Perfect Endings: The best 160 to ever take the mat in Ohio, Colt Sponseller, is an easy choice for 2007 Wrestler of the Year: Derrick Fletcher nabs Coach of the Year Accolades in Final Season


(above): Colt Sponseller on his way to "breaking" state 3rd place finisher Phil Dukes at Top Gun. Photo credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News.

It is unmistakable.

From the first time you see him compete, there is something different about Colt Sponseller.  A different intensity.  A different level of “will to win”.  He just has that undefinable “something.” That “something”, I think can best be defined as passion to compete in its purest form.  Driven by that desire to excel, Sponseller has created for himself a style of relentless attacks.  Relentless, perhaps is not a strong enough word for it.  From the moment the whistle blows until the moment the official raises his arm, there is never a break. Not for an instant.  Sponseller’s overwhelming intensity breaks opponents unlike any wrestler I can ever recall watching in this state.  There is nothing complicated, nothing unorthodox about his attacks, just sound basics performed from perfect positioning- at a “pace” that virtually nobody can maintain for the entire six minutes. 

At the end of the day, Colt Sponseller finished his brilliant career as a three-time state champion, very rare in the middleweights. More impressive, only two of his twelve matches were “decisions”, and only one of those matches was close- against Josh Rohler, and even then, it was close on the scoreboard only, not in the wrestling itself.  Basically, Colt Sponseller has been unchallenged in the “Schott” for three straight years.

More important, perhaps, is that for the past two seasons, Sponseller won the most highly-anticipated match of the year- last year it was against Rohler, this year it was over three-time Division I state champion Sean Nemec.  In an unforgettable bout, Sponseller responded with six unanswered takedowns after a premature first takedown was awarded to Nemec.

However, the “naysayers” continued to point to Sponseller’s lack of credentials against out-of-state competitors.  So it took a brilliant performance at senior nationals to put it all in perspective- and  Sponseller delivered exactly that.  While it would have been nice to see him against a Michael Chaires or a Jason Welch (the nation’s best junior) Sponseller did have to beat Justin Zeerip, a four-time state champion who entered with a 260-0 career record, in the semis, and then dispatched two-time New York state champion Paul Paddock 15-6 in the finals.  In typical Sponseller style, Paddock was completely “broken” by the end- so much so that if there were another minute to this match we may have had a technical fall.  (To see this match go to: http://www.flocasts.com/flowrestling/hs2007.php)

In 1988, the OHSAA changed the weight classes, creating the 160 lb. weight class.  In the 20 years that have followed, many great wrestlers have competed in this weight class- most notably, this was the weight class for Johnny McGhee, Steve Luke, Rick Hepp, and Dave Rella; all senior national champions like Sponseller.  In my view (and remember that Marcus Mollica was a 171 his senior year) Sponseller is the best of this great group.  Ohio wrestling fans are truly fortunate to have the opportunity to watch the career of the West Holmes senior progress at Ohio State.

While Sponseller taking Wrestler of the Year Accolades was a no-brainer, the rest of the picks here, with the exception of 171 and 189, were not so easy: 

145 LBS: OWS PICK: COBY BOYD

1. Coby Boyd
2. Kevin Hardy
3. Jesse Dong
4. Kirk Tank
5. Dan Gonsor
6. Danny Michaels
7. Ryan Andreas
8. Devin Marrone
9. David Stiltner
10. Roshawn Jones
11. Tyler Wagers
12. Brett Ewing
13. Eric Gobin
14. Jared Lijoi
15. Kevin Cloran
16. Justin Gooden
17. Derrick Hill
18. Trevor Davis
19. Jeb Pencil
20. Chris Burns
21. Cory Carlo
22. Thomas Windom
23. Billy Painter
24. Joe Skaggs
25. Mike D'Allesandro

If I had to pick three match-ups I would like to have seen this year, Coby Boyd vs. Kevin Hardy without question makes the list.  Kevin Hardy has a career record of 16-1 at the state tournament.  Only four wrestlers have a more impressive placement record in Division I- Willie Wineberg (1-1-1-1) Ryan Lang (1-1-1-1), Lance Palmer (1-1-1-1), Clint Musser (1-1-2-1) and Sean Nemec (2-1-1-1) with Alan Fried’s being equal (3-1-1-1)  And yet, the choice of Boyd is not a difficult one for me here.  The fact is that Boyd’s track record of beating nationally elite wrestlers is just much more extensive than Hardy’s, including a win over 4x Missouri State Champ Shane Nay this year.  While he did make All-American, perhaps if Hardy had placed a bit higher at NHSCA (he took 8th), I would have made a different decision.

