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How many times have you heard of the term, boring? Now how many times have you related it to something you do or interact with in your life? Let us get even less of an occurrence on that. How many towns in America can you think of with the name, Boring? Yes. There is only one town in USA that has Boring as the name, and like the term for it, it may very well suit it. But, one young man may change that, and his name is Cade Williams.
Cade is a native from the town of Boring, Oregon where he has played offensive lineman for his local schools, with the most recent outing of being an Oregon Duck for a few games. He is the son of Josh and Cynthia Williams, and he is there only son. He grew up from humble beginnings, one that had a population of a little under 8,000 people. There were stories of how Cade was a rather neat and nice young boy who would never hurt a fly, and ironically, would be rather small for his size. His mother has been sick for a few years now, with the last couple of them with her being bed-riddled with Cade’s father and him taking care of her. His parents grew up in Portland where they both went to the University of Portland where they met and fell in love. They would get married in the year of 2021, moving to Boring that same year for his father to become a manager at a local plant field. Cade would be born a couple of years later.
I was able to meet up with a few coaches who have seen this man grow, literally AND figuratively. Coaches Jason Cambell, Mark Johnson, and Mario Cristobal were all willing to talk for a few minutes and give me each different answers that all really tied up to the person he is today where they all had the same result.
Coach Cambell has coached middle school ball for a little over 15 years. He has used that time to “mold the minds of our youth”. He is currently a math teacher for the Boring Middle school just located at the heart of the town. Jason says he relates math a lot to what he considers to be “integral for the fundamentals of football”.
“I often tell the kids that if there’s no math or science, there’s no football, period. You need both, and not one or the other to be able to have the game of football,” says coach Cambell. “And the kids really respond to that, especially Cade.”
Jason often refers to Cade as a little teddy bear, stating that he “only became a big teddy bear later in his years.” For those that were not aware, Cade Williams was rather small at the age of 13. Being 5’6 and 160 lbs. will definitely fill those shoes of a reputation. He played TE for his middle school team, but he often lacked the dedication, and the strength to be able to play the position at a level Jason Cambell expected, especially from him.
“I knew that if he put everything together, and not worry about anything outside of the game of football when he was on the football field, he would be successful. He needed to believe in himself, because everyone else did, but just not him.”
Coach Cambell had admitted at times that he thought about letting him go from the team because of his consistent trait to not finish plays.
“There were times where he said sorry to anyone he may have hurt. Basically, a teddy bear.” And his play on the field definitely validated that statement from among the fans that grew up and watched him.
It was not until after the season, entering freshman year, that Cade would finally accept it though. He finished his 8th grade year with 10 receptions, for 55 yards. What many had seen as an underwhelming, or some would say “boring” season for him, would be the beginning of his journey to being a hopeful ISFL draftee.
“Coach Cambell called me over the phone before the season started, and he basically said ‘listen, you gotta convince this kid that he is better than he thinks he is. You got to finish what I started,’ and from then on I just with it,” coach Mark Johnson states. Mark has been the head coach of the Sandy high school football team for 8 years now but has been with the school for the last 15. He is regarded very highly among his contemporaries and has often flirted with the college ranks, but for now, he is enjoying his high school coaching career.
Although Cade lived in Boring, the closest high school is in Sandy, Oregon, and that was often a bus ride of over an hour there. So, he would need to get up around 6AM every morning to be able to make it to school on time. But that was just the beginning. Starting his freshman year, he would wake up at 5 instead to work out essentially, trying to build that strength his middle school coach told him to. His father would then drive him to school, often late, because he would always finish his workouts at the last possible minute. While his teachers did not appreciate his tardiness, his coach was elated to hear the reason why. Throughout his freshman year, he grew to 6’ and was close to 200 lbs. and he trained non-stop while developing a rather mean streak in him. “There were times where he said sorry to anyone he may have hurt. Basically, a teddy bear. But that finally changed, and I was excited for his journey.” Coach Johnson finally talked to him about how important it was to put football on your mind only when he was out there. And now it seemed he had everything going for him, and because he kept growing, he was always more on the leaner side, being an athlete rather than an Offensive Lineman.
