Extra Effort: Emily Williams plays for Spring Creek, her family

Senior Emily Williams loves spending time at Spring Creek High School.

"This place is definitely my favorite place to be," Williams said.

And Spring Creek loves her right back.

The kind of kid you want 50 of them if you can get 50 of them," Athletics Director Troy Smothers said.

Sometimes it feels like there's 50 of her. Williams plays four sports (volleyball, tennis, basketball and softball) and works with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. This year the organization raised 1,800 dollars to help give local families Christmas presents.

"You will see the compassionate side, you see the competitive side and she's just Emily and we all love and adore her being herself," teacher Scott Hardy said.

Williams has grown into a leader, from shy to vocal.

"Most of the time she's upbeat and trying to lift people up, and just really an inspiration for a lot of kids," Smothers said.

She's had to grow up fast. Her father was in a car crash four years ago.

"He's a TBI, a Traumatic Brain Injury patient, so his personality has changed a little bit for sure, he's still the same person, he has a lot of memory lapses," Williams said.

There have been difficult times since the crash, but Williams says her dad comes to every game, every match, to see her play.

"I love seeing him there, he'll wave at me sometimes and it just puts a big smile across my face," she said.

Her hard work is paying off. Williams will play softball at Pitt Community College, about an hour from home.

"She takes a lot on and sometimes she doesn't like you to see it, but you know it's there," head basketball coach Paul Hayes said.

"So I think she leans on us some and we try and give her some love back."

And that's why Emily Williams is this week's winner of the Tom Suiter Extra Effort Award.