The stylistic contrast between these two wrestlers is stark.  Hardy is a skilled mat wrestler who uses his leverage to win.  Boyd is a brawler who overpowers the opposition, often with his “Cowcatcher”- better known in Ohio circles as the “Coby Boyd”.  This move is an automatic “six” when Boyd locks it up.

#3 was a close call between state runner-ups Jesse Dong and Kirk Tank.  I went with Dong on the strength of his two impressive wins over Dan Gonsor and his very good showing in the toughest weight at NHSCA Juniors.  Tank also defeated Gonsor, but did so, in my view, on the strength of a questionable call by the official.  Also very impressive were Dong’s three wins over Division I State third-place finisher Ryan Andreas: 7-2, 9-3, 19-3.  By comparison, Tank beat Andreas 5-4 at Medina.  Dong is quick with a great offense and can scramble.  Provided he goes to 152 (where he will avoid Jameson and Habat) I have difficulty not seeing him winning a state title next year.

#4 Kirk Tank is a very steady wrestler who makes very few mistakes.  I don’t know that he has had a “bad loss” in his entire career.  His three straight decisive wins over Danny Michaels of Clyde said a lot for him, as did the fact that he scored a fall and two major decisions in his state matches prior to the finals.  In the finals, Tank fell victim to the “Coby Boyd”.

#5 Dan Gonsor is the blue-collar man’s wrestler- not gifted with tremendous athleticism, he simply outworks his opponents, and has learned the “art” of throwing in the boots and cranking a brutal power half from former teammate Lance Palmer well.  If Gonsor gets an early takedown, the match is virtually over, as the punishment his opponent will endure for the remainder of the period will “greatly reduce his will to win” as Wade Schalles used to say.

(above): State Champs Eric Cubberly and Jedd Moore will likely meet many more times in the near future. Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News

152 LBS: OWS PICK: ERIC CUBBERLY

1. Eric Cubberly
2. Jedd Moore
3. Thomas Straughn
4. James Myers
5. Tommy Weinkam
6. Muhammad Abdur-Rahman
7. Jared Kusar
8. Alex Croasman
9. Colton Collett
10. Chris Kline
11. Scott Elliott
12. James Mannier
13. Robel Campbell
14. Ryan Thatcher
15. Bryan Skoff
16. Eric Reer
17. Zach Garbrandt
18. Travis Erdman
19. Geary Galllik
20. Tyler Mickley
21. Hunter Pool
22. Adam Harris
23. Matt Morley
24. Gabe Garcia
25. Kyle Kwiat

At this weight, Ohio has three outstanding state champions, all who are easily in the top 20 in the nation, and possibly the top ten.  There isn’t a point difference between these three- any of them could beat any on any given day, and frankly, I have had all in the #1 spot at some point while writing this article.

The best wrestler of this group is Thomas Straughn.  I’m just not sure he is the best 152. It cannot be seriously disputed that Straughn would have been better-suited for 145.   Even his long-time personal coach, Tom Roehlig, stated in an interview on this site that Straughn would wrestle “141 or 149” this year.  http://www.ohiowrestlingsite.com/articles/article67.php

I anticipate that the choice of Cubberly could be the most heavily criticized on this list.  It cannot be disputed that Jedd Moore got the better of their two matches this season.  Though the wrestlers split, Cubberly’s win over Moore was controversial whereas Moore’s win over Cubberly was by fall. 

However, a couple of things made me pick Cubberly ultimately.  Cubberly did defeat Moore at FILA Cadets last spring in freestyle, meaning he has won two of their last three matches.  Second, Cubberly’s performance against national competition this year has been more impressive.  Cubberly defeated nationally-ranked Johnny Koepp and NHSCA Seniors National fourth-place finisher Frankie McLaughlin at the Super 32 Challenge in the preseason, while Moore finished a disappointing 7th at NHSCA Juniors (though he did defeat the eventual 3rd place finisher convincingly). 

