Quentin Harris is more than holding up his end of the bargain.
His mother, Erin Murphy, was understandably nervous about her naturally athletic son venturing down the path with football.
Despite all of the efforts to ensure the safety of the sport given the world in which we live, it still stands to reason that a parent’s instinct will be that much more protective, by nature.
“I would get a chance to play in high school because she didn’t want me playing when I was younger,” noted the 16-year-old Confederation Chargers star earlier this week. “That was kind of my deal with my mom.”
But with just two years of SDSSAA football under his belt and suiting up with the Sudbury U18 Jr Spartans for the first time this summer, Harris was one of just two locals to crack the roster of the CanadaFootballChat.com Prospect Game that was recently carried on TSN (Zidain Allen was the other local to make it).
If you are looking for some perspective on the game, consider that of the 73 Canadian prospects who suited up in the inaugural game in 2019, 13 would go on to receive NCAA scholarships. The 2023 rosters include representation from no less than eight different provinces.
Despite the parental trepidation, this appears to be a path Harris was destined to travel, although he’s competed in soccer, hockey, baseball and track and field.
“I’ve always watched football; my dad is a big football guy,” said the Grade 11 student. “Football has always been in the house.”
Much of the athleticism that was clearly apparent in other fields of play seemingly was transitive as Harris flowed seamlessly on to the turf.
“When I finally got a chance to play, it kind of clicked naturally,” he said.
From there, it was a matter of finding the perfect fit, positionally speaking.
“I bounced around a little bit,” he said. “Initially, I wanted to be a receiver, but I got sent over to where the running backs were.”
His first year with the Chargers — in Grade 10 given that Grade 9 was lost to the COVID-19 pandemic — would see Harris lineup in the backfield and at defensive tackle.
“I was bigger in Grade 9 and I thinned out as I got older,” he said.
Still, the well-spoken young man had less than a dozen games as a defensive halfback before opting to attend phase one of the CFC Prospects tryouts as a cornerback.
“There is a downfield transition,” said Harris. “At halfback, you’re on a lot of the shorter stuff, a lot of the play is in front of you. With corner, you don’t go to the ball as much – you’re focused on your man. At halfback, you can see the play developing, but at corner, you have to keep your ears open more.”
All of that said, Harris was convinced the move made sense, even given the stakes.
“The wideouts (wide receivers) are the faster guys, the guys who can get up on a jump ball,” noted the Burlington native who moved to Sudbury at age three and tends to gravitate to the sprints (100m/200m) and the long jump when it comes to his track and field involvement.
“Being out wide is a better fit for my type of athletic build.”
Plus, Harris was more than a bit grounded when he made his way to Brampton initially before Christmas. “My thought going into the first phase was that I was there to get better and see if I am any good,” he said. “It was a good opportunity to see where my skills were at.”
Despite a so-so showing in his mind, Harris was invited to return for Phase Two, and definitely made the most of it.
“I did really well: four interceptions and two pass breakups,” he said. “I knew when I finished Phase Two that I had made the team.”
The reward would come on May 26 in Ottawa as 50 or so of the top young prospects in the country competed before a bevy of scouts and onlookers. Truth be told, the rewards started even earlier.
“The coaches there are incredible,” said Harris. “I thought I had a grasp of what is going on with the game. Then they start talking and I realized that I know nothing. Football is a game of little things, so it’s a matter of how many little things you can do right to win the game.
“That’s what I picked up most from this experience.”
Randy Pascal is a sportswriter in Greater Sudbury. Pursuit is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
