When most people think offensive lineman they tend to picture big guys doing battle. But don't be fooled, it takes alot of brains to play in the trenches, which makes it the perfect spot of James Wood's Cory Woodall, our first student athlete of the week for the 07-08 school year.

"You just feel motivated to get everything done, because when you start concentrating too much on sport or too much on school, you feel like you're lacking in the other field. You start working harder in the other field to make up for it, it balances out," said Woodall.

Woodall didn't play football until his sophomore year, but he picked the game up pretty quickly, starting his career as a tight end before making the difficult transition to tackle for his senior season.

"He has to be very smart, very intelligent to switch like that," said James Wood Head Coach Walter Barr. "Especially offensive line, they've gotta be smart guys because there are so many different schemes that they have to learn, so many different things that the defense does to them they have to be able to pick it up quicker."

"We always need to be able to think on our feet during the game because we don't always see the defense we expect. I think that helps with public speaking in school and writing essays," said Woodall.

In addition to his obvious contributions on the field Woodall serves as a leader outside the painted lines. His 3.98 GPA places him 12th in his class of 324, setting a clear example for other Colonels to follow.

"He's disciplined, he expects the other athletes to be disciplined too, to do the things they should do and not be a problem. If they're not, then he'll speak up," said Barr.

Woodall, who also plays baseball, wants to study physics and aerospace engineering in college and his coach, who has seen plenty of good kids over the years, knows Cory will be successful in whatever he tries.

"He's a great person, not only as a football player but he's a great individual. He is a smart, very intelligent person," said Barr.

Congratulations to James Woods High Wood High School's Cory Woodall TV3 Winchester's Student Athlete of the Week.