Return of the thin man
Dale QB gives Knights a 'slim' chance to win title

He wears three pairs of socks to make his legs look bigger. His Thomas Dale High School teammates sometimes call him "Toothpick" and "Bird Chest."

The skinny on Micah Womack as a quarterback is kind of like that 6-4¼, 188-pound frame his mates tease him about: He's still growing.

"He's one of those late bloomers," Thomas Dale coach Vic Williams said. "Give him some time, and he can develop into a really good quarterback."

The senior, who's so quiet in the huddle that his linemen sometimes have to ask him to speak up, quietly has emerged as a guiding hand for the Knights (11-1), who will try to capture their first state football title when they take on James Robinson of Fairfax (11-1) in the Group AAA, Division 6 championship game Saturday at 4 p.m. at University of Richmond Stadium.

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Most of the attention on Dale's run-oriented offense falls on sophomore tailback Nick Fleming, who has rushed for 1,720 yards. Womack's overall statistics, in fact, are not eye-popping: 28 for 64 passing, 488 yards, five touchdowns, five interceptions.

In three playoff games, though, Womack has made some key contributions - some subtle on checkoffs, some visible on runs and passes. He's rushed for 67 yards and passed for 94 - including a late touchdown that helped Dale to a 15-14 victory over Varina in the Central Region final.

Womack file

Age: 17
Vitals: 6-4¼, 188-pound senior quarterback at Thomas Dale
Stats: Is 28 of 64 for 488 yards passing, with 5 TDs and 5 interceptions.
Future plans: Wants to play college football and major in either architectural engineering or business.
Quotable: "I've been this height for a while. I want my metabolism to slow down. I eat all day."

"People have got to understand, and I think he understands, the three teams we've played are more talented than we are," Williams said. "When you play teams like that, you've got to control the ball and keep it out of their hands. We do some passing, but we don't line up in the shotgun and line up with three receivers. That's not my style.

"He has all the tools. He has a good arm. He has a good head on his shoulders. He has a bit of quickness. He just needs experience. I wish we could've started him last year. He'd really be taking off right now."

Womack split time at quarterback last season and was sharing with Derius Swinton early this season. Williams finally saw the leadership and consistency he wanted out of Womack and installed him as the quarterback.

"I knew all I had to do was get my confidence up," Womack said. "Not that I had a confidence problem, but I'm a quiet person so I'm not very assertive. . . . I think confidence helped my play improve. I got more relaxed back there."

Womack's improvement also can be traced to off-season weight work and running drills. Williams said Womack ran the 40 in 5.2 seconds as a freshman. Through bleacher sessions with his father at Virginia State University and agility drills, Womack now is in the 4.6 range.

"I might not be as fancy as some people," Womack said. "They get on me about not having jukes, but I get the job done. I think my passing ability has grown."

Womack says he eats all the time but hasn't been able to gain significant weight. Williams figures once that occurs in college, Womack really will blossom. Several Division I-AA schools are showing interest.

"For as skinny as he is, he's deceptively strong," Williams said. "Whoever takes him will be pleasantly surprised if they take the time with him."