MaxPreps Weekly Honor Roll, presented by the United States Marine Corps: Trey Keels, Lewisville

When most athletes are sophomores in high school, they are striving to make a varsity sports team.

Trey Keels had bigger goals at that grade level. He was starting and excelling in three major sports at Lewisville (Richburg, S.C.).

"That just showed me I could do something special if I kept working," Keels said.

He has worked extremely hard for all four years of high school, and he's reaping the benefits as a senior playing football, basketball and baseball.

"He's always calm, cool and collected," Lewisville boys basketball coach Michael McCray said. "Trey Keels, he's a phenomenal kid."

The 18-year-old doesn't have a favorite sport. Whichever season he is competing in, Keels is only focused on that sport.

McCray remembers stepping in as coach three years ago and watching a young Keels do his thing on the court. It wasn't a tough choice for the coach to give him a starting job as a sophomore.

"It wasn't so much of being so good," McCray said. "He's such a quick learner and he works extremely hard, so from that aspect it was a very easy decision. All he ever gave was 110 percent."

Keels came into his sophomore year of basketball at 6-foot-3, 150 pounds. He was a lights-out shooter from the perimeter as a wing. Fast forward two years and Keels sprouted up to 6-6, 195 pounds. Of that 45 pounds Keels added, he estimates most of it is muscle.

By getting bigger, Keels' game naturally shifted to play more in the paint.

"My sophomore year I could hardly go down low with anybody because I was small, but now I've kind of learned how to play outside and in," Keels said. "It's not just one thing I'm able to do."

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That versatility as a stretch-4 allows Keels to bring the ball outside and knock down a jumper or bang inside for a basket near the rim. His offensive game is solid, but he's a force on the defensive end as well.

"If he doesn't get to a shot to block it, he typically alters it," McCray said. "When he blocks it or alters it, he's also a quarterback too, so he will catch it and throw it deep down the court for one of our guys to go get it. He's truly an asset."

So, coach, is Keels more valuable on the offensive of defensive end of the court?

McCray laughs.

"He's the most important person on the team," he said. "He's the glue, that's what I call him. He's the glue that makes everything come in place and fit together. We are not the same team if Trey Keels is not in the game."

Keels has certainly made an impact this season. His team finished 19-7 after losing the Class 1A state title game against Hemingway on Friday. Keels scored 18 points in the state quarterfinals and 10 points in the semifinals.

Keels came into that game averaging 13.4 points, a team-high 11.2 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game. As a junior, he put up 8.4 points and 5.4 rebounds.

"I just kind of try to do whatever it is to try and help the team win," Keels said. "Some nights that's scoring, some nights that's getting out to other guys and letting them make plays."

Along with being a standout basketball player, Keels was phenomenal as a three-year starting quarterback on the football team. He threw for 6,713 yards and a school-record 60 touchdown passes. He had 2,653 yards, 28 touchdowns and eight interceptions during his senior campaign.

Lewisville ran the spread offense Keels' entire career, so it allowed him to log big numbers.

"We have a lot of athletes, so that worked out well," Keels said.

Keels led his team to a 10-3 record as a senior, advancing all the way to the Class 1A state semifinals before falling. He was rewarded for his phenomenal football career by earning a preferred walk-on spot at Presbyterian College, which is an FCS Division I school. He signed his National Letter of Intent just a couple weeks ago. He had some interest from other smaller programs, but Presbyterian was his clear-cut No. 1 choice.

"I was just comfortable there," Keels said. "My mom went to school there, and I've just kind of grown up around there."

Keels is expecting to redshirt as a freshman and have a chance to compete the following four years. Presbyterian also runs a spread offense, so Keels should feel right at home.

"I think I should fit well," Keels said. "One of my old receivers is there, he's one of my best friends. He's told me a lot about it."

Keels will be entering his final season on the baseball team where he is coached by his dad, Billy. He earned a handful of starts as a freshman and has been in the regular lineup ever since.

Keels, who was named to the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association's Class 1A all-state team last season, is the team's shortstop and one of the best pitchers. He hit .402 as a junior. On the mound, he collected five victories, registering 57 strikeouts in 55 innings to go with a 3.16 ERA.

The Lions have had a lot of success on the diamond in Keels' first three years, making it to the state title his sophomore year and to the Upper State title game last season. This year, he would like to help capture the state title.

When Keels isn't competing in sports, he's working hard at school. He ranks fifth in his class with a 3.9 GPA.

"It's definitely important to me," Keels said. "Doing well in the classroom leads into sports – you can't play if you don't have the grades."

Keels is involved in Beta Club, Spanish National Honor Society and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Two of his four classes this semester are advanced courses, including a Teacher Cadet class. The students get out of the classroom multiple times per week, heading to the elementary school to help kids with reading and math. Keels also heads over to the middle school to help out those kids as well as taking part in Special Olympics through the class.

It's rewarding for Keels to help out the young kids, who look up to him because he's a star athlete.

"It makes me feel good," Keels said. "It makes me feel kind of accomplished that I'm able to help them and show them the path they need to take."

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