High school football Q&A with Derry’s Onreey Stewart

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, August 29, 2018 | 7:37 PM

Onreey Stewart carries a photo of his late mother, Tammy Smith, in his wallet and has another snapshot of her on his cellphone.

He glances at them numerous times throughout the day and pauses to reflect.

Smith died when Stewart was 10.

“I play the game for her,” said Stewart, a senior running back and cornerback at Derry. “She’s watching me. I just want to make my parents proud in whatever I do. Her birthday is coming up Sept. 13.

“The last thing I said to her was I love you and she said she loved me. I miss her.”

Stewart is a third-year starter at cornerback, but this is his second season starting on both sides of the ball. He made his presence known at tailback in Week Zero, rushing for 150 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries to lead the Trojans to a 45-15 win over Latrobe.

Derry is down two key running backs but Stewart made for a fine replacement. He speaks to the team’s depth at the position and Stewart’s ability as a juke-and-go speedster. When he finds a hole in the line, Orneey can get ornery.

“He is another one of those Derry kids who is a smaller wrestler; I want them to play other sports,” Derry coach Tim Sweeney said. “Some smaller wrestlers don’t think they can play football. But we have guys 120, 130 pounds giving up 80 to 100 pounds to some of these linemen and they’re running between the tackles. It’s a credit to how tough they are.”

Sweeney said the 5-foot-7, 150-pound Stewart gives the Trojans options.

“Onreey can play in the backfield or flank wide and go out for passes,” Sweeney said.

So, where does that first name come from?

My dad’s name is Henry. In French, it sounds like, “Onreey.” It’s a different name for sure, but I like it.

You’re one of Derry’s top wrestlers. How does one sport correlate to the other?

In wrestling, you have to be aggressive, and in football you have to be aggressive. It’s about the stance and staying low in both. You can’t be scared.

Your cousin is Omar Ward, the former Kiski School and current Canisius baseball player?

Yes. He has taught me so much, especially how to throw and get better. I watched him play a couple games (in Johnstown) this summer.

Did you make the widely popular AAABA championship game?

No, but I wish I had. I was at football camp.

What makes Derry kids seem so blue-collar tough?

It’s the coaches. They teach us to believe in ourselves and work hard for each other. No days off. We all grew up together. We don’t get everything handed to us; we don’t expect things.

What is the deal with these hilarious skits that happen at practice?

We have these fun skits where we can get up and imitate coaches and players. It’s a good time. Like, one time we acted like the coaches would on game day.

Word is Dom DeLuca does a mean Tim Sweeney impression?

Yes. Dom is one of the funniest guys on the team. I usually just sit back and watch.

Your Twitter bio says, “Pay close attention to people who don’t clap when you win.” Can you explain?

Just that there are people that are out there that don’t want you to win or don’t like seeing you win. … Go harder and just like a reminder not everyone wants to see you do good.

Any fun hobbies?

Fishing and music. I get pretty lazy sometimes. I love to sleep. Getting up for school is a struggle.

Catch of the day?

A 6-pound bass. I thought about eating it, but I threw it back.

You have game day superstitions?

I have lucky socks and underwear. I started wearing the same stuff in wrestling my freshman year, and it worked so why not football, too?

Your weight has fluctuated between 134 and 120 pounds in prep sports. How tough is it to balance your weight in and out of wrestling season and from sport to sport?

It’s tough. In football, you want to gain weight. In wrestling, you have to cut it. I really have to cut back on snacks. I go in the weight room or wrestling room and wear a couple sweatshirts and try to work it off.

Bill Beckner is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Bill at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Derry Area