Lawton, Okla. -The Lawton High School (LHS) football program has a new head coach for the 2024 season after Midwest City native Lorenzo Williams accepts the position to take over and lead the Wolverine program.
“I graduated from Midwest City High School and Lawton High was always our biggest competitor when it came to district champions,” said Williams when asked about joining the LHS program. “The caliber of athletes and community that surrounds this program has always been in the forefront of Oklahoma High School Football. They expect greatness, they expect to win and I’m happy to add my chapter to such a storied program. What most excited me was the people I get to work with. From the Superintendent to the Principal, I feel like they are real people, real family, real supporters and I’m excited to work for a group of people like that. The football will take care of itself, being surrounded by good loyal people is priceless.”
Williams joins LHS after a stint as the head coach at Westmoore High School (WHS) in Moore. In eight seasons at WHS, the Jaguars had a 47-38 record which included big wins over multiple 6A-1 powerhouses. Most recently, Williams team went 7-5 in 2023 with wins over Jenks and Broken Arrow and a first-round playoff win over Mustang. The success led to Williams being selected as the District Coach of the Year, an honor he has received three times in his coaching career.
With so much experience in the Oklahoma High School football landscape, Williams brings great knowledge and lessons that current and future Wolverines will be able to build upon, on and off the field.
“Ultimately my job, and the program’s job, is to grow the young people up. To take them through this short portion of their life that can make the biggest impact going forward. Football is just a way to get their attention. The lessons they learn and take with them to be productive members of society is what it’s all about.”
Prior to Westmoore, Williams was the head coach from 2014-15 and the defensive coordinator from 2012-13 at Central High School in Springfield, Missouri and prior to that he was an assistant coach at Helias Catholic High School in Jefferson City, Missouri from 2010-11. Other accolades for Williams and his programs include four Academic State Champions and 90 kids sent to college to play football with over 22 million dollars in scholarships.
Through his time coaching and as a player, Williams has gained a lot of knowledge from other coaches and mentors, which is one of the reasons he got into the profession of coaching.
“I’ve had some great mentors and great coaches growing up. I loved all of them and all hold a special place in my heart. They led with love and I learned from them. That’s the kind of coach I am. I lead with love. I’m going to love my players and we are going to get the most out of each other because we care about each other.”
Williams was a standout athlete at Midwest City not just in football but also track, basketball, wrestling, and baseball. He came out of high school as the No. 9 ranked prospect in the state and decided to further his education at the University of Missouri. For the Tigers, Williams earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention as a junior and was First Team All-Big 12 as a senior, departing the program as one of the top pass rushers in school history. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Baltimore Ravens in 2008 and spent time with the Carolina Panthers and the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.
Williams is excited to lead the Wolverines to success next season and for seasons to come. When asked about goals for the coming season, he hinted at his knowledge of the big Lawton city rivalry games that happen early in the year.
“I can’t give you all the secrets man, Coach [Javon] Harris and Coach [Brett] Manning might be reading this,” said Williams jokingly. “But I will tell you we are going to have fun; I’m going to love my players and I’m going to give them the opportunity to be great and change their lives.”
“I’m looking forward to jumping in with both feet and learning the traditions and getting started. This is going to be fun!”