Percy Agyei-Obese has come a long way since he discovered football in eighth grade. Then, with no pads or equipment, but in flag football games during gym class, he whizzed past classmates to score touchdown after touchdown.
Four years later, Agyei-Obese roles as a centerpiece for Oakdale, who carved out a playoff appearance in the grueling Class 3A West a year ago.
“It’s been a long journey,” Agyei-Obese said. “Freshman year, I didn’t know anything about football. … All I knew what a touchdown was and where to run the ball.”
For the first two years of high school, Agyei-Obese played on the junior varsity team where his coaching staff told him to run the ball forward when in doubt. As a sophomore, he was moved up to varsity for the final three games of the season. It wasn’t until his junior year when Agyei-Obese grasped the X’s and O’s and found his football identity.
“Once it started clicking, that’s when I was bettering myself and understanding the game more,” Agyei-Obese said.
Last year, Oakdale enjoyed their winningest season in school history with an 8-3 record, but endured their painful lumps at the same time. After starting the season 5-0, miscues and mental lapses faltered the Bears down the stretch.
In Week 6, Oakdale held a 13-point fourth quarter lead against Linganore. Three turnovers later, the dominating performance was wiped away and flipped to a 21-20 loss on their home turf. In Week 10, the Bears sputtered against Tuscarora and were defeated, 30-19, before getting bounced in the first round of the playoffs by Damascus.
“It came down to who made less mistakes,” Agyei-Obese said. “We played sloppy, it was just painful.”
Agyei-Obese is expected to carry the offensive load in 2016 while operating at a high level defensively as an edge pass rusher.
In 2015, he gained 755 yards on the ground in only 73 carries (10.3 yards per carry) and his 14 total touchdowns tied for the team lead. On defense, he recorded 62 total tackles and a team-high 7.5 sacks.
“When you bring back a guy that caliber, that’s where you start,” head coach Kurt Stein said of Agyei-Obese. “He’s a special athlete. … It’s his turn to take the lead.”
Equipped with a robust build and athletic touch, Agyei-Obese’s football uprising has dubbed him the nickname “Ghana Great” and provided announcers with a last name that’s a mouthful. His football superlatives and rare combination of speed and strength have also earned him four Division-1 offers — UNC Charlotte, Monmouth, Morgan State, and Robert Morris.
“I’m ready for the load,” Agyei-Obese said. “I’ve been working hard to live up to expectations.”
This year, Oakdale will roll out a fresh line of faces to replace the seven starters lost on offense and the nine starters on defense.
Offensively, wide receiver Corey Schlee is converting to quarterback, a position Stein claims he’s played for his entire football career. Schlee stands at 6-foot-5 and is best known for his ability to survey the field and utilize his strong arm.
“Last year, we had a lot of seniors, a lot of experience,” Stein said. “This year, we have some talented young guys, but they haven’t played a lot year. This year we’re going to have a lot of new faces out there. We think they can do it, but they’ll have to prove it in the fall.”
Alongside Agyei-Obese, linebacker Ritchie Case is the only other returning starter on a defense that only let up 13.4 points per game a year ago. Case registered 91 total tackles, second to The Frederick News-Post Defensive Player of the Year, Brendan Carlson, who totaled 104.
Last weekend, Oakdale qualified for the Ravens 7-on-7 passing league championship at St. Paul’s School in Baltimore. Only eight of the 64 teams entered advance to the championship on June 25. The site will be announced later.
“I’m big on competitiveness,” Stein said. “What I like is our guys are competitive. … I like guys that want to win.”
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