On Grace Christian’s first offensive snap from scrimmage Thursday in the quarterfinal round of Josh Heupel’s University of Tennessee 7-on-7 Tournament, left-handed quarterback Treyson Derry whipped a complete pass over the middle to tailback Terrion Thomas for a big gain.

The play was just one of many for the Rams in the event; still, it told so much.

Grace Christian, even with a new quarterback, is still going to throw it a ton this fall.

And Thomas will be a huge cornerstone of the Rams’ success, whether catching the ball or running it.

THE NEXT STEP FOR THOMAS

Thomas erupted as a sophomore in the 2024 season, rushing for 1,265 yards with 19 touchdowns while also posting 1,044 yards receiving and nine touchdowns on 69 catches. When he helped on defense, he made 24 tackles with 5.5 stops for loss and a sack.

Though it’s hard to imagine Thomas topping that this fall, his improvements may not be measured by statistics.

The 5-11, 185-pound rising junior appears destined to play college football, and he continues to work to hone his craft.

“I think with him, now, it’s him handling all the attention,” Grace coach Justin Price said. “Even today, you saw it real quick that he’s going to get (the opponent’s) best defender. Sometimes get double-coverage. But it’s then, ‘How do I take that next step with my skillset to help our football team?’

“At times today, they’d have three on him and he’d still go out and make a play. So, he’s such a versatile player. His skillset is so broad. He understands the limelight might be following him, but he continues to improve. I think he’s going to have a big year.”

Having former University of Tennessee and NFL running back Cedric Houston on staff at Grace gives Thomas a mentor who can attest as to what exactly it will take for Thomas to maximize his potential.

Indiana has offered Thomas. Tennessee is even showing some interest.

“I heard him say in a postgame interview last season, talking about how Ced is one of the most favorite coaches he’s ever had — if not his favorite coach he’s had,” Price said. “Ced has played at that level before. He was a 5-star back back in the day and played in the NFL. He understands the pressure with that but also understands how to manage his talent and skillset.

“It’s a relationship that’s fun to watch, and Ced continues to push him ways to make him get better.”

THE NEXT QUARTERBACK

Treyson Derry, a 5-11, 185-pound rising junior, just helped the Grace Christian baseball team finish third in the state in late May. Now, he’s handling the reins of the Grace football team’s offense as its new QB1.

Derry helped GCA reach the quarterfinal round of Josh Heupel’s University of Tennessee 7v7 Tournament on Thursday, June 12. Though their run fell short to South Carolina state power Byrnes, Derry never relented during the loss, firing accurate deep ball after accurate deep ball to his receivers to try and topple the talent-laden opponent.

He threw just eight passes during his sophomore season, playing behind 6-5 senior Weston Edmondson.

But his arm will get plenty of reps this summer and fall.

“For us, what you see out here in 7-on-7 is what you’re going to see come next season on the field. We’re a heavy empty team. We like to throw the ball around. So these opportunities here are so big for our offense with execution level and timing,” Price said. “Our quarterback, Treyson Derry, led the baseball team to third place in the state. So we’ve not had him as much.

“So today was a big day for him. He exceeded our expectations. He played great and made some great throws out there.”

Price didn’t have to change over Derry’s baseball mechanics into football ones.

So, the transition back into football and playing quarterback hasn’t been a demanding one.

“One thing you notice with Treyson is his core strength. … His core is so strong in the way he hits the baseball and pitches. And it’s translated to football automatically, the way he throws,” Price said. “He’s a very bright kid. The offense, he can pick up quick. He’s calm and collected but he’s passionate and has energy.

“A lot of times, being that pitcher or hitter, it’s on you, the pressure. So now him being a quarterback, he’s kind of been in those big moments. That’s what Treyson brings to this team. We got a lot of guys around him that have played on Fridays who want the ball and need the ball. He’s going to distribute that. He did a really good job of that today.”

Article written by Jesse Smithey/5Star Preps To read more on area high school sports or to see photo galleries, videos, stat leaders, etc. visit 5StarPreps.com — and use promo code New2024 for 30% off your first year or month subscription.