing missing from Williams’ impressive resume was a medal at the state track championships in Clovis, but she crossed that off the list in resounding fashion earlier this month, placing second in the 1,600 in 4:39.88 (the second-fastest time in the country this year) and third in the 3,200 in 10:20.35 – both huge PRs.
“All I wanted to do was medal so I’m happy,” she said after writing the final chapter of a fairy tale in which she collected 16 City crowns (12 individual titles and four team titles). “This is like the exclamation point at the end of the sentence.”
Despite how routine she frequently made it look, however, her extraordinary success was the product of tireless dedication, countless workouts at Stadium by the Sea and a quiet determination to be the best – attributes that will lead to bright futures for Williams and her fellow Post Cup winner.
The winners were announced at Pali High’s Senior Awards luncheon on June 3 in Mercer Hall. The Palisadian-Post Cup Award has been presented to Pali High’s top senior athletes since the school opened in 1961.
— Steve Galluzzo
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