When his 10-year NFL career ended in 1995, the guy who was labeled “Jessie the Jet” as a high school superstar for Belle Glade Glades Central says he was in no hurry to get back into football in any capacity except as a fan who could finally kick back and check the view from the bleachers.
Coaching wasn’t part of the retirement plan, says Jessie Hester.
But returning to his roots was. And in Belle Glade, football is the fabric of a community and its culture. It was only a matter of time before Hester’s alma mater called and the game beckoned him back.
In his second season as Glades Central’s head coach, Hester brings a 13-0 Raiders team to Orlando’s Citrus Bowl to play also-unbeaten Cocoa (13-0) in the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 2A championship game Saturday night.
“I never even had aspirations whatsoever to do any coaching. I was just an average fan coming to the games,” Hester said in a conference call Monday.
Average is of course an understatement. Hester is one of only two players to have his jersey number retired by one of Florida’s most storied high school programs. He starred on a 1979 state runner-up team.
Hester’s name quickly rose to the top of the wish list when former Raiders coach Willie Snead resigned in January 2008 to take a coaching job in Michigan. A week later Hester was announced as Glades’ new coach.
The Raiders ooze athleticism and make the game look easy. They have outscored foes 483-102 and have won by an average margin of 27.7 points in the playoffs. But Hester said there is nothing easy about coaching – especially in an impoverished area where the job goes way beyond teaching Xs and Os.
“You are like a father to these kids. If they have problems, it’s your problem,” Hester said. “And I have my own kids. Coaching definitely takes away some of your family life. I have to take home (the needs) of these 60 other kids. It can be extremely overwhelming as far as the demands.”
Given that and the fact that he has his own 8-year-old son to guide, Hester said he still does not see this is a long-term gig. But clearly there is some satisfaction in the job he and his staff have done in getting Glades Central to its ninth state final. The Raiders have done it with a full-throttle spread passing scheme that would be expected with a receiver at the helm. Hester caught 21 touchdown passes in four seasons at FSU (1981-84) and 29 in the NFL.
But Glades Central has also been physical with a defensive front that has dominated most foes.
“We had to instill back that Raider toughness and that Raider mystique,” Hester said.
The offense, triggered by 3,300-yard passer Leron Thomas, has a stellar receiving corps led by two-way starter Greg Dent, who has said he wants to continue to play both offense and defense at the next level. Dent originally committed to Miami, then switched his pledge to FSU last month.
“They’re definitely the most explosive football team I think I’ve ever seen in my 16, 17 years of coaching,” said Cocoa coach John Wilkinson. “Their wide receivers and quarterback just jump off the tape at you.”
Cocoa counters with a seasoned team led by senior quarterback Matt Younger, who is 27-1 as a starter. The Tigers brought Younger and 12 other starters back from a team that won the 3A state championship last season. Junior running back Chevelle Buie is one of Florida’s quickest players, and the Tigers’ defense is salty.
Saturday afternoon’s 2B final has Tampa Catholic (11-1), which thrived in an underdog role last week, taking on another big challenge against Jacksonville Bolles (11-1). Bolles has the best playoff record in FHSAA history, with 68 wins against 19 postseason losses.
Here is a CoachesAid scouting report on both of Saturday’s championship games:
Class 2B final: Jacksonville Bolles (11-1) vs. Tampa Catholic (11-1), Saturday, 1 p.m.
Playoff paths: Bolles – d. Williston 48-0, d. Ocala Trinity Catholic 24-13, d. Pensacola Catholic 55-0. TC – d. Fort Myers Dunbar 29-13, d. Lake Highland Prep 31-21, d. Hollywood Chaminade 7-6.
Players to watch: Bolles – RB Jawan Jamison (5-8/200, Sr.) 112 att., 1,136 yards, 16 TDs; QB Chandler Carr (6-1/195, Sr.) 89-128-3, 1,571 yards, 26 TDs; DT Matt Chaney (6-3/240, Jr.) 119 tackles, 11 TFL, 10.5 sacks; LB Josh Hood (6-0/215, Sr.) 135 tackles; S Desmond Cooper (6-2/190, Sr.) 69 tackles. TC – QB Christian Green (6-2/200, Sr.) 51-113-0, 663 yards, 7 TDs and 777 yards rushing yards, 11 TDs; OL/DL Chaz Green (6-6/295) considering UF, Tennessee and USC; RB Hank McCloud (5-8/180, Sr.) 201-1,566 yards, 18 TDs; FB-LB Hunter Joyner (6-0/240, Jr.); LB Brandon Mendoza (5-11/205, Sr.) 111 tackles.
