- September 18, 2024
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Quarterback is considered one of the most mentally demanding positions in all of sports. The amount of information a QB needs to process on and off the field is massive.
So when sophomore quarterback Onrique Archie lined up under center for the Ocoee Knights in its season opener against the Apopka Blue Darters — after recently transferring to Ocooe from Wekiva High at the beginning of the school year — it was a bit surprising.
Considering he’s just a sophomore who saw limited action in his freshman season — and the fact that he only had a handful of practices under his belt to learn the Knights’ offense, develop chemistry with his teammates and build up his confidence enough to command the huddle — anything above a complete disaster would have been acceptable.
Despite what the scoreline says (Apopka won 10-0), he did more than avoid disaster. He showed genuine flashes of arm talent, pocket presence and an understanding of offensive concepts that would make anyone watching question how long the kid has been in this system.
“We’re definitely not spoon-feeding him,” Ocoee coach Buck Gurley said. “He’s a dang 4.8 GPA kid, so we’re going to let him use those book smarts to figure our offense out. But genuinely he’s coming along well and has looked great in practice. … He’s just soaking in all that the offensive coaches have been telling him every day, and he’s been performing. The more game experience he gets, the better he’s going to become.”
Beyond what he sees in practice, Gurley also liked Archie’s calm demeanor in the face of a talented Blue Darters defense.
“He’s a young guy who has poise in the backfield,” Gurley said. “What I like about his game is his decisiveness when making reads, when he’s out there, his eyes go to the right spot, and he makes decisions quickly and goes with it.”
Although the flashes of raw talent are enticing for fans, Gurley knows to be successful from the QB1 spot it takes more than talent.
“We’re still trying to build him up in terms of being a leader and taking command of the offense, which is hard as a sophomore, but I’ve liked what I’ve seen out of him,” he said.
As for Archie’s perception of his first outing for the Knights, he’s just focused on getting better and growing with his team.
“I just feel like my focus is on me continuing to push myself to be a better leader,” he said. “That starts with me trusting my teammates, trusting my coaches more each day, while continuing to be myself on and off the field. That’s one of the things that’s worked really well early on in my time here. These guys and the coaches — they let me be myself. They make me feel comfortable with what I’m bringing to the team.”
What has helped the new Knight’s acclimation to a new school, team, offense and responsibilities is the leadership from the Ocoee seniors, specifically from the player Archie is relieving of quarterback duties, senior Joshua Guerrier — who now gets to play his natural offensive position, wide receiver.
“I’ve been part of this team since I was a freshman, so with the new quarterback coming in, and really with all the young and new guys on this team, I’m just trying to be a mentor for them and a big brother to them,” Guerrier said. “Especially with Onrique, having been preparing to play QB this offseason, I’m helping him learn the plays and get comfortable with everything.”
Guerrier — a three-star prospect committed to Pitt — already has started to see the dividends of this effort. He accounted for more than half of Ocoee’s 131 receiving yards in Week One. He said he is excited to see Archie’s development this season.
“You can see off the bat the kind of arm strength he has and how well he reads defenders,” Guerrier said. “He has a good feel for when to throw the ball, and when he has a little bit of time out there, he makes the right throws. He’s a smart QB, and he knows how to play from the pocket. He can scramble, too; he’s just the type of quarterback that allows us to do a lot of different things on offense.”
On the flip side, Guerrier knows this is just the tip of the iceberg for Archie, and as a senior, he’s going to do all he can to help his young QB grow as much as possible in their one season together.
“From what I’ve seen, from the whole offense and not just the QB, we need to calm down a little bit on offense,” he said. “Onrique is a rowdy little sophomore, but when he drops back, he’s a patient QB. I think if he keeps growing his patience and can stay calm in the backfield … he’s going to keep finding the open man. The other thing is to keep him locked in and positive until the clock hits triple zeros. Young players get down when things aren’t going right, so I’m hoping to keep reminding him that it’s not over until it’s over, and we have to keep fighting.”
The combination of Archie’s natural physical talents with the promise of his development within new offensive coordinator Jerry Middleton’s scheme and the plethora of playmakers the Knights have at receiver and running back, it’s easy to allow yourself to imagine the offense’s potential.
For the Knights, though, that growth isn’t their imagination. Rather, it’s the expectation.
“By the end of the season, we should be an offense that gains at least 250 to 300 total yards a game,” Gurley said. “Once we put everything together, you’re going to see an explosive offense. I know we’re excited about the QB, but everything is still going to be built off the run game, but we’re going to utilize all of our playmakers by throwing screens here and there. When we develop a bit more, you’re going to see verticals here and there, because we have guys that can go get the ball — we have three guys who can run a 10.8 or faster 100-meter dash — so we have to make sure we get the ball to those guys, right? With Onrique, we’ll be able to do a lot of different things to get the ball into the hands of those playmakers.”
Gurley is not the only one who’s bullish on what more reps and time for the sophomore quarterback and his teammates will do for the offense.
“Our offense can help take us to a state championship,” Archie said when asked about the potential ceiling of this Knights’ attack. “We have the skill, the talent, pretty much every piece we need to get there. We just have to lock in and work hard, and we’ll make it happen.”
