Overlooked: How North Shore's Ronald Wilson quietly became the State Championship game Defensive MVP
HOUSTON - Type Ronald Wilson's name into the search bar on 247Sports.com.
No results will pop up. No stars will appear by his name. A gawdy list of 20 to 30 collegiate offers will not appear on his profile, even if there was one set up.
North Shore's Ronald Wilson has quietly been one of the key pieces to the defensive front for the Mustangs all season long. No, he doesn't have the recruiting buzz of Texas-signee Kristopher Ross or the sheer size of Tai Leonard on the end.
But despite all of that. Despite the fact that everyone has overlooked the 6-foot, 225-pound senior defensive lineman, on Saturday was his day to shine on the sport's biggest stage.
"He's just a gritty undersized defensive lineman, your classic high school defensive lineman," North Shore defensive coordinator Garrett Cross said. "He comes to work every day. He's super strong. He puts time in in the weight room. He listens, he's a smart kid, so he understands blocking schemes and how people are going to try and block him. He can see people sitting heavy or sitting light in the stance.
"The little things like that is what makes him great."
That hard work paid off in a 17-10 victory over Duncanville on Saturday for what is North Shore's third state championship in just four seasons and four since 2015.
After the victory, Wilson - with his Texas Strong championship hat and a gold medal rested around his neck - made his way out to midfield to accept another trophy - the State Championship Game Defensive MVP Award.
"It's just a testament to the program when you've got guys like that," Cross said. "He might not have been the No.1 guy on the Freshman 'A' Team. He just kind of developed and kept working. He went through the JV ranks and just got better and better. It just goes to show you to keep on working, you never know what's going to happen."
Wilson finished the championship game with 6 1/2 tackles, 3 1/2 of those for loss and 1 1/2 sacks.
But this is what North Shore football is all about right? A guy like a Ronald Wilson, who just kept his nose to the grindstone and in the end reached the top.
"The core of your team is built around guys like Ronald Wilson," Cross said. "Guys who are just going to show up and put in the work. He may not have all the stars behind his name but he's going to show up and do exactly what he's told to do every day and put in the work and find a way to make himself successful."