HIGH ACHIEVERS: Alex Fletcher grew out of hockey, but into being a football all-star

By Martin Cleary

Alex Fletcher was like most young boys with a passion for hockey.

He wanted to grow up and play in the National Hockey League.

His career seemed to be going in the right direction as he climbed to the top AAA level with the Rushforth Selects Hockey program in Ottawa. But then the defenceman started to grow and add weight to his frame.

“I got really slow. I put on a lot of weight. It was the growth thing,” Fletcher explained in a recent phone call about how something negative developed into a positive.

Fletcher didn’t want to stop playing hockey at the highest level for his age group, but he had no choice.

“It was difficult at first. I resisted leaving. I liked it and had a number of friends on the team. I wanted to go to the NHL,” he added.

Dave Fletcher, his father, came alongside Alex and presented an option that would spark an interest in a whole different sport.

Why not football?

Dave, the bantam head coach with the Cumberland Panthers football team at the time, suggested his son take a strength and weight training course for a year.

After a successful year of developing his strength, Alex turned his attention to minor football in the National Capital Amateur Football Association. He previously had never considered football as a sport option.

In his first and only year with the Cumberland Panthers, he played all five positions along the offensive line and felt comfortable in his new surroundings. Winning an NCAFA A-Cup title also soothed the pain of leaving hockey.

“I went into the weight training program to try to become a football player. My dad said football would be good because I was big and strong and was able to move,” said Fletcher, who stood six feet, 5½ inches and weighed 295 pounds when he played his award-winning senior year this fall at St. James School in Hagerstown, Maryland.

When Dave moved the next year to the Gloucester South Raiders’ coaching staff, Alex shifted as well for logistical reasons. Alex played two of his final three NCAFA seasons with the Raiders, losing one year to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his final year, the Grade 10 student at St. Peter Catholic High School was recruited to attend St. James School, a private school, and join its football program. The coach was impressed by Fletcher’s movement for a big player.

Transferring to St. James was a major step in his development not only as a student and from a personal perspective, but also as a football lineman. In his third year, he has earned academic awards for four semesters. His grade-point average is between 3.7 and 3.8 out of 4.0.

In July, he committed to attending the University of Pennsylvania for 2025-26 and playing for the Quakers football team. Fletcher had 12 university offers, but chose Pennsylvania, an Ivy League university, because he thoroughly enjoyed interacting with the players and coaches during a visit and “I wanted to be part of that brotherhood.”

COMMITED!!!🔴🔵#FightOnPenn

Honored and excited to commit to the University of Pennsylvania. Thank you to my dad & my coaches for helping me get here & the coaches at UPenn for this opportunity. @Dave_Fletcher @StJamesSaintsFB @RuElite @FATboysOLine @Greg_Chimera @CoachMetzler pic.twitter.com/Vl2joQUpax— Alex Fletcher (@aalexfletcherr) July 28, 2024

“It was a big change,” Fletcher said about moving to a small private school with only 240 students. “But it has helped me a lot because in a boarding school I live on my own. It made me realize football is now a job focus for me.”

He also was motivated to have good grades in his academic studies, eat and sleep well, and be on time for events. He elected to attend St. James mainly because of its small class size of nine to 10 students for each period.

“St. James has made me a lot more mature. The biggest part is I live on my own, hold myself accountable and make sure I put in the work. I have to lift, eat and do my homework. They give you the tools, and you have to use them. I’ve improved my social skills,” he explained.

And every year he has improved on the football field, which was again recently recognized with season-ending awards.

For the third consecutive season, Fletcher was named a Washington County and a Mid-Atlantic Conference first-team all-star as an offensive lineman. For the first time, he also was selected a second-team defensive lineman all-star at the county level.

Washington County also recognized Fletcher with the Barry Beers Award as its offensive lineman of the year for a second straight year.

Fletcher’s play was vital in St. James posting a winning record in each of his three seasons, including 6-4 this season. In his first year, St. James (6-3) was the 2022 Washington County co-champion with Williamsport (8-4). Both schools tied for first place with identical winning percentages of .667.

“I consider myself a good teammate, a good captain,” Fletcher said, explaining why he thought he won multiple awards this season. “I’m not someone who trash talks. I’m respectful to others. I carry myself well. I’m good at being a lineman.

“I clean up after our team has an away game. It’s part of me. My parents taught me to be the best person I can be. One of the sayings we have at St. James is: ‘We don’t have servants. We are servants.’ I’ll carry that forward.”