Today’s interviewee is South Atlanta coach Michael Woolridge, whose team defeated Lovett 34-33 last week. The game was decided on an untimed two-point conversion attempt that South Atlanta stopped. Woolridge, in his first season at South Atlanta, was 29-23 over five seasons at alma mater Hardaway, which had won only seven games in the five seasons before he arrived.
Michael Woolridge, South Atlanta head coach
1. Exciting game Friday. What were the big plays or turning points? “It was a very hard-fought, tough game against a well-coached formidable opponent. We were actually ahead 34-20 with about 5:30 left in the game. Our kickoff kicker shanked the kickoff and set Lovett up with great field position at midfield. Lovett took advantage of the short field and scored on the drive. On the ensuing kickoff, they recovered an onside kick with about 2:30 minutes left in the game. They scored a few plays later on a hook and ladder, a great play call. The turning point of the game was when they elected to go for two to win the game on the extra-point attempt. Fortunately, we had great coverage on the sniffer out the backfield, and the throw was underthrown, which left us victorious. God is great!”
2. What did the victory mean to your team? And was the fact that Lovett won last year a motivation? “This win just validated everything we have been preaching to the kids. The coaching staff, administrative staff, teachers and school personnel have been constantly telling these young men they are great and can achieve academically and athletically at high levels if they put their minds to it. We knew Lovett with Coach [Mike] Muschamp was a well-coached and disciplined football team, and we told the boys all week we would have to play our A game and four quarters of football to have an opportunity to win the game. We were highly motivated because it was the first region game and, most importantly, the next game. We love the attention, but we realize we must stay hungry and humble because there’s a lot of football left to be played. We have a very tough region, and we play Pace Academy Friday, which will be another tough game. This victory is for the school and the community.”
3. You had a good job at Hardaway and turned that program around. Why did you come to South Atlanta? “I had a great situation at Hardaway. I had two Power 5 players and had taken a team that had won one game in two years to three consecutive playoffs. I left for two reasons, mainly. My youngest son has sickle cell, and his hematologist in Columbus left to take a job in a rural area. This left me and my wife driving to Atlanta every few months for his checkups. We decided moving to Atlanta would place him around the best blood doctors in the nation. My wife is also into politics and business, and Atlanta would provide her the opportunities to propel her career to new heights. One of the final reasons was South Atlanta having a young team that had won a region title the previous year. We will return 20 out of 22 starters next year, and a lot of the players had started as sophomores on the region championship team. South Atlanta was a gold mine and checked off on every box. I’m so glad to be here.”
4. Keyjuan Brown, GHSF Daily’s state Player of the Week, had a great game. What does he do that makes him so effective in terms of skill set? “Keyjuan Brown is a versatile back that can do everything on the field. He has strength, power, speed and most importantly football IQ. Keyjuan is also a punter, kick returner and kickoff specialist. Keyjuan Brown is the most underrated running back in the state. He is averaging 194 rushing yards per game and 25 yards receiving. The best attribute of Keyjuan is his humbleness. He lets his play do his talking and is always uplifting his teammates. He is a young man of high character. Keyjuan holds offers from Arkansas and Virginia and is only a junior. Keyjuan is like a chess piece you can put anywhere on the field and he will make it happen.”
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