Mark would try to convince him to play Offensive Lineman because of the nasty streak he finally developed. But Cade was more hesitant than welcoming. “He was actually not very happy with me. And I do not blame him. O-Line doesn’t get the recognition a TE or even a D-Line would get. So, I definitely understood his reaction,” said Coach Johnson. “So, I doubled down, and basically gave him some time to think about it.” Cade would confront his coach and say that if it were for the betterment of the team, that he would do it. Mark however said it would not be for the betterment for the team, but rather, for Cade himself. Cade accepted the position change and was officially listed as a Center. Most of his playing time did not occur until his junior year because the Pioneers had a star Center for their team that were a couple years his senior, basically accepting the “redshirt years”. He would finally be given the chance to play as he grew to his normal 6’5 frame that the coach was not expecting. Coach Johnson thought he would stay on the smaller side, but knew with his slender build but taller height, he would be better suited as a LT. He started all 9 games of his junior year, leading the Sandy Pioneers to a 5-4 record, where he only allowed a handful of sacks.
“His junior year was actually impressive. He may have not filled the stat sheet obviously with pancakes, but he got the job done. I was more than happy with his production.”
His senior year, however, would be one of the best in Sandy Pioneers history, as he was able to lead them to an 8-1 record heading into the playoffs. He was able to fill the stat sheet for that year, being recognized as one of the best Left Tackle’s in the nation. And coach Johnson would be all for it, as he would often boast to colleges looking at Cade that he was the best left tackle he had ever seen at the high school level, and that surely made an impression on them.
Heading into the postseason for his high school team, he faced against top recruit (#1 DE in the 2042 class) Jalen Marshall in the first game. Cade would struggle against him in the first half, allowing a couple sacks against him. Coach Johnson would then let Cade have it.
“I told him, ‘did I not say to just focus on the game? Do your job and make sure to cut out all the noise.’ And he did.” Cade would bounce back from that first half and pancake Jalen a few times in the second half. The Pioneers would win that game 31-28. Coach Johnson loved his second half effort, and it showed the rest of the year. Although the Pioneers would not win the Championship game, Cade would win in his recruitment, as Mario Cristobal was at that game.
“When I had seen him at that game, I had seen a player that would do anything and everything to win for his team. That was the one thing I always appreciated about him, more than any of his many other amazing traits. He is an exceptional young man.” Cristobal would offer him at the spot, and Cade was just waiting for the day coach Cristobal would offer him, and the dream finally came true, playing for his favorite college team since he was born.
Cade’s career at the University of Oregon was a very solid one, as well as a short one. As a true freshman, he played 4 games for the Oregon Ducks. The first 2 games were mostly on special teams where he was regarded as a solid player that filled his role to an exceptional degree. The starting LT for Oregon would go down in the middle of the 3rd quarter of the 2nd game, which Cade filled in nicely. He finished the game with 2 pancake blocks and 1 hurry allowed. Cade would then start in game 3 where he had 3 pancake blocks and 0 sacks allowed. His 4th game was against #5 ranked USC, where he had 8 pancake blocks and 1 hurry allowed. They would go on and upset them 35-31. Mario Cristobal after that game regarded him as a "young man with so much potential. I see a lot of me at his age."
Sadly, his career was cut short immediately after that game. His father passed away right after the game from a car crash. Cade’s hopes and dreams were dashed, as well as his family life. He immediately announced retirement via social media and was devastated by the news. He thanked all his friends, coaches, and the fans for everything he had accomplished. Everything that had going right for him finally had gone wrong, no matter how you want to paint it. Cade would then take a full-time job at a local grocer to pay for the medical treatments his mother needed. The greatest inspiration to him was not there anymore, and that would break any man/woman down, no matter how strong they were. So, what changed?
His mother Cynthia could not bear the devastation of how his life had changed. She urged Cade to find a way to get back on the field, no matter how sick she was. Cynthia would always support him in his endeavors, and she did not want him to ruin his life following a dead-end career. She knew he was meant for that football field, and he agreed. Cade would then find an ad online about a league that could be able to help pay for his mother’s treatments. Cade called the league office to see if he qualified, and sure enough, he did. Cade is now a S28 ISFL draft prospect.
Through this whole journey, Cade has found so many avenues of people who have supported him and made him the man he is today. There are so many cases where it has gone the wrong way, or the way where you blame everything or everyone else, and he had never gone down this road. He hopes that anyone who reads this article will find encouragement and hope in this story and use this as a way to show anyone that you be something from nothing, or in this case Boring, Oregon.
