Ardrey Kell quarterback Bryce Maginley big threat as passer, runner

Ardrey Kell quarteback Bryce Maginley was named SoMeck 8 Offensive Player of the Year as a junior in 2014. But when that season started, he wasn’t even sure he’d get to play regularly.

“I was fighting for the job last year with a senior,” Maginley said. “It was a big competition and we went back and forth all summer. Right before our first game (of 2014), coach says I’m the starter. Immediately, my confidence went way up.”

Maginley proceeded to throw for more than 2,500 yards and rush for more than 1,000 yards. He had 21 touchdowns combined.

Now, as the unquestioned senior starter, Maginley is on pace for an even better season for first-year Ardrey Kell coach Joe Evans. In four games, Maginley, 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, has completed 42-of-81 passes for 626 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s rushed 36 times for 437 yards and five touchdowns, averaging more than 12 yards per carry.

Ardrey Kell (2-2) is ranked No. 11 in the Observer’s Sweet 16 poll. The Knights open SoMeck 8 conference play Friday at West Mecklenburg (2-2).

“He’s a hard worker,” Evans said, “a yes-sir, no-sir kid. His parents obviously instilled great values in him. We don’t ever get excuses from him. He can be hurt, you would never know it. He could be tired, you would never know it. He’s the kid where if you had 50 of him, you wouldn’t lose very many games.”

Evans said he’s been impressed that his star quarterback is so open to being coached.

Watching Maginley’s junior year game film, Evans and offensive coordinator D.J. McFadden -- a former state championship quarterback at Independence High who played at East Carolina -- saw several things they wanted to change.

Maginley has an offer from Florida A&M and serious interest from East Carolina, N.C. State and James Madison, Evans said. Maginley said the college recruiters were interested in seeing him play from under center more. That was one of the recommendations, he said, that came from his high school coaches, too.

Evans and McFadden also wanted to make some key changes to his mechanics, something Evans wasn’t sure Maginley would readily accept .

“ and DJ and I saw some stuff on film, and we said, ‘This kid will be a senior,’ and we wondered how hard it would be to fix his mechanics,” Evans said. “But he took to coaching like a fish in water. Bryce has no ego. He took (the coaching) and ran with it.”

In his last game two weeks ago at Hough, Maginley displayed what he’s been taught. He completed 19-of-28 passes for 323 yards and four touchdowns. He ran for 205 yards and another score. Hough scored late to rally for a 41-37 win, but Maginley thoroughly impressed Hough’s Miles Aldridge, who has coached in college and professionally.

“He’s so big and strong,” Aldridge said. “He can throw it and he can run it. He’s very, very good. We couldn’t get him tackled.”

Maginley, who carries a 3.3 grade-point average, said he wants to build on that performance, using the new skills he’s being taught. He said he’s focused on bringing Ardrey Kell a SoMeck 8 conference championship and a deep run into the playoffs.

“This team can go as far as we know we can go,” he said. “And conference play is very important. We want to win conference (and get a good playoff draw) so we’re not facing a really tough opponent early.

“We want to be able to get there and work on our fundamentals. We have got to perfect our craft and do what we do.”

This story was originally published September 23, 2015 at 2:38 PM with the headline "Ardrey Kell quarterback Bryce Maginley big threat as passer, runner."