The Fleetwood Tigers will be led by a different, but familiar, voice in 2026 as Mel Fegely takes the reins as head coach.
Fegely, an assistant coach under former head coach Steve Pangburn, who is now at Daniel Boone, is excited for the opportunity to give his own spin on the Tigers this season.
“As the coach, I’m excited because it’s now my program,” Fegely said at the Lancaster-Lebanon League media day in early August. “We get to do the things the way that we think is best, and it’s more about philosophy. It’s more about personality. It’s less about X’s and O’s, and it’s less about trying to scheme things up.”
While taking the head coaching duties at Fleetwood, Fegely is a police officer during the day, and what he has learned in his career with how to lead and coach people up is translating to his coaching philosophy.
The first-year head coach has also known the majority of the team since he coached them in little league.
Fegely even has two sons on the team in senior Beau and sophomore Hunter, which he says is an absolute joy, getting front-row seats to see his boys grow and play ball, but emphasized he treats them just like any other player.
“As a dad, I get to watch not just my own son, all these boys that I’ve watched grow up and you know feel connected to. It’s been special,” Mel Fegely said.
His son Beau, who ran for 774 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, shared the same sentiment, saying, “We go home, we talk about football. We go to practice, we talk about football. We’re never not talking about football, and it just helps me get on the same page as him and what he wants for the team. I think we kind of just use each other for the better of the team.”
The Tigers have struggled in the past two seasons, going 5-15, and have not qualified for the District 3 playoffs since 2019.
But now, with a new, fresh breath of air in the building, the Tigers have already felt a shift in positive energy this offseason.
“Now we walk in the building and we’re fired up,” senior quarterback Chase Adams said. “Lifts are fun. Everything else is great.”
Fegely preaches physicality as one of the pillars of not only winning football games, but just to have fun, something you cannot particularly do outside the white lines.
“Football is about being physical. It doesn’t matter what your scheme is,” Fegely said. “If you have a scheme that you can execute, whether it’s wing-T or spread and anything in between, if you can execute it, offense is going to win the day. Action beats reaction every time. So have a plan that makes sense.”
And his players have begun to adopt the same type of mindset, stating their chemistry and bond have already strengthened this offseason.
Another new addition that will bring some life to the Tigers is new offensive coordinator Logan Leiby.
The former Bloomsburg quarterback has players such as receiver Parker Detwiler gleaming at what he brings to the table.
“He’s played football in the recent, like five years, so he understands the modern game of football,” Detwiler said. “He’s a younger face to be able to talk to, and it’s easier to be coached by someone like that.”
Leiby, who threw for over 2,000 yards in 14 games as a Huskie at the Division II PSAC level, wowed Mel Fegely in the hiring process and was just the guy the rest of the staff was looking for.
The Tigers will continue to run an RPO-based offense, but plan to take what they can get each play rather than try to hit the home run play down after down.
As for the offense, there will be another level of continuity returning to the gridiron as three of the team’s top playmakers return for their senior season in Beau Fegley, Chase Adams and Bryce Ryan.
Adams will make the transition to lining up under center after recording 21 receptions for 251 yards and one touchdown on the outside in 2025.
His athletic playmaking ability should be on full display in the RPO offense intended for a quarterback of his ability.
All-in-all, with an overall newfound joy in the building at Fleetwood, coaches and players alike, the Tigers are hoping to make some noise in Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3 this season.
Fleetwood
Coach: Mel Fegely, first season.
Last Year’s Record: 0-6 Lancaster-Lebanon Section 3, 2-8.
Key Players Lost: QB Chase McMonagle, OL/DL Gabriel Narvez, OL/DT Shane Pekuri.
Key Players Returning: QB/DB/P Chase Adams, RB/LB Beau Fegely, RB Nathan Kummerer, WR/LB Parker Detwiler, TE Bryce Ryan, C/DL Thomas Calm.
3 Keys to Success in 2026
Play confident: Mel Fegely stated, “Confident kids are kids who can play well, and when kids start playing well, they get to be great. Keep them confident, which means keep things simple. So, when we tell the boys, ‘Hey, for these next 10 or 15 minutes, the intensity’s got to be high. If we can get your work in now, then we’ll take a break and have some fun.’ They have bought in completely.”
Find some talent up front: The Tigers do not have a deep room when it comes to the big guys across the offensive and defensive lines, so staying healthy and growing throughout the season will be key to their success.
Defense comes to play: In their eight losses, Fleetwood lost by an average margin of 26 points. Tough to win ball games if you cannot stay competitive. They’ll need to improve through-and-through to compete in Section 3 with teams such as Twin Valley, Solanco and Warwick.
Schedule: Aug. 28, at Kutztown; Sept. 3, at Perkiomen Valley; Sept. 11, Eastern Lebanon County; Sept. 18, at Garden Spot; Sept. 25, Manheim Central; Oct. 2, at Twin Valley; Oct. 10, Warwick; Oct. 16, Lebanon; Oct. 23, at Cocalico; Oct. 30, Solanco.