Pirates peg former Creekside assistant Matt Forrest as next head football coach

Palm Coast Observer
Sports

Nearly a month after former Matanzas head football coach Don Mathews resigned from the position, the Pirates have hired their next head coach.

Matt Forrest, formerly an offensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Creekside High School the past two seasons, was announced as the Pirates’ new head coach the morning of Thursday, Dec. 19.

Prior to coaching at Creekside, Forrest had stops at the collegiate level, including as a director of football operations at East Tennessee State, and as a running backs and tight ends coach at Tennessee Tech and Morehead State.

“I felt like the timing was right for me to become a head coach and take this next step in my career,” he said. “From the moment I stepped on campus, it just felt like the right fit. This place is striving to have a great football program.”

Forrest’s background in administrative work and on-field coaching at the collegiate level played a major role in his hiring, according to Matanzas Athletics Director Zach Rigney.

“But most importantly,” Rigney said, “we found someone who is passionate about football and passionate about our kids.”

Forrest said his goal is to “win now.” The Pirates went 3-7 the last two seasons under Mathews and haven’t made the playoffs since 2017.

“My goal is to win and win now, but ultimately, I’m here to build a program,” Forrest said. “That reaches far beyond all the on-field stuff. I want to build a program that you can also be proud of off the field. My job is to make this school something the community can be proud of.”