Coach Q&A: Boardman's D.J. Ogilvie

You would think that the experience of coaching at a small school like United Local versus being the head guy at Division I Boardman would be totally different.

But while there are obvious differences — more kids, opponents from bigger schools and a bigger budget — according to Boardman coach D.J. Ogilvie, when it comes down to it, football is still football.

“There aren’t as many differences as you would think,” said Ogilvie, who spent several seasons at United before returning to his alma mater in 2004. “No matter what level you are coaching or playing on, it still comes down to blocking and tackling.

“The biggest difference is that instead of just 45 or 50 kids, you have maybe 75 kids to work with. You have more coaches, so you can spread out the responsibilities a little bit. But even though you have more kids, so do the other teams you are playing, so it’s all relative.”

Q: Boardman played Mooney to open the season this year. Are there any other local teams we might see you play in the near future?

A: “People want us to play local teams, but a lot of schools won’t play us. Obviously, we just played Mooney and we’d like to keep them on the schedule for a long time. But right now, there are no other local rivalries in the works.”

“Others say, ‘Why don’t you play Glenville, St. Ignatius and Mooney every year.’ That’s ridiculous when you play in a league like ours. You want to play tough opponents, but you have to schedule smart so you aren’t beat up before the league starts.”

Q: What is your satisfaction level with the Federal League?

A: I can only speak for football, but it a tough league — I think 1 through 8, it is the best league in the state. Team 8 can beat Team 1 on any given week, so you have to bring your ‘A’ game every week. When we were in the Steel Valley, we played some of the Federal League teams because we knew the competition would be strong. The difference between teams is so minute.

Q: What opposing team’s stadium to enjoy playing in the most?

A: Well, obviously whenever you play at the Hall of Fame [Fawcett Stadium], it is special because you’re playing where the NFL teams are playing. But for me personally, I like the atmosphere at Lake’s stadium. I like how it sits down in, and there is always a good crowd. We’ve also had some success there recently, so that helps.

Q: If you weren’t coaching football, what else could you see yourself doing?

A: Growing up, my Dad was a teacher and a coach, and I basically lived in a locker room after school. So spending that much time around football, I really knew nothing else. When I was in college and it was time to declare a major, teaching and coaching was my obvious choice.

Q: Recently, Michigan was being investigated for allegations that it went over the limit for hours spent on football activities. Are there such limits in high school football and how do you manage your team’s practice time?

A: There are no rules on how many hours you can spend. On our big days, we spend about three hours on the field. But none of that time includes lifting or scouting or watching film. I was fortunate to work as an assistant under some pretty good coaches, so some of what I do as far as a practice schedule I’ve copied from them.

Q: What does the D.J. stand for?

A: David John. Ever since I was born, that’s what everyone has always called me, so I don’t know anything else.