Dunwoody football coach on how defense went from question mark to cornerstone
Today’s Four Questions interviewee is Dunwoody football coach Matt Schmitz, whose team will play undefeated Heritage of Conyers on Friday at North DeKalb Stadium for the Region 4-6A championship. The Wildcats (7-1, 6-0) have won seven in a row since a last-minute 23-21 loss to Centennial in the season opener. Schmitz was Dunwoody’s offensive coordinator for three seasons before taking over the program in 2025. The Wildcats, who won a state championship in 1993, are seeking their first region title since 2008. Excitement is high at the school, which next fall will move into the 3,000-seat Ryan Seacrest Stadium, DeKalb County’s first on-campus stadium.
1. Last year you made the playoffs and this year you’re playing for a region championship. What’s been the difference-maker for continued progress?
“We’ve kind of stuck to a plan that we had once I took over last March. We had some success last year, continuing what coach (Michael) Nash had gotten started. This senior class has made the playoffs four years in a row, and that’s the first time that’s happened since 1993-96. We’ve kind of been making the playoffs but haven’t gotten past the first round. When you finish third or fourth in the region, you face some heavy hitters in the first round. We had Lee County, Hughes and Gainesville back-to-back-to-back.”
Note: Nash was head coach from 2015-2024 and took the team to the playoffs in 2023 and 2024. He resigned in February 2025 to become head coach at Chattahoochee County and died at age 51 on Oct. 3, 2025, after complications following emergency liver surgery.
2. Although he is uncommitted, Bradley Stephens has become one of the top running backs in the state. What has he done to grow and emerge?
“He’s especially been good these last three weeks. He’s put the team on his back and has had some huge numbers. The thing about Bradley is that he is so consistent. I think his best football attribute is his balance. He’s always moving forward and running behind his pads. Technically, I guess he’s a little undersized (5-foot-9, 175 pounds), but he doesn’t run like it. He’s averaging close to 10 yards a touch and I think almost half his touchdowns are in the 40-plus-yard range, so the big-play ability is there. He plays tough. He’s a special ballplayer.”
Note: Stephens has rushed for 1,587 yards and 21 touchdowns and caught 18 passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns. He has 879 yards over the last three games, including 316 against Decatur.
3. What has been the most pleasant surprise this season?
“We have had a lot of people step up on our offensive line. In our first game we lost our big right tackle (Grant Pearch) and he was able to come back for a game, but he’s out again. Our offensive line has been a puzzle. There’s been about seven guys that have played, and we’ve had to move them all across the line. So just to see how they have grown up every week, it’s just been really cool, especially with the team that runs the ball so much. Bradley will be the first to tell you, it’s all their work up front that lets him get started.”
Note: Pearch (6-5, 290) is committed to play football at Penn.
4. How has the defense, which was basically starting over, progressed to become a point of strength?
“We had eight new starters coming in and our defense is playing lights out. Our corners are playing really well — junior Duke White, who also plays some running back, and junior Aaden Smith. Those guys on the outside, we feel confident in them, and they allow us to play some man coverage on the outside, which allows us to do a lot of things in the box. They’ve really stepped up. It was brand new coming in, and it was big question mark how everything was going to meld over there. We knew we had talent. They’re young and hungry, but you never know until you see them do things on Friday night.”
Note: Dunwoody is using co-defensive coordinators this season: Dale Myers, who is also the assistant head coach, and Deion Wilkins, who calls the play on the field.