Harrison set to host Shelby for district title on Friday

By BEN MURPHY

Cleaver Sports Writer

No question about it, the Harrison football team has enjoyed a special season this fall. Now they hope that their special season turns into a historic one, as they look to win their first ever district championship on Friday. The Hornets (8-2 overall) will serve as hosts for the Division 7 district title game, when they welcome in Shelby (6-4).

“It’s the first time in our program’s history that we’ve been able to host a district title game,” head coach Jamie Lipovksy said. “We’ve been on the road five times for district title games, and we lost all five of those against some really good opponents, but playing on the road is difficult to do. We have a chance to host a district title game, the kids are excited about it, the school is excited, and I think the community is excited. Hopefully we will fill the stands, and the weather holds out and we don’t get the weather they are calling for. Hopefully we have the opportunity to do something no Harrison team has ever done before, which is win the district title.”

The Tigers are led by dual threat quarterback Jaylin Henderson, who runs their spread offense quite well. They defeated Pine River 20-2 last week, and their defense has been proven to be quite solid most weeks as well.

“Shelby is a pretty good team, they’ve played tough competition,” Lipovsky said. “They are different than what was saw against Morley Stanwood, they are a spread team, very similar to what Meridian or Gladwin has ran against us and those couple of teams gave us trouble earlier in the year. They are well coached, the kids are disciplined, and this will be a true test for us. They’ve played a lot of schools out of the Muskegon area and we’ve played the northern and Jack Pine Conference teams, so it will be a couple of different styles battling for a district title.”

Of course, the Hornets think they’ve got a pretty good shot at getting things done on Friday. They’ll have to play well in many aspects of the game, however.

“I think the number one key is what we set up defensively, we have to be able to execute it,” Lipovsky said. “We have to play assignment football, everyone has a job, and it is going to come down to execution. They are scoring 39 points a game against a very difficult schedule, so we are going to have to play assignment football to the best of our ability to be able to beat them. We have to be able to move the ball and score with our offense, but they’ve also never seen a ‘T’, so that may bode well for us, being that they’ve never seen it. Really, I think it comes down to our defense has to play well.”

By the time Friday’s 7 p.m. kickoff rolls around, the Hornets will have had a full week of practice, making sure they’re ready for their biggest opportunity of the season.

“Really, the message is simple; they’ve already put themselves in a situation that no Harrison football team has ever done, getting a chance to play at home for a district title,” Lipovsky said. “Now, they have a chance to do something that five teams have tried unsuccessfully and that is win the district, get a trophy. (We want them to) play your hardest, get your mind straight, get your mind right, watch some film and prepare to come out and do your absolute best.”

© Clare County Cleaver