'Sports really did save me'

Etched across Kenley Williams' pinky is a tattoo with the letters K and O. They're for his late friend, who passed away in March.
 
"I dedicate this to him," exclaims Williams, a first-year defensive back on the Bisons football team.
 
You can find further motivation on Williams' back plate. Along with many names written in permanent marker, is the sentence FOR MY BROTHERS, in all caps.
 
They're all reminders for the Ontario native, reasons to get up every day and grind. In learning about Williams' background, it's clear to see how much sports, and his past, have impacted him.
 
"I've lost a friend to gun violence. I lost a friend this March to cancer. He was someone who was always on the street with me. You see those things, and you see friends go to jail, they don't come out for years. It takes a toll on some people. It gives them rage and anger. For others it motivates them to not do the same things and to make their friends and family proud," he says.
 
"Sports really did save me. I'll say that for sure. I was always an active kid. I liked being outside and playing sports. I wasn't really into the stupidness I would say. Sports helped a lot I would say. If you got in trouble and you were playing sports, your coach was making you run a lot back then. So you're trying your best to stay out of trouble in school and outside of school because the coaches knew what was going on in the community, and you didn't want those consequences on the football field or the basketball court."
 
Born in Toronto, Williams moved to Brampton for middle school, where he learned many important life lessons, good and bad. Through it all, football was a constant.
 
"There's trials and tribulations that are happening around you," he recalls.
 
"There were tough times, dark times, but I had a good support system, people around me to push me and to make sure I didn't stop playing sports. I had a lot of friends who played sports."


'This game is very serious'
Williams first strapped on the pads when he was six years old. He plied his trade as a quarterback until grade 11, switching to defensive back the summer going into grade 11.
 
A quick learner and a natural athlete, the 6'1", 190-pound play maker had offers in Canada and the United States after high school, but he wanted to stay close to home. He played for multiple seasons for St. Clair College, who compete in the Canadian Junior Football League, making the shift to the powerhouse Okanagan Sun afterwards.
 
In 2024, Williams proved his worth as one of the best ball hawks in the country. He had five interceptions, including three in one game against Prince George, as well as four pass breakups en route to conference all-star and national All-Canadian honours, along with a trip to the national final.
 
"I had to fight. I did start right away, it wasn't easy," Williams said.
 
"When I first came to Okanagan I didn't start my first two or three games. It's just learning. That's the main thing. Once you understand what's going on, football becomes easy. That's what it's all about. You're a football player at the end of the day, it's something you've been doing. There's so many trials and tribulations, and only the strong will survive at that point. I feel like the CJFL helped me with my mindset and learning new things."
 
Williams' defensive coordinator with the Sun was Shane Beatty, a former CJFL Coach of the Year with the same program. With a knack for getting the most out of his players, the intense, passionate play-caller helped Williams elevate his game, and his attitude.
 

"If I was 18 years old getting coached by Beatty I probably would have quit," he laughs.
 
 "He helped me as a man to understand things, and to be a sponge. He's a loving guy at the end of the day, but this game is very serious, and he wants people to take it serious. Everybody wants to be the fastest, everybody wants to be the strongest."
 
With the graduation of five starters in the secondary, Williams is a key piece for the future of the Bisons' back end. He's already making an impact on special teams, soaking up every piece of information along the way, while learning from his previous mentors.
 
"There's always a bigger picture. There's always space for improvement. That's a thousand percent from Beatty. Every play isn't a joke, every practice isn't a joke. When it's time to play football, it's strictly football."