Delaware Valley Charter QB overcomes obstacle

The last thing Sean Williams wants to hear is people calling his disability a handicap.

Come to think of it, you can be his friend for life if even "disability" never comes close to passing through your lips.

"I can do everything everybody else can," Williams said. "I'm fine. I'm confident. I walk with a stroll."

Especially now.

Williams, a 6-foot, 175-pound senior, is the first-year quarterback starter for Delaware Valley Charter High, and his first three games have produced lots of praise.

Certainly because of the statistics - 12-for-20, 444 yards, eight touchdowns - but more so because of the wherewithal Williams has shown while continuing to ignore a physical circumstance that sets him apart.

Williams was born with a deformed left hand. It's slightly bigger than his right hand - it appears swollen, as if maybe it got caught in a slammed car door - and there's limited mobility in the four fingers aside from the thumb, but especially in the index and pinkie.

Williams throws righthanded, so the left hand is not an issue when he's firing to assorted receivers. But there are snaps to take and handoffs to make and balls to control when large defenders occasionally slip through the line to deliver powerful blows, so...

"I'll admit it," coach Barry Thomas said. "When Sean joined us last year, I was reluctant. My first thought was, 'How's a kid with a claw hand gonna play quarterback?'

"His father [Sean Sr.] sold me. He said not to worry. Sean could do it. I trusted his dad. He was right."

In 2008, serving as the backup to then-senior Jibri Monk in what was Del-Val's first Public League season, Williams passed 6-for-17 for 140 yards and two TDs. Thomas, who has since handed off the offensive coordinator duties to Sean Groce, worked with Williams on a daily basis.

"My biggest concern was the ballhandling," Thomas said. "Especially on counters, where you have to quickly switch the ball from one hand to other. I was kind of hesitant on plays where that left hand would be necessary.

"I think he was a little self-conscious. Maybe worried how the other kids would accept him. That went fine. Now? His ballhandling is off the charts. How polished he is, that's what separates him from other high school quarterbacks."

Williams said he always maintained a positive mindset, at least where sports were concerned, "because I grew up in a house where no excuses are allowed."

He added: "I did feel overlooked sometimes. That just made me practice harder than the next man. I always pushed myself. To prove myself...I had to learn how to grab the ball, to make sure I could hold on to it. I hold it a little bit toward the end."

Social situations were a shade more difficult.

"Sean never verbalized that he thought of himself as having a handicap," his father said. "But I guess we could see that he thought that way. He always kept his hand in his pocket, like he didn't want his peers to see it."

Said son with a smile, "I keep both hands in my pocket. That's how I walk around. Just a habit I've always had."

How was his childhood?

"I guess it was always a scary thing, knowing when kids were going to see my hand for the first time," he said. "As I've gotten older, I've gotten used to it. I've accepted it."

Sean's father said a big moment, sportswise, occurred 4 years ago when his son whipped 28 TD passes for the Ivy Hill Saints' 105-pound squad. What followed was a year as a backup with Cardinal Dougherty's freshman team and another similar role with the JV at Cross Creek High in Georgia.

"He went down there to live with his grandparents," Sean Sr. said. "We thought it might be better. I always told him to come on back if he got homesick, and he did."

D-V, located on Old York Road a shade below Olney Avenue, practices in Stenton Park at 16th and Wyoming. Yesterday's workout was crisp and Williams showed a commanding presence in the huddle.

Anytime one of the coaches hit the pause button to dispense advice, Williams was attentive. He then showed right away that he got it.

"We're still working on his overt leadership," Thomas said, smiling. "He's not as vocal as I want him to be. He is a captain, though, and he has the other guys' respect."

The Warriors are 2-1, with gigantic wins over Martin Luther King (58-0) and Springfield Montco (52-14) and a 27-20, double-OT loss to Episcopal Academy.

In the Springfield game, all five of Williams' completions (in nine attempts) went for TDs. So far, Brad Wilson (three TDs) and running back Rashaan Walker (two) have been the most productive receivers.

"All of them are good," Williams said. "Brad's the fastest. Rashaan's the best at running routes.

"We have really good relationships off the field, too. That leads to good chemistry."

Williams, who lives in the lower section of Germantown, near Wayne Junction, envisions a career in criminal justice or real estate. Dad just knows there'll be lifetime success.

"I'm so proud of him. That's my namesake," he said. "He has great potential. It's just a matter of getting someone to open the door."

And not even noticing the hand.