Oglesby ready for third season
By DAVID MERRILL Sports Editor
Maryville’s Trey Oglesby goes into his motion before throwing to a receiver during Monday’s practice.
After three years running an offense, one tends to learn a lot of things. Maryville senior quarterback Trey Oglesby is heading into his third season as the starting quarterback for the Spoofhounds and teammates and coaches have seen him grow up before their eyes.
“I think Trey is a great example of a young man that knows how to operate our offense,” Maryville head coach Matt Webb said. “Our offense is not dictated on individual star players. We’ve had great success in our Wing T offense of distributing the ball to a lot of different positions.”
Webb went on to mention some of the more prolific players that have come through Maryville such as Jonathan Baker, Brody McMahon, and Trent Nally. They had success because they were byproducts of the offensive system as a whole.
While there have been some bumps along the way for Oglesby, he is getting used to the spotlight.
“There wasn’t really one roadblock that stood out,” he said. “As a sophomore, I had Brody (McMahon) back there, so it was just a matter of handing the ball to Brody and watching him do work, but growing up I always wanted the spotlight. Growing up in Maryville, you always watch ‘the guy’ on the football field. It’s kind of weird now that I’m a senior now and some of the little kids are the ones watching me.”
Oglesby also said that just getting more experienced and getting used to the offense has helped him grow more comfortable in his role.
While Oglesby has the physical tools to get the job done, those aren’t the only tools that make him an effective quarterback.
Senior wide receiver Spencer Morrison has noticed other things as well.
“He just keeps getting better and better every year and making great passes,” he said. “He’s very patient and sees the whole field. He sees which guy is the best option.”
Quarterbacks are often the leaders of the football team — on the field and off — and Morrison said Oglesby isn’t any different.
“He’s very vocal as a leader,” Morrison said. “If he isn’t happy with how someone is preforming, he’ll let them know without being begrudging about it.”
Webb likes the fact that Oglesby, who also plays on the Maryville golf and basketball teams, plays multiple sports.
He makes the case that that facet plays into his leadership ability.
“We’re a Class 3 school where we share a lot of our players,” Webb said. “We’re not just football players. He’s a team-sport guy. He’s got a personality that makes people gravitate toward him. He’s a very open person, he’s friendly and happy to be around and those things mean a lot. When you’re an offensive lineman in the trenches, struggling to make blocks, the first thing you get to see when you get back to the huddle is Trey smiling and asking how you’re doing. He’s a good team-sport player.
Like any player, there is always room for improvement.
His movement in the pocket is one area where Webb feels Oglesby can grow further.
“Quarterback starts with footwork and getting his body in the right position to make the throw,” Webb said. “I’ve seen an unbelievable amount of improvement in that in the few amount of practices we’ve had. He’s really worked on his footwork and getting his feet set in the correct way to make the throw down field. Other than that, the improvement will come from a consistency standpoint week to week.”
Oglesby is coming off a season in which he threw for 1,572 yards on 69 completions. He had 18 touchdowns against 10 interceptions through the air. On the ground, he ran 70 times for 246 yards and five additional touchdowns.
