South Georgia - In The Game High School Sports Magazine

In the second week of the 2010 football season, the Valwood Valiants welcomed the Fullington Academy Trojans to Valdosta. The Valiants were coming off a stunning 25-21 upset over Tiftarea. After going 1-9 in 2009, the Valiants felt something special was about to happen that year. The win over Tiftarea gave Valwood much needed confidence. What happened in week two only confirmed the Valiants’ feelings that they were in the midst of a very special season.

Valwood would easily defeat Fullington, 54-16 - the previous year, the Trojans bested the Valiants by 20 points. The win was big enough, but how Valwood won was even bigger. At the time, Alex Waldron was a junior running back for the Valiants. Waldron, a speedy 5’10”, 170-pounder, ended up rewriting a little school history during the game. He is a dependable, versatile player who could just as easily line up as a receiver as a tailback. Waldron doubles as a defensive back and is equally adept at stopping opposing ball carriers, should they reach his level. Against Fullington, Waldron showed just what kind of a playmaker he was. He scored six touchdowns, a single-game school record, in just about every way a football player can reach the end zone. He had three receiving scores, two rushing and one pick six. About the only thing he did not do was return a kick for a touchdown. His longest score came on a 60-yard reception. Waldron did this in just two and a half quarters of play. “The more I scored, the happier I got,” he recalls.

While Waldron was having the best day of his career, Troy Woodward, another running back for the Valiants, realized he was not getting the ball as much as he wanted. Every running back wants the ball. Backs want to be the one with the ball, not the one clearing the way. Though he was not the go-to guy in that game, he harbored no ill feelings toward his teammate. “Alex was all over the place. It was just his game,” says Woodward. “We realized what kind of game he was having and we just sat back and watched.”

In addition to being teammates, Waldron and Woodward have been good friends for years. Woodward had no problems at all not carrying the ball much during the Fullington game. He was happy for Waldron and enjoyed watching him have such a big game. That particular game was not just a highlight of Waldron’s 2010 season. In many ways, it was his season. Waldron injured his hamstring and only played in about half of Valwood’s games.

Things are a little different this year. Waldron and Woodward are back for their senior seasons, but they are not sharing the backfield. Waldron has moved to tight end while Woodward is still a running back. And Valwood has picked up where it left off, winning five of its first six games and getting ready for another playoff run.

Moving to tight end was not something Waldron really wanted to do. He enjoyed running the ball and was at home in the backfield, but Valwood’s team changed a little in 2011. The Valiants had an opening at tight end, and the coaching staff felt as if Waldron was the right fit. “I love playing running back, but we needed a tight end. We had several running backs but we didn’t have any tight ends. We throw to the tight end a lot, so I still get the ball a good bit,” says Waldron.

Waldron isn’t the tallest kid on the field, but he is a smart player who has good field vision. He can see the play developing in front of him, and his speed helps him get open and gain yards after the catch. As evidenced by his three receiving touchdowns against Fullington, Waldron has good hands and he knows how to hold onto the ball.

Still, moving to tight end has been an adjustment for the senior. He has put up some good numbers so far this year - 12 receptions for 700 yards and six touchdowns. The receiving part has been easy. The blocking has been a different matter entirely. “Learning the blocking schemes has been tough,” he says. “I get to go out wide sometimes, and running the routes hasn’t been difficult. It’s been an adjustment.”  

Woodward has had it a little easier this year. He has not had to learn a new position. He’s had to keep doing what he did last year. The 5’9”, 160-pound running back/safety has been on Valwood’s varsity all four of his years at the school. He played a lot as a freshman and a sophomore. Both years were very difficult, but after taking their lumps for the first half of their high school years, he and his teammates rebounded with last season’s trip to the semifinals.

Woodward was a wide receiver for a few years before moving to running back in 2010. When Waldron was healthy, the two players rotated out each series. Waldron is now on the line and Woodward is in the backfield without his friend. “I like to tell Alex that I took his job,” laughs Woodward.

For the last 18 months, it has been good to be a Valiant. Losing nine games two years ago was not fun. Once Valwood got a taste of winning, the team did not want any part in losing. Woodward knew things would be different after the 2010 Tiftarea game. “We knew we could be good. We saw that the hard work was paying off,” he says. “That game was a real turning point for us.” Under third-year head coach Brannon Tidwell, the Valiants have flourished. “We’re small but we surprise everyone with our physical style of play,” says Woodward.

Coming into their final gridiron campaign, Woodward and Waldron had several different goals. Woodward says that he and his teammates would like to win a state title, but their coaches are teaching them to focus on each game one week at a time. “We all want a state championship, but we have to get out of the region first. Then we can worry about state,” he says. Woodward also has another personal goal. “I wouldn’t mind having one of those six touchdown games,” he quips.

For Waldron, the main goal was simply to stay healthy. His bad hamstring has healed, and he wants to stay on the field as much as possible. After that, he has the same vision as his teammate: to win Valwood its first state championship in 11 years.

Waldron and Woodward are also teammates on the basketball court. Both are guards, and they have very good chemistry when they are on the floor at the same time. They play basketball for the same reasons - the game has a fast pace and the action is continuous. The crowd is close to the floor and can be a factor on a level that football crowds can’t match.

Waldron and Woodward hope to bring a region championship to Valwood. The Valiants made the playoffs last year but lost in the first round. “I think we can win a region title. We take basketball very seriously and we want to win,” says Woodward. “Alex and I have played together for so long. We know what each other will do before we do it. That makes a big difference.”

The teammates spend the better part of the school year playing sports of some kind - Waldron also plays soccer and Woodward plays baseball - but they find time to make good grades. Athletics are important on campus, but student-athletes are students first and Valwood makes sure they know it. Woodward and Waldron utilize study hall to get as much homework as possible done at school. They also are motivated to do well on their own.

“My parents are pretty lenient on me about my grades, but it’s because I’m self motivated to do well. I have to do well in the classroom to play sports. If my grades started slipping, they would take me off the teams,” says Waldron.

For Woodward, sports are a great way to pass the time, but he knows what is really important. “Playing sports is fun but it won’t get me through life. Grades are the most important things,” he states. “School is fun. I enjoy learning.” Tidwell usually has his players finished with practice by 6:30 p.m. For Woodward and Waldron, that’s plenty of time to get their work done.

After graduation, Waldron believes his athletic career will end. He would like to realize a lifelong dream and attend the University of Georgia. His sister, Lily, is already in Athens. He is undecided when it comes to his major, although he is considering chemistry or business. “That’s very diverse, but chemistry is fun and I also really like business. I’ll wait and see what I like when I get up there,” he says.

Unlike his teammate, Woodward isn’t quite ready to give up athletics. He would like to find a home on the roster of a small school, and he is looking at different colleges in hopes of continuing his playing career. He is unsure where he will attend and what he will study. “Coach Tidwell is talking to a few places. It’s always an option,” he says.

After everything is said and done, how do these players feel about sharing the field with each other? “Since Alex blocks for me, I better say something good about him,” jokes Woodward. “He’s a hard worker and a team leader. He’s great at blocking. He does a good job of clearing people out of the way.”

Waldron is impressed with his teammate’s intense style of play. “He is quick and scrappy. He hustles and never gives up. Troy is also the hardest hitter on our team. We’re really good friends and we hang out a lot together off the field,” says Waldron. ITG