Red Dirt Diaries: Mustang Football Player Inspires With Comeback

A High School football player in Mustang is turning the heads of college scouts in his first full year on the team.

But Blake Williams has dealt with his share of adversity.

The senior was only able to play a few snaps last year because of an illness that caused a number of problems.

“So instantly you just get caught off guard,” said Williams about his condition.

“He would have blind spells. He couldn’t see for 45 minutes one time and that scared us to death,” said Tammy Gosnell Williams, Blake’s mother.

There were days when Williams was in a great deal of pain and couldn’t get out of bed.

It would be years before a doctor at the Mayo Clinic diagnosed the teenager with Dysautonomia.

Blake’s mother said it’s like a short circuit of the nervous system.

Doctors performed a procedure that reset what’s called the “vagus” nerve.

Results came immediately and Blake said this is best he’s felt in years.

The change in health has translated to the football field.

The tight end has caught several touchdowns this season and leads Mustang High School in receiving.

“He's been through so much physically- so he knows how to work- he knows how to work through adverse conditions,” said Mustang Head Football Coach Jeremy Dombek.

The senior is being recruited by schools throughout the country, including a scholarship offer from the University of North Carolina.

Blake said he’s now ready to inspire others dealing with Dysautonomia.

“No matter who hard things are or how lost you may be, there’s always a way up,” said Williams.