History lesson: Bolles has won a state-record nine FHSAA championships, eight under current coach Corky Rogers. The Bulldogs have played in 11 finals in Rogers’ 21 seasons, going 8-2 in championship games and 18-2 in final four games in that span. But if Bolles wins Saturday afternoon it would mark its first repeat. The previous titles were in ’86, ’90, ’93, ’95, ’98, ’02, ’04, ’06 and ‘08. Tampa Catholic is playing in its second final in three seasons. The Crusaders were runner-up to Madison County two years ago.
Noteworthy: Rogers is the winningest coach in Florida high school football history, with a 386-69-1 record in 39 seasons. He is 244-30 at Bolles since 1989. … Bolles is 26-1 over two seasons, with the only loss being to 2A finalist Cocoa (13-0) 44-37 in overtime this year. That loss snapped a 42-game regular season win streak for the Bulldogs. … Blocking is a Bolles forte, but the Bulldogs lost premier tackle prospect and Georgia commit Brent Benedict (6-5/285) to a midseason knee injury. Sophomore John Theus (6-5/265) is also regarded as an elite OL prospect. … Bolles has outscored opponents 530-84. … This is Tampa Catholic’s fourth 10-win season under coach Bob Henriquez, a Princeton grad who has a 108-54 record in two stints at his alma mater. … TC quarterback Christian Green is considering FSU, UF and Georgia. Chaz Green, an elite OL/DL prospect, is considering UF, Tennessee and USC.
Class 2A: Cocoa (13-0) vs. Belle Glade Glades Central (13-0), Saturday, 7 p.m.
Playoff paths: Cocoa – d. Orlando Jones 35-6, d. Titusville Astronaut 29-0, d. Tallahassee Godby 17-16. Glades – d. Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons 27-3, d. Plantation American Heritage 46-20, d. Tampa Robinson 33-0.
Players to watch: GC: QB Leron Thomas (6-0/175, Sr.) 170-273-7, 3363 yards, 37 TDs; WR Greg Dent (6-0/175, Sr.) 49 rec., 1284 yards, 17 TDs; WR Kelvin Benjamin (6-7, 215, Jr.) 32 rec., 794 yards, 6 TDs; TE Clive Walford (6-8/245, Sr.) 22 rec., 454 yards, 5 TDs; DE Isiah Corbett (6-1/250, Sr.) 94 tackles, 12 sacks; DE Robert Way (6-2, 215, Jr.) 140 tackles, 15 TFL, 24 sacks; DT Michael Smith (6-3, 230, Sr.) 109 tackles, 18 TFL. Cocoa – RB Chevelle Buie (5-9/175, Jr.) 179 att., 1,436 yards, 15 rushing TDs, 20 total TDs; QB Matt Younger (6-3/175, Sr.) 76-116-3, 1564 yards, 16 TDs; OG Ronald Patrick (6-2/290, Sr.); LB A.J. Joiner (6-01/90, Sr.) 119 tackles; DE Ra’Shawde Meyers (6-3/205, Sr.), 68 tackles, 10 sacks.
History lesson: Glades Central is 6-2 in FHSAA football finals, which is tied for second in championships won behind Jacksonville Bolles (9). The most recent was in 2006, when the Raiders beat Pensacola Pine Forest 39-27 to win the 3A title. Glades also won back-to-back in ’71 and ’72 and three consecutive crowns in 1998-2000. …. Cocoa went 14-1 and won the 3A crown last season in its first finals appearance. The Tigers have been in the playoffs 11 times, eight since 2001.
Noteworthy: Cocoa has won 23 consecutive games, including a 44-37 overtime win over 2B finalist Jacksonville Bolles to end the regular season. … Matt Younger is 27-1 as a starting QB for the Tigers. … Chevelle Buie also has 370 yards receiving, 236 yards on kick returns and 116 on punt returns. … Cocoa kicker Cody Bell is 62-of-63 on PATs and 6-of-9 on field goals, including a long of 54. … Cocoa is 55-10 under Coach John Wilkinson. … Glades Central’s Robert Way set a school record for sacks in his first varsity season. … The Raiders limited Tampa Robinson (10-3) to 19 yards of total offense in a 33-0 win last week. … Jessie Hester, who starred at Glades Central and at FSU and played 11 NFL seasons, is 24-1 with the Raiders in his first two seasons as a high school coach. … Glades Central joined Cocoa in dropping down from 3A to 2A this season in FHSAA realignment. That was the case for 11 of the 16 playoff teams in 2A, including seven of the eight region finalists and all four of the semifinal teams. … In their only previous playoff meeting, Cocoa beat Glades Central 45-35 in a second-round 3A game in 2003.
Buddy Collings is a senior sports writer for the Orlando Sentinel who has covered high school sports and compiled Florida record lists for three decades.
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