By Richard Pryor III
Executive Staff
Everyone knows how important the quarterback is to a football team. But after the “Philly Special” trick play in the most recent Super Bowl (also called the “Philly Philly”), more people understand the role that trick plays have in a game.
It may not surprise you, then, to know that the Tigers’ second-leading quarterback isn’t a quarterback at all; it’s Wide Receiver Micah Maes (C’20). Maes, hailing from Pomona, California, was a quarterback in high school, lettering for three season for the Walnut High Mustangs, where he was inducted into their Hall of Fame and averaged around 130 yards per game in both rushing and passing.
However, Maes has switched around positions in the last few years, with one year as a kick returner and defensive back under Tommy Laurendine in 2016, and most recently as a Wide Receiver in coach Travis Rundle’s system.
Last year, Rundle also experimented with Maes at quarterback, giving him two attempts at passing, one being caught for a touchdown by Allan Parrott (C’19). In this season, Maes has been used at quarterback once, passing to Colin May (C’21) for a 48 yard touchdown against Washington and Lee.
Maes is also one of starting quarterback Alex Darras’ (C’21) main targets, having caught six passes in the two games currently played in the season for a total of 59 yards and two touchdowns.
It’s clear that Maes’ presence on the Tigers allows Rundle to experiment with his formations, using a time-tested quarterback to mix up the drive a little bit and allow Darras a chance to step out of the pocket for a while. And thankfully for all Sewanee fans, Micah Maes delivers when he’s in the center.