The first step toward continuing his football career post-high school was completed earlier this month when Tahoma senior Amandre Williams verbally committed to play collegiate football for the University of Washington.

Williams announced he will play defensive end for the Huskies.

In his final season as a Bear, Williams is the starting quarterback for Tahoma.

“I love playing QB but I want to play the position that will help the team the best,” he said. “UW saw me as a linebacker/defensive end at the next level. I trust that and I’m going to do my best while playing it.”

Williams has been playing football since he was 7 years old.

He got interested in the sport because his dad played it professionally, he said.

“I have always been around the game,” Williams said. “Playing sports was just the ‘normal fun’ in our household.”

Aside from football, Williams used to be a three sport athlete.

Up until the end of his freshman year of high school, Williams played baseball and until the end of sophomore year he played basketball.

He decided to stick with football out of the three sports he loved to play because he could see himself playing it at the next level.

“I dedicated myself to working toward that goal,” Williams said.

As Tahoma prepares for the season to start, he said he looks forward to creating memories he can look back fondly on.

“Your senior football season only comes once in a lifetime,” he said.

His goal for the Bears this season is to “build on past performances.”

He also wants to help “put my team in the best position to win games,” he said.

Williams chose the University of Washington out of offers from more than 10 other schools.

He said, UW stood out “because of their new coaching staff.”

“UW is a place where very special things are going to happen and I’m just excited to be a part of it,” Williams said.

Now that he has verbally committed to play for the Huskies, Williams said he can turn his focus to his senior year of high school.

“I plan on graduating from Tahoma in January and enrolling early to UW,” he said.

For Williams, playing football for many years after college is a dream he strives for.

“It’s every boy’s dream to play in the NFL and I’m going to continue to work on living that dream,” he said. “Hopefully if things work out the way I would like them to, I’ll be playing this game for many years to come.”

The Bears open up the 2015 season with an away game against Mount Rainier at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4.