For Springville’s E.J. Woody, Friday nights during football season are all about energy and adrenaline.

“You get pumped up, and other times you get nervous,” the senior wide receiver said.  “Not scared nervous, just ready to get out on the field.  Then there’s the energy you feel when you make a big play, the chill that goes through your body, and the adrenaline pumping in your veins.”

Woody will feel it as a Tiger for the first time later this month.  He arrived at Springville in January from South Cobb High School in Austell, Ga., and gained attention over the summer by garnering two top camp awards.

He was one of the best 15 players at each position from each grade who were invited to the University of Oklahoma for the National Underclassmen Combine and Ultimate 100 Top Prospect Camp. He was named Most Outstanding Wide Receiver, earning a spot on the roster for a nationally-televised all-star game to be played at The Citadel on Dec. 31.

His invitation to that event followed his selection as Overall MVP at the Birmingham Junior Combine, at which he recorded a 30.5-inch vertical jump, 8’6” broad jump, and 4.22 shuttle time.  

“I knew that I could do it,” the five-foot, 11-and-a-half inch, 179-pound Woody said.  “Now that I’m getting the opportunity to do it, it feels good.”

Although this will be his first football season with the Tigers, “Springville is my home.  My mom graduated from Springville, and I’ve been wanting to live here for a long time.”  Joining the team has gone smoothly, he added.

“Me and the team are getting along great.  We can make the playoffs—if not win state.  All of us have things to work on, but as long as we work together as a team instead of individuals, we’ll be okay.”

Springville football is a tradition for E.J.’s family, according to his cousin Sydrick Woody, who was a member of the Tigers team that went 13-1 and advanced to the state semi-finals in the early ‘90s.  

“The Woody family has a history of excellent athletes,” Sydrick Woody said.  “Two of our guys have been named Mr. Football, and to see E.J. now and how far he’s come and how much he’s matured, we’re extremely proud of him.”

When he’s not practicing, E.J. said he’s spending most of his time studying for the ACT.  “I want to go to Auburn.  Everybody in my family goes for Alabama, but I like to be different.”

“That’s his one shortcoming,” Sydrick said.  “I’m a die-hard Alabama fan, but if he goes to Auburn, I’m buying an Auburn flag and jersey and putting it on.”