- April 18, 2024
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A new era is underway at Matanzas High School, and it’s all been brought on by the arrival of new head football coach Robert Ripley.
Ripley’s first season as head coach of the Pirates kicked off on Friday night with a 28-21 preseason win over Pedro Menendez High School, a win that was followed by many congratulatory hugs and handshakes on the sideline with many of his players.
A lot of things have changed at Matanzas football since Ripley signed on to be the head coach earlier this year. Prior to the game on Friday night, Ripley gathered his players up in the locker room asked them what changes they’ve seen.
“We had words like ‘uniforms,’ ‘shoes,’ and ‘locker room,’ and ‘stadium,’ and ‘wind screens,’ and even words like ‘intensity,’ and ‘discipline,’ ‘coaches’ commitment,’” Ripley recalled. “And it was all about understanding what those words mean, and when I erased all the fluff on the board, it was all the words that you want your team to be.”
He added: “When you turn on our tapes and look at games from the past, you can see guys talking to each other, and looking for their girlfriends in the stands, and we talked about we need to change that, and really be able to change this culture.”
Ripley credited players like Marquis Murphy — an offseason transfer from Flagler Palm Coast — Andre Bodison, Steverson Jean-Louis, and Jordin Castanheira for helping the team get where it is today.
On the sidelines after the varsity team played its three preseason quarters, Ripley said, “Other than Murph, these guys have been through three head coaches, they’ve dealt with a bunch of headaches, and took look up to this crowd tonight and see all of the people in the stands — that just shows that our team can be tough.”
The Pirates will need to show more of that toughness this Friday for the Crosstown Showdown, when they open up the regular season with a clash against FPC, a team and school that Ripley knows well.
Ripley, who turned 34 the day of the preseason game, graduated from Flagler Palm Coast. He worked there as a teacher, and even coached several sports, including football, baseball and weightlifting. For him, a win against his alma mater would be big — especially considering that Matanzas has never beaten FPC.
“You can dream about those scenarios, and you talk about them all you want, but until it happens, you never really know how it’s going to feel,” he said. “I’m sure the first one will be real special, and there will probably be some bitterness.”
The Pirates entered the preseason a combined 0-11 against FPC and Pedro Menendez (Matanzas’ two geographical rivals), and the win on Friday night crossed another checkpoint off the list.
But while beating FPC would be a big step in the development of his football program, Ripley is on board to accomplish much more than just one win in one certain game.
“What makes this deal so special is that it’s in my hometown, and we’re trying to build something that these kids have never had," he said. "Look at these stands, and the wind screens, and new uniforms; we’ve got some things going on here, and these players believe in each other, and that’s all I wanted.”
