Yukica Profie: Charlie Kneissl-Williams

By rbrown
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Updated: May 29, 2020

NOTE: The 2020 Joe Yukica New Hampshire Chapter of the National Football Foundation Scholar/Athlete banquet was cancelled this year because of COVID-19. Each Scholar/Athlete will be recognized with a commemorative program, a plaque and a personal profile that will appear in the program, on the New Hampshire Football Report, the Joe Yukica/New Hampshire Chapter web site (joeyukicafootballfoundation.org) and the Joe Yukica/New Hampshire Chapter Facebook page. This is one in a series of 39 profiles. Once published, each profile can be accessed by clicking on the athlete’s name at the bottom of the page.

CHARLIE KNEISSL-WILLIAMS
Bedford High School

Charlie Kneissl-Williams, a two-way lineman from Bedford High School, earned high marks during his senior year. He received good grades from his teachers, and from his football coach as well.

“Always where he was supposed to be when he was supposed to be there, Bedford coach Zach Matthews said. “When you talk about grading people out, he was by far our most consistent player on a week-to-week basis.

“The biggest thing you can say about him is that consistency. No ebb and flow. Charlie was super consistent snap to snap.”

Kneissl-Williams, a 5-foot-11, 250-pound center and nose guard, was a team captain and an Honor Roll student throughout his four years of high school. He’s a member of the National Honor Society, the Math Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society, and volunteers for the End 68 Hours of Hunger program (E68), a non-profit organization that helps get food to children who normally get food only at school.

His ability to impress on and off the athletic field earned Kneissl-Williams the Scholar/Athlete Award from the Joe Yukica New Hampshire Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. It also earned him the Bulldog Award, an honor given to an athlete in each of Bedford’s sports programs.

“It’s really the kid in your program who embodies what it means to be a Bulldog,” Matthews said. “That kid who exemplifies what you’re looking for in your student athletes.”

Mathews said Kneissl-Williams was equally good on both sides of the ball, and that a serious tug of war would have taken place between Bedford’s offensive and defensive coaches if he played only one way.

“He was probably the most difficult kid if we had to choose either offense or defense for our players and fight over them,” Matthews said. “He really was the hub of the wheel as far as our offensive and defensive lines. Tireless worker. Strongest kid in program history as far as when you look at weight room numbers. All that stuff is great, but then when you look at what he did on the field it makes it all that more impressive.”

Kneissl-Williams was selected to represent the West in this year’s CHaD New Hampshire East/West All-Star Game. He’s headed to WPI, where Matthews said he will shift his focus away from football.

“Charlie has found every specific opportunity in our school building to push himself academically,” Matthews said. “He’s ready to take the next step as far as his academics.”

Q and A with Charlie Kneissl-Williams

Q: Please describe the most memorable moment of your high school football career.

A: The most memorable moment of my high school football career was when we won the state championship my junior year. As the clock wound down, I remember looking around and embracing my teammates as the realization of what we had accomplished washed over us. It was an incredible moment that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Q: Tell us about someone who has had a significant influence on your life.
A: Derek Stank, my coach from my freshmen year through my junior year, had a great impact on my life. He preached hard work and taught us all how to maintain a healthy balance of football and the rest of our lives.

Q: What is your favorite subject in school and why?

A: My favorite subject in school is computer science because I like finding new ways to solve complex problems.

Q: What life lessons have you learned from football?

A: Football has taught me so many valuable life skills. Most importantly, it has taught me how to work as part of a team, how to be a leader, and that the best way to lead is by example.

Q: What is your dream job?

A: My dream job is to be a software engineer for Microsoft.

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2020 Scholar/Athletes: Keith Albergo (Winnacunnet), Thatcher Allen (Exeter), Cole Ames (Lebanon), Mason Belsky (Windham), Patrick Brust (Bishop Brady), Jaedon Cliche (Exeter), Riley Desmarais (Windham), Bobby DiCicco (Windham), Jared Dyer (Merrimack), Casey Gladu (Portsmouth), Owen Gormley (Salem), Jack Grogan (Bedford), Steven Guerette (Bow), Evan Haskins (Pelham), Samson Hodges (Milford), Ethan Holt (Bishop Guertin), Jack Jones (Bedford), Charlie Kneissl-Williams (Bedford), Hunter Lassard (St. Thomas), Joseph Lupo (Bishop Guertin), Jake MacInnis (Pinkerton), Braden McDonnell (Nashua South), Will MacLean (St. Thomas), Hayden Moses (Bishop Guertin), Riley Mulvey (Salem), Kyle O’Connor (Nashua South), Nolan Pafford (Portsmouth), Wade Rainey (Lebanon), Ismael Rivera (Bishop Brady), Oceanne Skoog (Newfound), Caleb Smith (Lebanon), Rolando Sylvain-Stott (Newfound), John Thibault (Trinity), Zach Twardosky (Merrimack), Gavin Urda (Milford), Carter Vedrani (Campbell), Jacob Wenger (Trinity), Jon Willeman (Lebanon) and Devin Wood (Merrimack).