Bishop McLaughlin hires O-Coordinator, former Zephyrhills assistant Fischer

Posted Aug 3, 2011 by Mike Camunas

Updated Aug 3, 2011 at 05:31 PM

First-year Hurricanes coach Derrick Alexander wanted an offensive coordinator that understood the I-formation and got it, as Bishop McLaughlin hired former Zephyrhills assistant Matthew Fischer to guide a new offense for the Hurricanes.

“(Matthew) is very familiar with the I-formation and the West Coast offense, which we’re going to run,” said Alexander, the Hall of Fame FSU player who was hired in July to replace Matt Nardo. “He’s a QB guy, and with a new and young QB, that’s something we want, to help him run the ball, but also get it down the field and beat some guys.”

Sophomore R.J. Perciavalle takes over for Mitch Ritter, who scored 22 combined touchdowns, including 14 rushing with 654 yards, while guiding the Hurricanes to a 7-3 record, their best season in team history. Fischer also inherits talented running back Jordan Betancourt, who had 599 rushing yards and 6 TD and averaged 14.6 yards per carry playing back-up to 1,000-yard rusher Gio Perone.

The Hurricanes lost just six seniors overall, so the youth and talent will be there for Alexander and Fischer to mold.

“It can be a big concern to have a quarterback that young, but then it’s a big learning curve and his upside is that he has lots of room to grow,” Alexander said. “I’m pretty comfortable with (Matthew’s) style and he’s going to bring a lot to my staff.”

The Hurricanes host their kickoff-classic game against Carrollwood Day on Aug. 26 at 7 p.m.