SPARTANBURG, SC —
Observers at this week’s practice for the 71st Shrine Bowl of the
Carolinas got a close-up look at what could be one half of East
Carolina’s secondary in the near future.
Two players who have given
verbal commitments for 2008 to ECU head coach Skip Holtz and his staff
are expected to be the starting safeties for the North Carolina squad
that will meet South Carolina on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1
p.m. at Gibbs Stadium on the campus of Wofford College.
Justin Venable, from Southeast
Guilford High School, and
Joseph Womack of Jacksonville’s
Northside High were paired together from the very start of the pre-game
preparations, which began Monday at Dorman High School.
Players from both squads
participated in twice-a-day workouts under unusually warm conditions.
“These two-a-days are
killing me,’’ Venable joked after the fourth workout on Tuesday
afternoon. “This seems like pre-season practice all over again.’’
Essentially, it has been,
especially for Venable.
The 6-foot-21/2,
190-pounder ended his senior season nearly a month ago when Southeast
Guilford lost in the opening round of the state 3-AA playoffs against
Triton, 20-10.
Venable also sat out two
of Southeast Guilford’s regular-season games after sustaining injuries
in a car accident in October. He suffered a concussion in the wreck that
occurred the Thursday prior to his team’s game against Rockingham.
But despite the setback,
Venable still managed to star as a running back and safety for the
Falcons, who finished 7-5 overall. His performance on defense earned
Venable defensive player of the year honors in the Mid-Piedmont 3-A
Conference.
Despite his own impressive
achievements, Venable expressed admiration at the talent on the field at
the Shrine Bowl.
“This has definitely been
awesome,’’ he said. “All these players are good, and there’s a lot of
competition for your position. There are so many players out here you
know are going to go to the NFL. They picked the best of the best, and
I’m just honored to be out there on the same field with those guys.’’
Venable has especially
enjoyed his new friendship with Womack, whom he hadn’t met before
reporting for Shrine Bowl practice on Sunday.
“It’s pretty neat,’’ he
said. “We’ll probably be hanging out together next year. We’ve been
hanging out together in the hotel and all that stuff. He’s a pretty cool
kid. I’ve enjoyed getting to know him. He’s a real good athlete. It’ll
be fun having him at ECU with me.’’
Unlike Venable, Womack is
working at a position this week where he didn’t see much action as a
senior at Northside.
The 6-2, 185-pounder
played mostly at quarterback where he helped direct Northside to the
state 2-A semifinals before falling 8-3 against South Columbus.
Northside completed its season with a 14-1 record with Womack rushing
for 1,292 yards and 20 touchdowns. He did see some action at safety and
cornerback late in the season, but never started on defense.
Womack said the transition
to safety, however, came easy.
“It’s actually a little
easier knowing I don’t have to go out there and remember all the plays
and then go on defense and remember all the plays,’’ he said. “So
playing one side of the ball is a little easier, but the competition is
still stiff. So it’s a little bit harder there.’’
Getting the opportunity to
compete against the best players in North Carolina and South Carolina is
a challenge Womack is relishing.
“Everybody seems to be on
top of their game already,’’ he said. “I’m just trying to stay up with
them. But that’s the fun part of being here. You can test yourself
against the best, and you get to form some bonds that you hope will last
a long time.’’
One of those bonds has
been formed with Venable, whom Womack gained an immediate respect for in
the early workouts.
“He likes to hit people
and make big plays,’’ Womack said. “I think we clicked pretty well when
we met, and we make a great team out there at safety.’’
Despite Womack’s promise
as a safety, he expects to play wide receiver when he arrives in
Greenville next fall.
“I believe I’m going to be
playing wide receiver at East Carolina,’’ he said. “But I think I bring
athleticism to the safety spot. I’m capable of coming up and making the
tackle on the run or covering up a receiver.
“I think if I work hard
enough there is an opportunity for me to play next year (at ECU), but I
know I’m still young. So if I have to wait, I’ll wait.’’
Both players have closely
followed ECU’s success this season. Womack said he’s attended just about
every home game to watch the Pirates this season.
Although neither was ready
to give up his spot in the Shrine Bowl, Venable and Womack wouldn’t mind
being on the plane to Hawaii with ECU when it heads to Honolulu to play
Boise State in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 23.
“I actually asked Coach
(Junior) Smith for a ticket,’’ Venable laughed. “That’s a great trip and
I hope they bring back a win.’’
Womack hopes he and
Venable can deliver the same for the North Carolina squad on Saturday.
“We’re here to win,’’
Womack said. “If we do, hopefully that will be the first of many for
Justin and me together on the same team.’’
[View
thumbnail sketches of all players verbally committed to join ECU's
recruiting class of 2008.]