Straughn also had another brilliant season, losing only to Eric Medina  of Blair Academy.  However, what gave Cubberly and Moore the slightest of edges was the fact that Straughn had (slightly) more close bouts than Cubberly and Moore.  While Cubberly tended to destroy the second-tier guys (Fall in :20 over #12 Mannier, 14-3 over #18 Erdman, 22-5 over #9 Collett) and Moore tended to dominate them as well (12-4 over Erdman, 14-5 and 11-4 over #13 Campbell, 21-6 over #14 Thatcher, 14-6 and 15-7 over #18 Gallik), Straughn tended to have close matches a bit more often, probably as a result of being light for the weight. A “thin” basis on which to make a decision, to be sure (and part of me says that Straughn is enough of a “gamer” that he would pull it out against either) but it’s just a very close call.  In a weight this close, Straughn’s preseason loss to Jared Kusar must be taken into account as well (though he avenged it in overtime at M.I.T.).

Wrestlers #4 through #7 are as even as the top three.  It’s tough to put Jared Kusar as low as #7, part of me wants to have him at #4.  Look for this powerful wrestler to rebound with a state title next season.  Tommy Weinkam was one of the “bright spots” for Ohio at NHSCA Senior Nationals, finishing 7th.  Weinkam is very consistent and difficult to score on, and in fact gave the champion, Tim Darling, by far his closest match.  Abdur-Rahman must be ranked ahead of Weinkam since he beat him twice head-to-head.  It’s a very close call, but I have James Myers- who was unbeaten until the state finals, ahead of both.  It’s true that Myers did not place at Senior Nationals (coming a match away), but both wrestlers who defeated him finished ahead of Weinkam as well. 

160 LBS: OWS PICK: COLT SPONSELLER

1. Colt Sponseller
2. Sean Nemec
3. Derek Foore
4. Steve Wilson
5. Mike Mahon
6. Mazin Shalash
7. Phil Dukes
8. Zac Thomusseit
9. Ross Tice
10. Nick Mills
11. David Fisher
12. Keith Witt
13. Jeff Green
14. Kasey McCurdy
15. Matt Coleman
16. Kyle Haddox
17. Brock Sowers
18. A.J. Muscaro
19. Ross Ambrose
20. Derrick Yant
21. Kyle Raber
22. Aric Thurn
23. Collin Heasley
24. J.J. Pankewicz
25. Andrew Scavuzzo

#2 Sean Nemec completes the most successful career of any Division I wrestler in state history that did not begin their career at 103.  Only a fluke loss to a wrestler he had majored decision previously his freshman year prevented him from winning four state titles.  Injuries apparently will keep him out of action until next season, but suffice it to say that Palmer-Nemec-Sponseller will be a virtual “murderer’s row” in the middleweights for many years to come at Ohio State.

#3 Derek Foore has the dubious distinction of being the first wrestler to lose to the same opponent (Nemec) in the state finals three consecutive years.  One of the strongest wrestlers “pound-for-pound” in the state, it would have been good to see Foore at Senior Nationals, where I think he would have been a sure-fire All-American.

#4 Steve Wilson is one of the wrestlers whose “stock” rose the most in my view.  After the top three, there is a very solid group of wrestlers here in the #5-14 range that could beat each other (and have) on any given day- but Wilson is a clear step ahead of that group in my view.  A very explosive wrestler who can “throw” when he needs to, Wilson’s runner-up finish at NHSCA Juniors showed how much he has progressed in the last year.

(above): Dustin Kilgore and Jeremy Foster (meeting here at Top Gun) are two of the most talented upperweights in the state. Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News

171 LBS: OWS PICK: BRIAN RODDY
1. Brian Roddy
2. Dustin Kilgore
3. Cody Magrum
4. Jeremy Foster
5. David Thompson
6. Dean Gaier
7. Hunter Reed
8. Caleb Kennedy
9. Jerry Robinson
10. John Sinchok
11. Angelo Mauro
12. Brad McKinely
13. Jake Brown
14. Ryan Saks
15. Blaine Klaus
16. Kurt Wolff
17. Bruce Griffin
18. Joey Inks
19. Spencer Adams
20. Cody Cheatham
21. Jeremy Sanders
22. Nick Sasfy
23. Aaron Donze
24. Cody Lamberg
25. Shawn Roeder

This weight features an outstanding group of four competitors, three of whom are juniors, that have traded wins the past two years.

