FLETCHER BACK FOR MORE LOCAL QUARTERBACK REFOCUSED, READY TO FIGHT FOR STARTING JOB.

Byline: Nevin Barich  Staff Writer

Veon Fletcher is trying to earn the starting-quarterback job for the Quartz Hill High football team - for the second time in three months.

Last April, the starting job belonged to Fletcher, a senior who last season was the quarterback for the junior varsity. His strong showings in practice, coupled with Josh Fricke, last year's starter, missing practice because of family problems, made Fletcher the projected No. 1.

But then Fletcher started to slip, skipping school more and more and even starting to skip practice.

``I kind of got into the wrong crowd at school,'' Fletcher said. ``I started skipping classes, doing my own thing. And then my grades started to slip.''

Fletcher's new ways continued through the spring as he missed the first days of practice. But then a stern lecture by coach Pat Degnan last month set him back on the right path.

``He (Degnan) basically woke me up and got me serious about football again,'' Fletcher said.

Although Fletcher has since missed four weightlifting and conditioning sessions because of his own family problems, he's now back, refocused and ready to make another run at the quarterback job.

But getting it back won't be easy. In his absence, Fricke has re-emerged as the front-runner for the job, taking the majority of the snaps in practice. And with Fricke having had more experience at the varsity level, Fletcher has an uphill climb ahead of him.

``He's good competition,'' Fricke said of Fletcher. ``He's a really good athlete. There are some things I have that he doesn't, and some things he has that I don't.''

Such as?

``Well, I have experience, but Veon has pretty good running ability,'' Fricke said. ``He's good competition. We both have good skills.''

Degnan feels the race between the two is about even.

``If we had to play tomorrow, I'd have no problem starting either one,'' said Degnan, adding that Fletcher will see a lot of time at starting cornerback regardless of the quarterback race. ``Skill-wise, Veon has no problem. He throws the ball real well, he runs the option and obviously he hands off really well.''

Fletcher, for his part, said that though winning the job won't be easy, he believes he works harder off the field and that eventually will be the difference.

``I probably see me as the starter because I have more of a work ethic than Josh Fricke,'' Fletcher said. ``He works just as hard as I do on the field, but I have more of a work ethic off the field. And I'm willing to listen to my coaches now. I used to not be willing to listen and it backfired.''

Regardless of the result, Fletcher has decided to make his senior season count, hoping his performance is good enough to create college interest. While no schools have approached him yet, Fletcher hopes that will change.

``My biggest dream,'' Fletcher said, ``is to walk on a field with 100- or 200-thousand people watching, hearing my number announced, my name announced and hearing all those people chanting my name.''

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Photo:

Quartz Hill's Veon Fletcher won the quarterback job, lost it, and now is trying to win it again.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer