Breaking Down Match Coverage Rules with Coach Dawson Mitchell

The Board Drill Podcast - Ep. 13 | Dawson Mitchell | Match Coverage

In this episode, Kyle and Matt are joined by Coach Dawson Mitchell (@CoachMitchell48), the linebackers coach at Cartersville High School. Coach Mitchell walks us through how his defense runs 2-Read coverage, how they teach their DBs to handle common route combos, and what pattern-matching looks like in a high school setting.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro and how Kyle connected with Coach Mitchell
2:00 - Cartersville’s base coverage philosophy
3:15 - Coaching 2-Read: teaching DBs to read 2-to-1
5:40 - How they handle double slant and smash routes
8:25 - Matching routes vs. spot-dropping: what they emphasize
10:00 - Teaching eyes, leverage, and hip turns
13:45 - Adjusting to different offensive tendencies week to week
16:30 - Why they don’t pedal their corners
18:05 - Differences between 2-Read, Palms, and Quarters
21:10 - Practical drills and how they rep it in practice
24:00 - Final thoughts on teaching coverage at the high school level

This is a pure football episode. No slides. No fluff. Just straight-up ball talk.

Subscribe for more in-depth breakdowns and interviews with coaches across the country.