FORT WHITE — He’s not running around challenging the wide receivers and defensive backs on the practice field these days, but Demetric Jackson is having a grand old time running the show as the head football coach at Fort White High School.
With a 19-15 record and two playoff appearances in three seasons at the helm, Jackson has the decade-old program running along at a nice pace, despite having to compete in the looming shadow of nearby Columbia High School in Lake City, approximately 17 miles to the north.
“We’re not being complacent,” Jackson said following a “good” Wednesday practice. “We pride ourselves on working hard trying to outwork the other opponent. We know we may not have the numbers other teams have, but we’re going to be tough and physical every day. That’s our brand of football.”
A native of the Fort White area, Jackson attended high school at Columbia. As a star quarterback for the Tigers, he would be recruited by a number of major programs before going on to sign a grant-in-aid with the University of Florida. He spent his time with the Gators as a cornerback and safety from 1993-96, capping off his career in the Sugar Bowl as a national champion. Following his final season in Gainesville, Jackson gave the NFL a shot before moving on to coach at Buchholz for two seasons. In 2000 he had the chance to come home when Fort White opened up. He’s been here ever since.
Last season set the stage for his biggest win as a head coach (and likely the biggest win in the history of the Fort White varsity football program), and the kicker was, it didn’t even count – well, at least for the losers it didn’t.
“Last fall was the third time we played against Columbia in the Kickoff Classic (a game that does not count for or against the regular season records of either team),” Jackson said. “Generally we shouldn’t be competing against them, but we got them last year.”
It was a win that inspired the team, the fans, and the community of Fort White.
“I think they took us lightly. We only played 19 guys, and seven went both ways,” Jackson recounted of the 13-12 victory. “We couldn’t block Timmy Jernigan for three quarters. But our practices are a little different. We’re in excellent shape, and at the end we got to them.”
Jackson laughs when he thinks about how Columbia didn’t take the result of the contest too seriously.
“We have a slogan for that game,” he said. “’The team that says a Kickoff Classic doesn’t count, probably lost.’ We put it on a t-shirt and our guys proudly wear it around. That was the biggest game our kids have ever played in. The stadium was packed. Five of my (assistant) coaches played at Columbia. We all have some kind of connection there. So there was some mixed emotions, but it was sweet.”
Fort White and Columbia will renew their rivalry once again this August, but Jackson is more concerned right now about getting his squad healthy and through the rest of the spring. He has some playmakers, but he’s looking for his squad to take the next step after finishing 5-5 and out of the playoffs a year ago. Luckily, the coach has some of that talented Fort White stock to dip into as he looks ahead to next season. The prospect to really keep an eye on is Class of 2012 wide receiver/defensive back A.J. Legree (6-1, 180).
“Legree is a guy who is really improving,” Jackson said of his star defensive back, who made an impressive interception during Wednesday’s practice. “He’s got the size and he’s got the pedigree (Legree is the cousin of former Florida State linebacker Kendyll Pope, another Fort White native who starred at Columbia). He’s going to be special. He can run and he can jump. You can’t find those big corners often in high school. He’s got great hips and great instincts.”
Although Legree has shown flashes of being the next big-time prospect to emerge from the area, Jackson is still pushing the youngster to take his game to the next level.
“He’s a young kid who has to mature,” Jackson said of Legree. “He had a great game against Columbia (in the Kickoff Classic), and then we turned around and in the opener against Madison County, he dropped a couple of passes. He needs to start making those plays. The biggest thing we’re really looking for is more consistency out of him this year.”
Luckily for assistant coaches stopping through the area, Legree has the type of academic profile that makes him all the more attractive for programs looking for a big-time defensive back prospect.
“You won’t find a harder worker,” Jackson said. “He does good in school, where he has a 3.9 GPA. He’s just a junior and he has a bright future ahead of him.”
In addition to Legree, there are some other impressive athletes running around at Fort White as well. Among the senior class, all-purpose star Alexis Blake (5-9, 160) stands out with his blend of speed and athleticism on both sides of the ball.
“We’re going to move him all around the field,” Jackson said of Blake, who is also expected to be a big-time contributor at wide receiver. “We’ll play him at cornerback, free safety, or rover depending on who we’re playing.”
Soon-to-be junior Jonathan Dupree (6-1, 240) is another player on the rise for the Indians. The Class of 2012 prospect will line up at center and linebacker for Fort White this fall – a combination that isn’t real typical of two-way players these days.
“We got him in the weight room, and we saw him improving his feet,” Jackson said of Dupree. “He’s looking real good at linebacker this spring.”
Another playmaker for the Indians is a newcomer in senior running back/linebacker J.R. Dixon (5-11, 185) who has fit in well at Fort White. Big OL/DL Zack Bentley (6-2, 285) is expected to anchor the line on both sides of the ball, while a pair of sophomore quarterbacks – Wesley Pitts (5-10, 170) and Kellen Snider (6-1, 175) – will compete for the job as triggerman of the option offensive attack which Jackson employs.
In any case, with a bevy of young players stepping up into leadership positions this coming year, look for Demetric Jackson to continue building his hometown program into a power in North Florida.
“We’re going to be alright,” Jackson said of his squad for the upcoming season. “We’ll just go out there and grind it out for four quarters every week, and see where the chips lay.”