Ponte Vedra Fl- In one of the most exciting games of the District tournaments, Fletcher High pulled off a wild comeback to beat Fleming Island 13-12 and punch their ticket to the District 3-3A championship game. Fletcher came into the contest 12-2 and the Gateway Conference champions. While Fleming Island came into the game 11-2 on the season led by head coach Clint Lyons.
Things didn’t look good early for the Senators. In the first half, Fleming Island came out strong, scoring twice to take a 12-0 lead. First, Devyn Dudones launched a deep pass to Emily Poucher for a big touchdown. Then, Dudones ran it in herself from just one yard out in the second quarter. At halftime, it looked like Fleming Island was in control.
But Fletcher wasn’t ready to give up.
In the third quarter, the Senators came alive. Quarterback Jasmine Cross found Racheal McCroy on a short pass that got Fletcher on the board. That gave them the spark they needed. Said McCroy of her touchdown out of the half, “never lose focus of the game, and keep an open mind”. She repeated the words of her head coach Bradley Ashmore.
Jasmine Cross to Racheal McCroy for the score! Fletcher is back in it!!! Trialing Fleming Island 12-6 end of 3rd! District playoff! pic.twitter.com/n1RokFGPg1
— Duval Sports (@DuvalSports) April 16, 2025
With just two minutes left in the game, the pressure was on. Fletcher drove down the field, needing a touchdown and a one-point conversion to win. And they delivered. First, Jasmine Cross hit Arabella Thomas on a long 30-yard pass connection to set up Fletcher in prime scoring position.
@duvalsports WR Arabella Thomas makes an incredible catch on a pass from QB Jasmine Cross in The FHSAA 3-3A District Semifinal!
♬ original sound – Duval Sports
Then Cross once again connected with McCroy for another short touchdown, this time in the corner of the endzone. That made the score 12-12. Said Cross of her teammate “she does a great job of finding open space, I threw it to her and when she ran in the endzone I knew we had a chance to win”.
Fletcher still needed one more play. On the two-point try, Cross rolled out to her right, turned on the jets, and outran the Fleming Island defenders to the pylon. Just like that, Fletcher took the lead 13-12. Jasmine Cross talked about the 1-point play after the game. ” my running back Helena ( Helena Jeager) she’s my emotional support she kept saying I believe in you, and I just had to run it in and that’s what I did”.
Still, the game wasn’t over. Fleming Island, known for their late-game magic with four game-winning drives this season, had one last chance. They had a full minute and 60 yards to go.
But this time, the Senators’ defense stood strong. After a big sack, Fleming Island was desperate. Then came the final dagger—Fletcher linebacker Finley Schulze picked off a pass to seal the win.
With the victory, Fletcher now moves on to face Bartram Trail in the District 3-3A championship. Bartram defeated Ponte Vedra 12-7 in their district semifinal contest. After such a thrilling finish for Fletcher, one thing’s for sure—don’t count the Senators out, no matter the score.
