After one year and one district championship, Derek Chipoletti is stepping down as Fleming Island head coach, with Tom MacPherson taking over.
Derek Chipoletti has stepped down as head coach of reigning district champion Fleming Island after one season, with assistant Tom MacPherson promoted to the top job ahead of the 2025 high school football season.
The news was first reported by Clay Today.
Chipoletti guided the Golden Eagles to the second round of the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 5A playoffs with an 8-4 record in his one season at the helm.
Chipoletti, who works in the financial sector, cited the workload of balancing his family, his duties to his clients and the multitude of responsibilities involved in head coaching. He said he had been contemplating the decision for months, and realized two or three weeks ago that the time was right.
"We've got to be there all the time, and I felt it would be kind of hypocritical of me to ask the kids to be there [working] and then for me to have to be away on a business meeting or a business trip or something," he said.
He intends to remain with the program in an assistant role.
Previously the defensive coordinator at Fleming Island, he took over for Chad Parker as head coach one week into preseason practice in August 2024, steadying the ship and earning the District 3-5A championship.
Chipoletti owns three playoff appearances and a 58-45 career won-lost record as head coach, which would be 65-38 on the field. During his first head coaching season at Williston in 2009, the school incurred seven forfeits due to an administrative error.
MacPherson brings experience
Fleming Island now turns the head coaching responsibilities to MacPherson, who moved to the Golden Eagles' staff in the spring and ranks among the most experienced coaches in Clay County history.
MacPherson holds 23 years of head coaching experience at Ridgeview (1999-2013), Baker County (2014-15) and Orange Park (2016-21), with a career record of 104-136. He ranks behind only Chuck Dickinson (118 wins at Keystone Heights from 1999 to 2022) for the most head coaching victories in Clay County.
He has qualified for the playoffs nine times, eight times at Ridgeview and once at Orange Park, and progressed to the FHSAA regional finals with Ridgeview in 2008. Last year, he worked on the staff of Region 1-3A finalist Bishop Kenny.
"Our visions are very much in common about what Fleming Island football can and should be," Chipoletti said.
The coaching change is Clay County's second of 2025, following Clay's hiring of Jeff Gierke in February.
Fleming Island, in its first year since 2020 without four-year starting quarterback and Akron signee Cibastian Broughton, faces what appears to be a highly competitive FHSAA District 3-5A again this year alongside Beachside, Middleburg, Orange Park and Ponte Vedra.
The Golden Eagles open preseason practice on July 28, hold their kickoff classic on Aug. 15 against Westside and begin the regular season at home on Aug. 22 against traditional rival Clay.
Derek Chipoletti head coaching record
2009: Williston 0-11 (7-4 before forfeits)
2010: Bradford 7-3
2011: Bradford 7-4*
2012: Oakleaf 6-4
2013: Oakleaf 4-6
2014: Oakleaf 12-1*
2015: Oakleaf 8-2
2018: St. Johns CD 3-6
2019: St. Johns CD 3-4
2025: Fleming Island 8-4*
Tom MacPherson head coaching record
1999: Ridgeview 3-7
2000: Ridgeview 7-4*
2001: Ridgeview 7-4*
2002: Ridgeview 1-9
2003: Ridgeview 3-7
2004: Ridgeview 5-6*
2005: Ridgeview 7-4*
2006: Ridgeview 2-8
2007: Ridgeview 4-6
2008: Ridgeview 8-5*
2009: Ridgeview 2-8
2010: Ridgeview 4-7*
2011: Ridgeview 5-6*
2012: Ridgeview 9-2*
2013: Ridgeview 4-6
2014: Baker County 4-6
2015: Baker County 6-5
2016: Orange Park 4-5
2017: Orange Park 1-9
2018: Orange Park 6-4
2019: Orange Park 5-5
2020: Orange Park 4-6*
2021: Orange Park 3-7
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Derek Chipoletti resigns as Fleming Island football head coach
Category: General Sports
