Today’s interviewee is Dacula coach Casey Vogt, whose team defeated Johns Creek 35-0 last week in the Class 6A quarterfinals. Dacula will play at Hughes on Friday in the semifinals. Dacula started 1-3, losing to three Class 7A opponents, but has lost only once since, to No. 1-ranked Buford. Vogt is in his first season as Dacula’s coach. He had been a college coach for 20 seasons, most recently at Mercer from 2013 to 2019.
Casey Vogt, Dacula head coach
1. Dacula was a four-point underdog against Johns Creek, according to the computer Maxwell Ratings, but won by 35. What happened? “Watching tape, I hadn’t seen anybody just take the ball and hammer it right at them, so I told the coaches and players to make sure we secure the ball to start the game, and we wanted to set the tone that we were going to run the football. We had a 10-play drive, and I believe we ran every single play, and we punched it in. We botched the snap and hold on the extra point and picked it up and threw for a conversion and led 8-0. Even when we screwed up, something good happened, and that was an indication of how our night was going to be. We kicked off and pinned them deep and forced a three-and-out and got the ball back and went on a seven-play drive. They’d run three plays, and we’d run 15 and we led 15-0, and our kids didn’t look back. We just built off that momentum, and it was 35-0 at halftime.”
2. Dacula got off to a 1-3 start. Some of that was the schedule (Brookwood, Mill Creek, Mountain View), but you’re obviously playing better now. What’s changed since early season? “It was my first time as a head coach. There were a lot of things that I needed to evaluate and adjust, from pregame meals to the way we meet with players to the way we lifted weights. I think we’ve got the right recipe now. When the season started, we had five brand new offensive linemen and had a new quarterback. We had to break them in and season them the right way. The other part is Kyle Efford. We didn’t want him to carry the ball 20 times a game. In years past, he’s done that and played a lot of defense. This year, he’s played mostly defense until the playoffs.” [Playing more extensively on both sides now, Efford scored three touchdowns and intercepted a pass against Johns Creek. He rushed for 187 yards and threw a touchdown pass the previous round against Brunswick. Efford is committed to Georgia Tech.]
3. From the experience of a 20-year college coach, what is your best advice to high school players looking to be recruited? “One of the things I always looked at was their attendance in school. A lot of kids think if they’re just a good player that they can go anywhere they want. That’s not the case. College coaches look at them as an investment, and too many kids think grades are not that important. One of my slogans is ‘Good is not good enough.’ In our society, a [grade of] C is good, but it’s not good enough. Recruiting is as competitive as it’s ever been. It used to be high school kids against high school kids. Now its high school kids against the portal. It’s not enough to be good.”
4. You made the transition to high school coaching in 2020 at Northside of Warner Robins, then came to Dacula. Is this what you’d hoped and expected it would be? “I prayed a lot about it with my wife, and I wanted to make the best decision for my family and kids. I’m at practice last night, and I had several college coaches there. They’re in a hotel, and I’m going home to see my wife and kids. I’d been in their shoes for 20 years. There’s only one opportunity to raise your kids. At my age, that part has been a good thing. There are still things I have to get used to. At the college level, you rarely have the need to communicate with parents. In high school, the parents want to know what’s going on, and I’m continuing each day trying to do a better job at that.”
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