This week I was able to get in touch with and interview Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week and Lakewood High running back Divon Woods.(Right) We discussed his feelings on being named Hines Furniture Athlete of the week; his plans with finishing his senior year strong, and his future in football after high school.
Divon throughout his first 2 games put up 170 yards on 23 carries averaging 7.4 yards per carry and 160 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown on 8.8 yards a carry with a 70 yard touchdown that was called back. Putting up those numbers earned him Hines Furniture Athlete of the week. So the first thing we talked about was his feelings on earning this award. He mentioned how much an honor winning this was for him with all the abundance of talent in the area, and saying “This is just the start of an amazing season…” hinting that this is just the beginning of a great season. With Divon going relatively under the radar in previous seasons; I was curious to see if these recent performances came as a surprise for him. “I always expect to do my best…” he said. He went on to say how his own knowledge of the amount of work he’s putting in and it translating to the field gives him a boost in confidence by showing himself what he’s capable of. With this being his senior year; I then asked him about how he plans to finish his high school career. He replied with wanting to break the school rushing record and wanting to do memorable things so he’s remembered even after graduating, but also mentioned those things will come and putting an emphasis on focusing to play his best games and creating more opportunities for himself while continuing to get better and striving to play at the next level. Lastly I wanted to know can it be discouraging for a player like himself with aspirations to play at the next level, plus with his high school career closing but not have any immediate security with a college career. He admitted that it can be discouraging with seeing his peers receive more offers and figuring out their futures after high school, but he added he’s a firm believer in letting things happen “On Gods timing” to prevent from dwelling on it too much while mentioning he’s doing everything he has to do on and off the field to ensure he’s ready and prepared when that opportunity comes.
I’ve known Divon since we were kids going back to our days in summer camp and growing up on the same basketball team. Divon has always been a hard worker and a very smart guy. I’m really rooting for Divon and hope this year will be the year he shows what he’s truly capable of and put himself on the map. I appreciate Divon for being my first football related story and allowing me to interview him and I hope he continues to be great and put on for himself.
Ojore Brown