Despite what an outstanding group this is, the choice for #1 can only be St. Edward junior Brian Roddy.  Sometimes when I watch this wrestler compete, it occurs to me that Urbas, Heffernan, and Leonard somehow created this wrestler in a laboratory to destroy opponents- the epitome of the word “machine”, Roddy seems to have zero mental weakness as he mercilessly destroys opponent after opponent.  The results speak for themselves:

11-3 over Derek Foore (3x State Runner-up)
18-6 over Corey Peltier (Cadet National and Beast of the East Champ)
Default (with a large lead) and 15-6 over Dean Gaier
16-5 over David Thompson (state 2nd)
Fall over Angelo Mauro (state 4th)
15-6 over Kurt Wolff (state 2nd 2006)
19-4 Tech Fall over Jerry Robinson (State 4th)

Almost all points yielded were escapes. Throw in a 9-4 win over Pennsylvania State Champ Rob Waltko, and a 4-3 win over New Jersey champ Trongone and you have possibly the best junior season since Dustin Schlatter, and oh yeah, he beat Dustin Kilgore. In stark contrast to his brutal style of wrestling, Roddy is an excellent student as well, making him very likely the top recruit in Ohio next year.

(above): Brian Roddy hammered the excellent Dean Gaier in both meetings this year. Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News

#2 Dustin Kilgore may be the slickest upperweight I have seen compete since Mike Buddie- and in many ways he remains an untapped talent in my view.  The one weakness that Kilgore seems to have is that he can be put to his back- as Foster, Foore, and most recently, Justin Danz of California showed.  Kilgore’s loss by fall to Danz was frustrating in that he seemed to be the better wrestler in building a 4-2 lead in the first period, only to get caught in a cradle and pinned quickly in the second.  It would have been interesting to see how he would have matched up with Kirk Smith, one of the top seniors in the nation.  I think that Kilgore’s style could potentially have created problems for many of the nation’s best- he is very, very difficult to beat in a takedown battle (though Roddy succeeded in doing so), so if he can avoid the big move, he has a good chance against anyone in my view- Smith and #1 (four-time Illinois and two-time Ironman champ) Mike Benefiel included in that group.

#3 Cody Magrum of Oak Harbor is difficult to know where to “fit” into the rankings.  Magrum missed most of the season after his big Ironman win over Roddy, and upon his return, was beaten 8-0 by Foster. The rematch never came, as Foster was upset by David Thompson. Magrum followed that up with some nice wins at NHSCA Juniors where he reached the finals, falling to another of California’s great 171’s (Hunter Collins) 3-1.  Though he does have the win over Roddy, the rest of his results (such as 7-4 over Sinchok and 3-1 over Thompson who Roddy beat 16-5) do not indicate that he is consistently at quite the level that win would suggest.  The way things are shaping up, however, Magrum should be unstoppable at 189 next year.

#4 Jeremy Foster has got to be frustrating for Eastwood Coach Ralph Cubberly.  Blessed with great strength, speed, and uncanny mat instincts, he has put together some brilliant performances over the past two years (fall over Kilgore, 8-0 over Magrum).  Yet every time I think he is ready to step up and become one of the dominant upperweights in this state, he has an unexplainable loss.  Really, does anyone outside of Graham think Thompson is better than Foster?  I watched Foster completely manhandle him last year at state duals, but a more tentative Foster fell to Thompson 3-2 in the state semifinals this year.  Foster rebounded with two convincing major decisions over tough opponents to finish third.  For the first time, Foster is wrestling freestyle this spring and seems to be doing well.  It will be very interesting to see how the career of this great talent pans out.

(above): Though his season wasn't all many thought it would be, John Weakley of CVCA did dominate for his second state title. Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News

189 LBS: OWS PICK: CHRIS HONEYCUTT

1. Chris Honeycutt
2. John Weakley
3. Nick Perdue
4. Alex Hughes
5. Chris Iammarino
6. Matt Fisher
7. Dan Canfield
8. Mike Pushpak
9. Jared Neff
10. Tristan Stoll
11. Stuart Miller
12. Tim Samson
13. Cody Hamilton
14. Kevin Bailey
15. Travis Porter
16. Corey Hersman
17. Dustin Schilling
18. Corey Welch
19. DJ Cummins
20. Matt Kuti
21. Nathan Jones
22. Gary Steigerwald
23. Brock Kirian
24. Mitch Knapp
25. Brandon Massie

