New Jersey Herald: Fletcher blazed way to greatness
October 27, 2008
Keith Fletcher sported the rare athletic combination of raw talent plus grit.
The family’s home was in Green Township, out by the old train tracks off county Route 611. Although Fletcher played a ton of pick-up football with the local kids growing up, his parents would not permit him in the county’s organized league.
“My uncle, who was drafted by the Green Bay Packers, had told my parents not to let me play football until I was in the eighth grade because he felt kids weren’t mentally or physically ready to put up with what’s going to happen.”
Soon enough, eighth grade came and it was love at first practice. Fletcher said he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
I’m glad I started late; I was a little more mature so when those tough things came along I could handle them,” he said.
Once he moved up to Newton High School, he wasn’t the biggest guy but he may have been the fastest guy.
“I ran a 4.35 (40-yard dash),” he said.
That’s scary quick, especially 30 years ago, especially in the SCIL. For some perspective, at this year’s NFL combine, only three players bested that mark.
Like great athletes often do, Fletcher excelled on more than one field in high school. In just his sophomore season, the baseball team won the county and sectionals along with being state runner-up.
Back in football the following year, Fletcher led the Braves in rushing. A dynamic Newton playbook limited Fletcher’s carries
“We had a very balanced offense attack; a lot of people were touching the ball,” he said.
By his senior year, Fletcher was the best runner in the county. He ran for a then record 220 yards in a game against High Point on just 16 carries.
On Thanksgivings Day, Fletcher rushed for about 160 yards on a soupy field in the driving rain to break the 1,000 yard mark.
“It the was the culmination of a great senior football season,” he said. “Back then, 1,000 yards was a big deal. I was the first back in Newton history and the second in county history. I only carried the ball 125 times the entire season, where as today kids carry 40 times a game.”
Like any smart runner, Fletcher is quick to credit those friends that worked in the trenches.
“I gained all those yards on a team that averaged maybe 175 pounds on the line,” he said. “They opened holes just enough for me to get through and that’s all it took. They were the reasons for my success. We weren’t a big group, but we loved football.”
Fletcher said he and his teammates prided themselves on starting a winning trend after nearly two decades of losing seasons at Newton.
For all his successes on the field, Fletcher wasn’t getting the recognition he deserved off it.
“I didn’t make all-county or all-area first team but was named second team all-state, which didn’t seem to make a lot of sense,” he said. “The coaches voted, and they voted for whomever was more popular, and I guess I wasn’t popular enough.”
“I consider him one of top ten players I ever coached, a good team member and all around good kid,” said John Zamos, a former Newton baseball coach.
Despite not getting all the accolades he may have deserved in high school, Fletcher said Saturday’s honor makes up for that.
“It’s humbling to me that I have been chosen by some of the best athletes that have played in the county,” he said. “They voted me in and thought I deserved to be there. A lot of the people that did make all-area and all-county ahead of me in high school are not in there. It makes me feel like there’s a real literal redemption — like I did belong.”
This story ran on Oct. 27, 2008 in the New Jersey Herald.