(2088 words)
How many times have you heard of the term, boring? Now how many times have you related it to something you do or interact with in your life? Let us get even less of an occurrence on that. How many towns in America can you think of with the name, Boring? Yes. There is only one town in USA that has Boring as the name, and like the term for it, it may very well suit it. But, one young man may change that, and his name is Cade Williams.
Cade is a native from the town of Boring, Oregon where he has played offensive lineman for his local schools, with the most recent outing of being an Oregon Duck for a few games. He is the son of Josh and Cynthia Williams, and he is there only son. He grew up from humble beginnings, one that had a population of a little under 8,000 people. There were stories of how Cade was a rather neat and nice young boy who would never hurt a fly, and ironically, would be rather small for his size. His mother has been sick for a few years now, with the last couple of them with her being bed-riddled with Cade’s father and him taking care of her. His parents grew up in Portland where they both went to the University of Portland where they met and fell in love. They would get married in the year of 2021, moving to Boring that same year for his father to become a manager at a local plant field. Cade would be born a couple of years later.
I was able to meet up with a few coaches who have seen this man grow, literally AND figuratively. Coaches Jason Cambell, Mark Johnson, and Mario Cristobal were all willing to talk for a few minutes and give me each different answers that all really tied up to the person he is today where they all had the same result.
Coach Cambell has coached middle school ball for a little over 15 years. He has used that time to “mold the minds of our youth”. He is currently a math teacher for the Boring Middle school just located at the heart of the town. Jason says he relates math a lot to what he considers to be “integral for the fundamentals of football”.
“I often tell the kids that if there’s no math or science, there’s no football, period. You need both, and not one or the other to be able to have the game of football,” says coach Cambell. “And the kids really respond to that, especially Cade.”
Jason often refers to Cade as a little teddy bear, stating that he “only became a big teddy bear later in his years.” For those that were not aware, Cade Williams was rather small at the age of 13. Being 5’6 and 160 lbs. will definitely fill those shoes of a reputation. He played TE for his middle school team, but he often lacked the dedication, and the strength to be able to play the position at a level Jason Cambell expected, especially from him.
“I knew that if he put everything together, and not worry about anything outside of the game of football when he was on the football field, he would be successful. He needed to believe in himself, because everyone else did, but just not him.”
Coach Cambell had admitted at times that he thought about letting him go from the team because of his consistent trait to not finish plays.
“There were times where he said sorry to anyone he may have hurt. Basically, a teddy bear.” And his play on the field definitely validated that statement from among the fans that grew up and watched him.
It was not until after the season, entering freshman year, that Cade would finally accept it though. He finished his 8th grade year with 10 receptions, for 55 yards. What many had seen as an underwhelming, or some would say “boring” season for him, would be the beginning of his journey to being a hopeful ISFL draftee.
“Coach Cambell called me over the phone before the season started, and he basically said ‘listen, you gotta convince this kid that he is better than he thinks he is. You got to finish what I started,’ and from then on I just with it,” coach Mark Johnson states. Mark has been the head coach of the Sandy high school football team for 8 years now but has been with the school for the last 15. He is regarded very highly among his contemporaries and has often flirted with the college ranks, but for now, he is enjoying his high school coaching career.
Although Cade lived in Boring, the closest high school is in Sandy, Oregon, and that was often a bus ride of over an hour there. So, he would need to get up around 6AM every morning to be able to make it to school on time. But that was just the beginning. Starting his freshman year, he would wake up at 5 instead to work out essentially, trying to build that strength his middle school coach told him to. His father would then drive him to school, often late, because he would always finish his workouts at the last possible minute. While his teachers did not appreciate his tardiness, his coach was elated to hear the reason why. Throughout his freshman year, he grew to 6’ and was close to 200 lbs. and he trained non-stop while developing a rather mean streak in him. “There were times where he said sorry to anyone he may have hurt. Basically, a teddy bear. But that finally changed, and I was excited for his journey.” Coach Johnson finally talked to him about how important it was to put football on your mind only when he was out there. And now it seemed he had everything going for him, and because he kept growing, he was always more on the leaner side, being an athlete rather than an Offensive Lineman.