The rule at 189 this season was to “expect the unexpected.”  At the start of the year, many though state champion/double junior national all-american John Weakley was one of the two best wrestlers in the state, ahead of Colt Sponseller.  Weakley promptly lost to Chris Honeycutt at Ironman 8-0.  The win seemed to vault Honeycutt to an entirely new level.  Meanwhile, Weakley took a step back, defaulting to Jamey Srock in a match in which he was trailing early, and then losing to cross-street rival Kevin Bailey of Walsh Jesuit- an unthinkable prospect just a few months earlier.  One week after Weakley’s loss to Bailey, Beast of the East runner-up Mike Pushpak of Brecksville inexplicably failed to get out of Districts.  One of the wrestlers that Pushpak defeated at “Beast” would go on to win the New Jersey state title. 

The following week, order seemed to be restored as Honeycutt, Weakley, and defending Division III state champion Nick Perdue dominated all comers in Columbus.  So, naturally, the season at this weight had to take one more bizarre twist, as neither Honeycutt nor Weakley managed to place at Senior Nationals.   What happened? Several points.  John Weakley seemed to be in a “funk” pretty much the entire season, simply not wrestling up to his ability whether it be for illness or other reasons.  The wrestler who eliminated Weakley (Jamelle Jones) is a two-time Beast of the East Champ and beat Honeycutt in the preseason.  The other loss, to a wrestler from Iowa simply cannot be explained.  With Honeycutt, I think it’s the classic case of a wrestler who can’t shake a prior loss. Honeycutt was beaten by #2 in the nation Sonny Yohn in a close 3-1 bout.  It was déjà vu for Honeycutt from last year at Fargo, where he also barely lost to (finalist) Yohn, and then suffered a bad loss shortly thereafter.  The wrestler who eliminated Honeycutt was the same 215 lb. Pennsylvania State Champion who he pinned in a cradle the previous week, once again, Honeycutt lost 3-1.

#3 Choice Nick Perdue dominated Division III for the second straight year and wrestled both Honeycutt and Weakley tough.  I think he was a tad on the light side for the weight or his performances would likely have been even better. Perdue has done very little out of season wrestling and remains a largely untapped talent in my view. #4 choice Alex Hughes has quietly put together 2nd and 3rd place state finishes and is among the most underrated wrestler in this state- remember that he also scored a fall over Brian Hunt up at 215.

215 lbs: OWS PICK: JUSTIN POWELL

1. Justin Powell
2. Matt Clum
3. Jamey Srock
4.Adam Cogar
5. Nick Hooper
6. Orlando Scales
7. Jim Neumanitis
8. Zach Pummill
9. Paul Jefferis
10. Cody Beatty
11. Andrew Tumlin
12. Aaron Schecter
13. John Rowan
14. Tyler Rasho
15. Dave Pickerel
16. Oney Snyder
17. Cody Smith
18. Craig Kampfer
19. Brian Hunt
20. Ben Rios
21. Ryan Oddo
22. Fred Hale
23. Ross Quehl
24. Brent Scherf
25. Ryan Buckner

All season, the picture appeared quite clear to me as to who was Ohio’s best 215; Justin Powell by a country mile.  But meanwhile, Matt Clum was quietly putting together an unbeaten season for Galion.  Things got complicated when Clum put together a spectacular finals performance against Jamey Srock, while Powell was a bit less dominating at state than expected.  So I decided to wait until Senior Nationals to make the call.  Powell, of course, did not go.  Meanwhile, Clum put together a solid 3-2 record, losing to two very tough wrestler, but did not place.

I have a tough time seeing Powell not placing (though this was a stacked weight class).  Keep in mind, Powell was tied 1-1 with Cody Gardner (ranked #1 in the nation) at Ironman with :30 to go.  For that reason, and it may seem unfair to “back into” the #1 ranking, but I have decided to go with Powell.

The freakishly strong Jamey Srock has the best cradle in Ohio, and is an easy choice for the #3 spot.  #4 choice Adam Cogar is sort of like a modern day Matt Koz, with his low center of gravity making him very difficult to take down.  Hooper was very impressive at times, though he was disappointing against Cogar at Bill Dies.  Finally, I look for NHSCA Sophomores National Runner-up Orlando Scales (rated #6) to be a force the next two seasons- the only question being will it be at 215 or 285.  I think he can develop into a dominant heavyweight as he appears to be about 6’5” right now. 

