Bradlee Padgett

HARRISON TAKES CHARGE OF NEW-LOOK MAPLESVILLE OFFENSE

Written by ZACHARY SEIFTER Photos by BRANDON SUMRALL

In high school and college sports, players come and go. It is the nature of the game.

Sometimes, really great players come along, and lift a team to great heights. They become the face of the team, and the school for a few years, then they move on.

It is never easy to replace those kinds of players. Maplesville High School has done it consistently for years though. They have built a powerhouse program off their ability to put great players on the field every year no matter who leaves. In 2021, they plan to do it again.

Coming off a 7-3 season in 2020 in which the team made the third round of the playoffs, Maplesville lost some seniors, including their starting quarterback of the last few years, Jackson Abbott.

However, there are few doubts that they will be successful once again in 2021, because others are ready to step up and keep the tradition of winning alive at MHS. Senior running back Brady Harrison is one of those players.

Harrison is coming off an outstanding 2020 campaign. After starting the season as the backup running back, he was thrown into the starting lineup in week two following an injury.

He thrived once he got significant playing time, rushing for over 1,000 yards and scoring 15 times on the ground. He averaged over six yards per rush while helping lead Maplesville on another deep playoff run. His performance was enough to earn him Second-Team All-State honors.

Now, he will start this season at the top of the depth chart, and will look to build on those numbers with a newlook Maplesville offense. His main focus is not his stats though, his focus is on doing whatever he can to help the team win.