Mary Ann Miller | Special to the TimesDru Womack (2) celebrates with a teammate after scoring a touchdown against Pinewood Christian. 

This week, we are highlighting Valwood Valiants junior wide receiver and safety Dru Womack.

Womack is a sure-handed receiver and one of the hardest hitting players on the field for the Valiants.

Womack started his football career at an early age out of Tifton, Ga. He was encouraged to play football by his dad, Trey Womack.

Womack’s first position on the field was quarterback. His peewee head coach encouraged the team to see how far they could throw the ball.

Young Dru would chuck the ball the longest.

As he got older, he got faster and taller to give himself advantage over the competition.

When Womack moved to Valwood in seventh grade, he was shy because he was in a new school for the first time and didn’t really know anybody.

The Valwood community welcomed him with open arms. That same year, Womack started at quarterback for the young Valiants team.

Womack is a typical quarterback. One of the things he loves to do most at the position is the designed quarterback runs.

“I love to pull the ball down and get in space to make someone miss,” Womack said. “I would love to model my game after Lamar Jackson but I’m not that fast just yet.”

Once entering high school, Womack had to sit behind all-state quarterback Caleb Burns and learn the game from him.

Going into his sophomore year, Womack decided it was time for a change of position. That’s when he decided to move to safety.

This was not a big change for Womack. He was used to knowing what offenses run and dishing out big hits.

With Womack’s move to safety, it gave head coach and defensive coordinator Justin Henderson a new dimension on defense –– a hard-hitting safety and a great blitzer off the edge for the Valiants whenever there’s a big play to be made.

As a sophomore last season, Womack helped his team get to the GISA Class 3A State Championship game.

Womack knew the position was not going to be too hard after playing quarterback for so long.

“I could read defenses with my mind, so it was a pretty good transition with coming from that position,” Womack said. “Plus, when we played Creekside, I got a big hit in the fourth quarter and I just love the position now.”

No matter where he is on the field, Womack is always going to give you his best on the field.

This year, Womack is on both sides of the ball and making plays all over the field for the Valiants. When quarterback Pate Hogan looks downfield, he always knows he can count on Womack to make the catch.

Womack has caught seven balls this year for 136 yards and hasn’t had a drop all year.

With his senior year upcoming in 2021, Womack has already received interest from Harvard University. His combination of size, versatility, physicality and skills should make him a highly sought after prospect for teams at the next level.