Unless Powhatan suddenly becomes a version of the 1963 team, which was the last Indians team to go winless, then sometime this season Powhatan Head Football Coach Jim Woodson will win his 200th game at Powhatan. As Woodson prepares to kick off his 24th season this Friday, Greg Taylor sat down with him to discuss the upcoming season, assess how the team is coming along, and ask him about his opportunity to get win number 200.

Greg Taylor: If you beat Louisa at home in the season opener, it will be your 200th victory at Powhatan. Did you ever think that when you started out in 1985 that you would reach 200 victories?

Jim Woodson: I never really thought about it. When I got the job, I just wanted to coach and enjoy it. My coaches made a huge impression on me and that is why I wanted to get into it. That was Jerry Ward, Bob Baltimore and Ken Nicholas. All three of those guys had a big influence on what I am doing now. When I got into it (coaching), I originally coached basketball first and then an opening came in for football, which is what I really wanted to do and I got it. I just wanted to be successful and try to keep the Powhatan tradition going. That was my goal. I am just proud of the football here at Powhatan. It’s a challenge not only for the coaching staff but for the student-athletes to come in every year. Hey, everybody is expecting us to win and keep the tradition going. That’s the attitude that we are trying to ingrain each year in the kids. We don’t want them hoping to win. We want them coming to the game, taking the field, expecting to win.

GT: You and I had talked in the past about the teamwork and the dedication to the sport that your 1996 team had, that they were always there for each other. If someone was slacking in practice, you wouldn’t have to say anything because the players would respond to one another. Over the years from 1985 to now, how have those players you have coached changed?

JW: Well, it is different. Society is different. There are so many other things to do now. Back then, life was a little bit simpler and was slowed down just a little bit. Now, it is almost easier to say “I am not going to play this year.” It used to be way back, you would say “I am not going to play” and everyone looks around and says “What’s wrong with you?” But there are just so many things to do now.

GT: Have you ever had a season with so much turmoil and drama as this past year where you had many things happen: minor injuries and major injuries with people being out for the year, what happened with Tahliek over the offseason, and people being declared ineligible?

JW: This is the most difficult time that we have had. What makes it so difficult in coaching is if you get the guys to play as hard as they can and we are executing to our best, you are okay, even if you lose, you still feel okay. We don’t like it but we can live with it. But these other things, the injuries and people not being here are things that are out of our control. It is very frustrating because you can’t do anything about it.

GT: As a coach, you are seen to some if not all of your players as a father figure, someone to turn to for advice, someone to guide players. How has losing a player like Tahliek affected you personally?

JW: It really hurts because you work with a young man very, very closely for two years. You laugh with him and fuss with him, you cry with him when things aren’t going good. You have good times, bad times. I had him in class and I spent a lot of time with him. Especially if you are on a team and you work very closely with someone, you get to really see how a person is. You know what he is like and you learn about him and he learns about you and you become close friends. It just hurts; there is nothing else you can say.

GT: What do you think has allowed you to remain so successful over the years and especially since 2001 where you have lost nine games and only scored less than 400 points in a season only once?

JW: Well, I have to give credit to our coaching staff. We have a tremendous coaching staff, very loyal. The majority of the coaches played for me, Linwood Jackson, Jason Campbell and Roger Allen who is volunteering this season. We are very fortunate that we have a tremendous coaching staff that takes pride in Powhatan football. They have played here, so it is just not going through the motions; they are coaching their hearts out. It’s a tradition. They are coaching with a passion to be successful. It is more than just X’s and O’s. We have also been very fortunate that we have had some tremendous athletes come through our program. We have had some great high school players. We have not had the Virginia Tech and UVA full scholarship guy but I would take a Blake Campbell any day of the week, a player who plays his heart out.

GT: The game of football has evolved over the years, new formations and schemes are devised and the players have become bigger, stronger, faster. How have you changed over the course of your career?

JW: I learned too. When I first started, I ran double wing because that is what I knew under Coach Baltimore and Coach Ward. It really wasn’t what I wanted to do. I did spend a couple of years doing that then I progressed on to the wing-T. I really learned the wing-T offense and the first year we put it in we were 8-2 and made the regionals. The more success you have the more you want to go to the next level and to get the next level we had to do a better job passing. I have learned a lot of football and learned how to pass and spread it out. That way you try to get balance. The real key to the balance is having the capability to either run or pass when the situation dictates. The game has evolved to where everyone is spreading out and you have to play in an open area on offense and on defense you have to be able to make plays in the open area when in the past it was more smash mouth football.

GT: Finally, at Powhatan, you wear many hats: athletic director, teacher, coach, counselor, site coordinator. What is the most rewarding aspect of wearing so many hats?

JW: The only thing I can say is you have got to do something and you might as well do something you like doing. I am very fortunate and lucky that I get to do something I love doing. The coaching part I really love but with the athletic [director] part now, it is like I am coaching all the teams. I have an input in all the teams and I am getting better at it. When I first started, it was hard to divide your focus and now I have got all the teams. I am just trying to help out every team and I am really enjoying it.