Mark would try to convince him to play Offensive Lineman because of the nasty streak he finally developed. But Cade was more hesitant than welcoming. “He was actually not very happy with me. And I do not blame him. O-Line doesn’t get the recognition a TE or even a D-Line would get. So, I definitely understood his reaction,” said Coach Johnson. “So, I doubled down, and basically gave him some time to think about it.” Cade would confront his coach and say that if it were for the betterment of the team, that he would do it. Mark however said it would not be for the betterment for the team, but rather, for Cade himself. Cade accepted the position change and was officially listed as a Center. Most of his playing time did not occur until his junior year because the Pioneers had a star Center for their team that were a couple years his senior, basically accepting the “redshirt years”. He would finally be given the chance to play as he grew to his normal 6’5 frame that the coach was not expecting. Coach Johnson thought he would stay on the smaller side, but knew with his slender build but taller height, he would be better suited as a LT. He started all 9 games of his junior year, leading the Sandy Pioneers to a 5-4 record, where he only allowed a handful of sacks.
“His junior year was actually impressive. He may have not filled the stat sheet obviously with pancakes, but he got the job done. I was more than happy with his production.”
His senior year, however, would be one of the best in Sandy Pioneers history, as he was able to lead them to an 8-1 record heading into the playoffs. He was able to fill the stat sheet for that year, being recognized as one of the best Left Tackle’s in the nation. And coach Johnson would be all for it, as he would often boast to colleges looking at Cade that he was the best left tackle he had ever seen at the high school level, and that surely made an impression on them.
Heading into the postseason for his high school team, he faced against top recruit (#1 DE in the 2042 class) Jalen Marshall in the first game. Cade would struggle against him in the first half, allowing a couple sacks against him. Coach Johnson would then let Cade have it.
“I told him, ‘did I not say to just focus on the game? Do your job and make sure to cut out all the noise.’ And he did.” Cade would bounce back from that first half and pancake Jalen a few times in the second half. The Pioneers would win that game 31-28. Coach Johnson loved his second half effort, and it showed the rest of the year. Although the Pioneers would not win the Championship game, Cade would win in his recruitment, as Mario Cristobal was at that game.
“When I had seen him at that game, I had seen a player that would do anything and everything to win for his team. That was the one thing I always appreciated about him, more than any of his many other amazing traits. He is an exceptional young man.” Cristobal would offer him at the spot, and Cade was just waiting for the day coach Cristobal would offer him, and the dream finally came true, playing for his favorite college team since he was born.
Cade’s career at the University of Oregon was a very solid one, as well as a short one. As a true freshman, he played 4 games for the Oregon Ducks. The first 2 games were mostly on special teams where he was regarded as a solid player that filled his role to an exceptional degree. The starting LT for Oregon would go down in the middle of the 3rd quarter of the 2nd game, which Cade filled in nicely. He finished the game with 2 pancake blocks and 1 hurry allowed. Cade would then start in game 3 where he had 3 pancake blocks and 0 sacks allowed. His 4th game was against #5 ranked USC, where he had 8 pancake blocks and 1 hurry allowed. They would go on and upset them 35-31. Mario Cristobal after that game regarded him as a "young man with so much potential. I see a lot of me at his age."
Sadly, his career was cut short immediately after that game. His father passed away right after the game from a car crash. Cade’s hopes and dreams were dashed, as well as his family life. He immediately announced retirement via social media and was devastated by the news. He thanked all his friends, coaches, and the fans for everything he had accomplished. Everything that had going right for him finally had gone wrong, no matter how you want to paint it. Cade would then take a full-time job at a local grocer to pay for the medical treatments his mother needed. The greatest inspiration to him was not there anymore, and that would break any man/woman down, no matter how strong they were. So, what changed?
His mother Cynthia could not bear the devastation of how his life had changed. She urged Cade to find a way to get back on the field, no matter how sick she was. Cynthia would always support him in his endeavors, and she did not want him to ruin his life following a dead-end career. She knew he was meant for that football field, and he agreed. Cade would then find an ad online about a league that could be able to help pay for his mother’s treatments. Cade called the league office to see if he qualified, and sure enough, he did. Cade is now a S28 ISFL draft prospect.
Through this whole journey, Cade has found so many avenues of people who have supported him and made him the man he is today. There are so many cases where it has gone the wrong way, or the way where you blame everything or everyone else, and he had never gone down this road. He hopes that anyone who reads this article will find encouragement and hope in this story and use this as a way to show anyone that you be something from nothing, or in this case Boring, Oregon.
(2088 words)
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