285 LBS: OWS PICK: CAMERON WADE

1. Cameron Wade
2. Frank Becker
3. Brendon Barlow
4. Nathan Sharp
5. Jesse Campbell
6. Andrew Hartshorn
7. John Hiles
8. Antonio Jeremiah
9. Eric Diagosta
10. Matt Walker
11. John Nicolozakes
12. Ben Kuhar
13. Nick Piccirillo
14. Adam Salyers
15. Adam Walls
16. David Gudmundsen
17. Zach Stolarsky
18. Frank Read
19. Matt Pritchard
20. Caleb Lipsey
21. Jacob Southwick
22. Tim Rankin
23. Ricky Hammons
24. Wade Ishmael
25. Matt Betz

The final weight just may be the toughest call of them all.  In the best group of heavyweights since at least 2003 (Johnson, Fox, Nail, Hoppel), three stand out from the fiel: Cameron Wade, Brendon Barlow, and Frank Becker.  State Champions Nathan Sharp and Jesse Campbell were just a hair behind in my view.

In what will surely be an unpopular choice, I went with Cameron Wade.  Here’s my logic.  Wade beat Becker 5-2. Becker beat Barlow in overtime off Barlow’s bad shot.  At NHSCA Senior Nationals both lost to national champion Jarrod Trice; Wade by a score of 7-6, Barlow by fall.  The argument for Barlow is he did beat third place finisher Tucker Lane, who beat Cameron Wade. However, consolation results at senior nationals can be deceptive.  Senior Nationals is as much a test of stamina as wrestling skill when you have to come through additional consolation matches- and wrestlers can have varying levels of motivation to win that third place match.  For that reason, I find Wade’s win over Becker to carry more “weight” (no pun intended).  Truth be told, I thought Becker may have been the most impressive of this group this year; so Wade beating him 5-2 is impressive.

#4 Nathan Sharp has one of the most decorated state resumes of any heavyweight to ever come out of Ohio- his two golds and a silver in this classification I believe is surpassed only by several Division III competitors.  He always seems to be able to do just enough to win in Columbus. And yet, Sharp has always been prone to the occasional bad match, in fact losing to Matt Walker (twice if you count his win on an injury slam while trailing by a 10-1 margin), and to Eric Diagosta at the Great Eight.  Sharp has never wrestled any of the top three in a folkstyle match to my knowledge, and though he could be the winner, I would not favor him personally. Barlow did beat him in freestyle last summer.

And Finally…..Coach of the Year Honors Go to Fletcher

Ohio Wrestling Site’s Coach of the Year honors go to Derrick Fletcher of Ravenna.  At this start of the year, Ravenna was the 6th-ranked team in the state, but the top five appeared to be far ahead of the rest of the field.  As the year progressed, Ravenna wrestlers continued to climb in the rankings across the board, culminating in a second place finish at the State Tournament.  The following is a list of where Ravenna wrestlers were ranked in the preseason, and where they finished.

Kyle Jordan- Ranked: 11th  Finished: 4th
Scott Meyers- Ranked: 9th Finished: 4th
Matt Reedy- Ranked: 3rd Finished: 1st
Eric Gray- Ranked: 12th Finished: State Qualifier (avenging numerous losses to Shelton Morris to get there).
Phil Dukes: Ranked: 5th Finished: 3rd
Isaac Dukes: Ranked 4th Finished: 4th

Coach Fletcher was, not surprisingly, quick to give credit to his team rather than himself:

“Any award or accomplishment I receive is a credit to my team and the individuals that make-up my team. They were goal oriented, coachable, hated to lose, and had awork ethic that would be hard to match by any team. It was a true joy and honor tocoach these kids. Shared suffering in the room translated to shared success on the
mat.” 

Others were more inclined to give credit to Fletcher.  Keith Shinn, the head coach at conference rival Coventry had this to say: “You can’t say enough about what a great coach Derrick Fletcher is, but he’s an even better guy. He’s absolutely 100% about his team and has no ego.  He’s a role model for what all coaches should be like.”  After this year, Coach Fletcher will be stepping down to spend more time with his family- so this “dream season” was certainly a great completion to his career.

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