- November 5, 2024
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Matanzas quarterback Jeremiah Wilson said Friday that he has enrolled at Seabreeze High School and will begin classes there on Monday.
Wilson, who has been the starting quarterback at Matanzas for the past two years, said it was a family decision to transfer.
“My dad works in Orlando and my mom works in Daytona, so financially, it’d be more beneficial for us to relocate that way,” Wilson said.
Wilson’s dad, Jeff, said the family is spending hundreds of dollars each month in gas to commute. Both Jeff Wilson and his wife, Amy, lost their jobs in Flagler County last year. They were forced to find work outside the area.
Wilson grew up in Flagler County. He has attended school in Flagler County since kindergarten. So leaving teammates and lifelong friends wasn’t easy, he said.
“Yeah, I mean, that’s tough,” Wilson said. “But I feel like, sports-wise, Seabreeze will better my chances of getting looked at due to their past records. College-wise, that’d be a better spot for me.”
Wilson plans to attend Seabreeze baseball tryouts on Monday. He said he hasn’t had any communication with baseball or football coaches, and that he knows he will have to earn spots on both teams. In baseball, Wilson was Matanzas’ starting catcher since he was a freshman.
Seabreeze Athletics Director Steve Gold confirmed via email Tuesday afternoon that Wilson's transfer was approved.
"In reviewing the information presented for registration, this student ... appears to meet the conditions for the FHSAA bylaw 9.3.2.2., which addresses student transfers," Gold wrote.
Wilson said he hopes to play both baseball and football at Seabreeze, but he acknowledges that he has to start from scratch with his new coaches.
“He has to compete for those jobs, and he might end up on the bench,” Jeff Wilson said of his son.
Jeremiah Wilson said he doesn’t mind: “I mean, I've always been competitive and I’m going in there and I’m going to compete for what I need to do.”
The Wilsons said if they could have found work in Flagler, they would have liked to stay. They also have twins in eighth grade who will be attending new schools.
“They’re leaving all their friends, too,” Amy Wilson said.
In June 2013, after finding out that Matanzas was placed into a new baseball district, Jeremiah Wilson tweeted, stating that Matanzas would either win or take second place in its new district, which included Seabreeze.
Now Wilson hopes to be on Seabreeze’s roster and lead the Sandcrabs to a district title over his former school.
“I’ll be glad to see them take runner-up,” Wilson said of Matanzas.
But his mom is still nervous of the change.
“I’m just praying that we’re doing the right thing that’s best for our family and our finances, and we’ll be OK,” Amy Wilson said.
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