BOSTON (WTXL) - Thomas County Central High School has seen it's share of talent grace the football field. Most recently, that talent was Ray Drew, a 2011 graduate of TCCHS who was one of the top defensive end recruits in the country out of high school.
Ray chose to become a Georgia Bulldog, and signed with the Miami Dolphins last month as an undrafted free agent. No matter where he's been, or where he's going, Ray always remembers his humble beginnings.
"It's ten minutes down the road, no stoplights, all we have is a caution light," he said of his hometown of Boston, Georgia. "We also have a Dollar General, that's the newest edition to the city."
A small town, where Ray fine tuned his football skills into a Parade All-American, and earned a scholarship to the University of Georgia.
"Everytime he comes back, he's going to come by practice, he's going to come to a game, he's going to come to school," said TCCHS head coach Bill Shaver, who coached Ray in high school. "They're just proud of where they came from."
"My mom would always tell me, you have to stay humble," he said of why he always comes back to Boston. "No matter how far you go in life, no matter how people perceive you or what they think about you, just as fast as you went up, you can come down, and that's the mindset that I try to keep."
A mindset that's etched in the history at TCCHS, where Ray still holds track and field records, and a mindset that he hopes to spread.
"In order for the next generation to flourish, the generation that's here now has to be the farmers," he said. "They have to be the ones that water them, and nuture them and build them up to be the men this world needs to see. That's one thing I want to do. I want to be the change that I want to see."
Coach Shaver said he's happy to see Ray succeed and live out his dream of playing in the NFL.
"Now he's got the opportunity and the Lord blessed him with a lot of ability," he said. "He now has that platform to make that dream come true."
A dream that started in Boston.
