Sam’s 2025 spring football stops: Ocoee Knights

It’s the second week of the 2025 spring high school football session, and that means the acclimation period is done-and-dusted, and players can strap on their helmets and shoulder pads and get physical.

In the second edition of Sam’s 2025 spring football stops, we continue our 12-stop journey to take fans of West Orange and Southwest Orange high school football behind the scenes of the spring high school football. 

This week, we’re taking a look at one of last season’s most interesting, physical and talented teams: The Ocoee Knights.

More from Sam's spring football stops: The First Academy | Foundation Academy | Horizon High | Ocoee High | Olympia High | West Orange High | Windermere High | Windermere Prep

Ocoee Knights

2024 record: 5-5

Spring game: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 16 vs. Oviedo High

Coach: Buck Gurley, third season

Key returners, additions: LB Michael McClenton, ATH Marvin Brown, DB Dariyon Gordon and QB Onrique Archie.

Ocoee Knights’ third-year football coach Buck Gurley is a 6-foot-2, 285-pound former defensive lineman for the Florida Gators. He was a member of the team for five seasons under legendary UF coach Steve Spurrier. As a redshirt junior, he won the Rex Farrior Award, given to a player who exemplifies a team-first attitude and exhibits leadership on and off the field. 

And, if you know anything about playing the defensive tackle position, you know that to put the team first and be a leader on and off the field means a whole lot of physical, emotional and mental sacrifice. Playing that position in a team-orientated way means on every play your responsibility is to essentially get mauled by a pair of offensive linemen, hoping to occupy them long enough for your teammate to get around you and make the play. 

Playing that way means you don’t get to rack up the stats. The fans aren’t cheering for you — they probably don’t even know your name. And it means off the field, you have to put in insane amounts of work in the weight room to better occupy space and opponents. It takes discipline, selflessness and so much toughness that normal humans cannot comprehend it.

Since taking over this program in 2022, Gurley has continued to instill these characteristics into the fabric of this program and develop a culture of team-first toughness. This identity isn’t flashy, it isn’t for everyone, and it sure isn’t easy. But when players buy in, as Gurley did, it can produce something special. The hope is the 2025 edition of the Knights can be the team that breakthrough.

No. 1: Full offseason to benefit QB, offense

Being thrown into the deep end isn’t an intense enough metaphor to describe how Onrique Archie began his stint as Ocoee’s QB1. After transferring to the school in the fall and having just a handful of practices under his belt, the left-handed quarterback was named the starter for the season-opener against a vaunted Apopka High defense. 

Despite struggling in that first game, Archie showed he had the talent to lead the Knights offense, starting in eight games and throwing for 1,212 yards and 11 touchdowns for 2024’s run-heavy attack. Now in 2025, with former Apopka assistant Jett Davison taking over as Ocoee’s offensive coordinator, Archie already is showing significant improvement as a passer and processor in Davison’s offense. Expect the rising junior’s production to take a step up this season.

No. 2: ‘Mean Mike’ setting the tone for tough defense

If the numbers he put up the last few seasons didn’t scare opposing offenses enough, rising senior linebacker Michael McClenton has turned the intensity up to 11 this spring. Already a tough-nosed pass rusher and run stopper, it seems McClenton has found another gear, and he’s playing angry. In fact, he is playing with so much intensity that he deserves a nickname: Mean Mike.

Although in every interaction I’ve had with McClenton, he’s been a class act, luckily for me. I don’t have to try and block him or run away from him, but those who do better watch out this season. The future UCF Knights player is going to make some serious noise in 2025.

No. 3: What does the O look like under new offensive coordinator?

Last season, Ocoee rushed the football significantly more than it passed — 274 runs to 184 passes. However, with Davison now calling the plays on offense, Archie’s growth as a passer and the graduation of leading rusher Jamarian Robinson, and his 1,332 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns, will we see a shift in philosophy for the Knights offense this season?

My guess is the offensive identity will follow Archie’s development as a passer. Although Gurley loves to pound the rock, I have a feeling the Knights might lean more on the pass this season.