From 0-4 to 3-1: Grovetown coach saw ‘opportunity to turn a program around’

Today’s Four Questions interviewee is Grovetown first-year coach D.J. Mayo, whose team defeated Thomson 22-21 in overtime last week for the program’s first victory at Thomson’s Brickyard and second win over the Bulldogs in 10 all-time meetings. With a 3-1 record after a 1-9 finish in 2024, Grovetown is Class 6A’s most improved winning team in GHSF Daily’s Improvement Tracker. The Warriors have avenged three 2024 losses. Mayo was head coach at Highland Community College in Kansas the past two seasons. He was on Camden County’s staff in 2020-21. He was a head coach at Atlantic in Port Orange, Florida, for four seasons.

1. What were the key plays in the Thomson game, and what were the calls?

“The two-point conversion (to win the game in overtime) was the big play. But we also went for it on fourth down from the 18 in the first quarter. If we don’t convert that, it could’ve gone left early. It was 0-0, and they had a long drive and the defense stepped up to get a stop at the 10. Our defense had been on the field for 10 or 11 plays, and I wasn’t interested in going three-and-out and punting back to them. We were going over there to be aggressive and win the game, and that call reflected that. I was confident 3 yards or shorter we’d pick up. We just went normal power out of a double-wing set. We gave it to one of our better athletes (Jaquez Ivey), and he made the play.”

Note: Grovetown didn’t score on that possession but drove to Thomson’s 35, gave its defense a rest and scored on the next drive to lead 7-0 going into halftime.

2. What play did you call on the two-point conversion, and what was the scene when Derrick Lane scored?

“We wanted to get the ball to the edge. They were stacking the interior. They had an eight-man box, and they were pinching the D-line a lot during the game, so it was just something we held onto for that moment. We wanted to get Derrick on the perimeter. He’s a tack guy. Jaquez Ivey had the key block. He pancaked the cornerback. It was huge for the kids. They were elated because Grovetown has never won at Thomson. It was good for our kids to experience that win in that environment.”

3. It’s been a remarkable turnaround, to 3-1 vs. 0-4 last season, and you nearly won your other game, a 14-13 loss to Greenbrier. To what do you attribute the improvement?

“Just discipline and accountability. It starts at the top with an administration that allows you to do what’s needed. They knew the vision we had and supported it fully. If they’ve got good habits in the hallways, that’s eventually going to translate onto the field. We’ve sat kids for various reasons. We’ve had kids get referrals (from teachers) on game day and we didn’t dress them. These were starters. So the kids know nobody is an exception. The administration is key. If you have a good admin, you have a chance anywhere.”