Neptune Beach FL- As new head football coach Ciatrick Fason was introduced to the Fletcher Football team, there was one consensus thought amongst many around the team and the area, “finally”. Fason, who played football at Fletcher High School from 1998-2001, set county records as the all time leading rusher in Duval County (7,479 yards and 96 touchdowns) . He rushed for a record 2,292 yards in 1999 as a sophomore. As a Fletcher assistant, he coached the only other Fletcher running back to eclipse the 2,000 yard mark in school history, Myles Montgomery (2,124 yds) in 2019. He’d later go on to play collegiate football at the University of Florida, and be drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2005. His accomplishments as a player and as an assistant coach span over two decades, and finally he has the job he’s long awaited.
Said Fason “It feels great to be back home, and in a position that I have wanted since I started coaching high school football. We are a young team, but being young allows me to build the culture how I want it”.
Fason takes over for former head coach Bobby Raulerson, who was arrested on domestic battery charges in early July 2021. That event prompted Fletcher’s administration to make a phone call to Fason, who was currently serving as an assistant coach at First Coast High School. A culture change was needed, a hire that sprang hope was needed, and Fletcher offered the job to the home town hero.
Fason has been a visible part of the community at the beach, starting a non profit organization (Star Ready Gators) that provide several youth sports for kids. He’s also mentored several players around Northeast Florida with athletic training, and college recruitment assistance. If there was one guy built for the job, it’s him.
The hire doesn’t leave Fason with much time to build a staff and implement his philosophy as one would expect. Fall practice begins in just one week (August 2nd, 2021), and their first game is less than a month away (August 20th, 2021) against Creekside. Fletcher went 6-3 last year under Raulerson and lost leading rusher Myles Montgomery (Cincinnati) along with several other seniors. However, they bring back 3-star defensive end Aaron Hester (Florida State commit) who will lead a unit motivated to play for one of the best to ever do it, now Head Coach Ciatrick Fason.
