Today’s interviewee is Woodstock coach Dan Devine, whose team defeated 20-point favorite Creekview 28-21 last week. Woodstock is 5-1, the Wolverines’ best start since 2000. They had lost 22 consecutive games when they hired Devine before the 2023 season. He had been West Forsyth’s defensive coordinator. Devine’s first Woodstock team was 2-8. Devine has been a Georgia head coach one other time, at North Springs, where his team was 6-5 in his lone season after finishing 1-9 the year before. Devine is from Yorktown, N.Y., and played college football at Gardner-Webb.
1. Tell us about the Creekview game. How was it won? “The Creekview game was a huge moment in our current season but also in our football history here at Woodstock. Having never beaten them in our history and this one being such a big region game, we were so proud of our players and coaches and their efforts on Saturday. With the hurricane and weather bumping it to Saturday, our players never wavered and gave great effort for four quarters. Our players have really responded all year and have been focused on each task at hand. By no means have we done anything yet, but we are proud of how far we’ve come thus far.”
2. What has the 5-1 start meant to the school? What’s the reaction been like in the community? “The win not only was a big one in the region standings. I think it also shows that we can compete in it. We knew going in we would have to play a sound and mistake-free game, and our guys responded. The response from our administration, community and alumni has been amazing, with players and coaches from nearly a decade ago reaching out in support. Pretty awesome to see.”
3. You inherited a Woodstock team that had lost 22 games in a row. What were the most important things that you and your staff did that have translated into a 5-1 record in less than two years? “I think when we got here, we realized the first thing the program needed was a culture shift. It needed to get back to old-school roots starting with the weight room and strength-and-conditioning program. Our administration was super supportive of that and made it an easy transition to get most of our guys in classes together to all be on the same page. The next thing was an on-the-field culture – learning how to practice, how to practice at the speed we wanted and following a structured practice environment. The in-game stuff is where it takes a little time – learning how to be in games at first, learning how to make crucial plays in big spots and learning how to finish games. That’s something that’s hard to duplicate in practice. So, in year one it was teaching all those things. Getting the two victories last year was big for morale, and heading into this year we knew we were talented. We just needed to put it all together.”
4. You’re from New York, and you’ve had stops in between making it to Georgia. What brought you here? “We won back-to-back state championships in high school, so winning from a young age was there for me. I played college ball in North Carolina and pretty much stayed down south the rest of my career. I started my teaching and coaching career in the Charlotte area and made my way down to Georgia in 2012, where I started as the defensive coordinator at Alpharetta. In my opinion, Georgia is the best state for high school football in the country.”
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