At Bluefield High School, he gained more than 1,000 yards and scored 104 points as a senior. He was also named All-State, All-American and most outstanding player in the state. Wood was a basketball and track letter winner as well. In track, he ran the 100-meter dash in 10.0 seconds. Also, he was named vice president of his senior class. As a sophomore, he ran for 258 yards on 59 carries for a 4.3 average. His biggest run that season was a fantastic 64-yard sprint against Cincinnati.

As a junior he was the second-leading rusher on the 1970 team with 713 yards and 5 touchdowns on 131 carries. He also caught 20 passes for another 135 yards and two more scores in addition to running back five kickoffs for 134 yards and completing the only pass he threw for 29 yards. That year, he was considered the best one-yard rusher on the team. He was injured during the Duke game his junior year, otherwise he would have had an even more spectacular season. That season, against Boston College, he set a then school record with 214 rushing yards in a game. He was clocked at 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash. He was named the Big Four Player of the Month after scoring five touchdowns on a 7.8 yard per carry average and 482 yards through three games.