The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/152358
football recruiting 2014 class, plus Pallante, have just one season remaining to put their stamp on the world of high school football. Whether that's achieving something in their own community, a broader goal of a state title, or even reaching national notoriety as a team or individual, there is always something to strive for. Perhaps no player achieved quite as much individually last year as Grand Rapids (Mich.) Christian's Drake Harris, a 6-4, 180-pound four-star prospect who is ranked as the No. 6 wide receiver and No. 57 overall player nationally. He set a state record with 2,019 receiving yards during his junior campaign, capping it off with a 243-yard, onetouchdown performance in the Division 3 state title game to lead his team to a win. While his starting quarterback from last season has graduated, Harris still has high expectations for the upcoming season. Wide receiver commitment Maurice Ways of Detroit Country Day hopes to show enough improvement to challenge Harris as the top pass catcher in the state, though the 6‑3, 200-pounder is just a three-star recruit and the No. 62 wide receiver in the country entering the season. He has his own talented quarterback in the mix — Rutgers commit Tyler Wiegers — and should improve on his 952-yard, nine-touchdown performance in 2012. In addition to his personal goals, he is working hard to do something else Harris accomplished. While Country Day did make it to the Division 4 state title game last fall, they fell short in a loss to Grand Rapids South Christian. "Individually, I want to do better statistically than I did last year," Ways said. "I want to have more touchdowns, I want to have more yards and more catches. I don't want to be a guy that had a great junior year, then committed to a college, and had a down senior year. I'm shooting for 1,000 yards this year, and I want to be all-state, personally. "For the team, we've got one goal and that's the state championship. We were close last year, but close doesn't mean anything." St. Clairsville (Ohio) High linebacker Michael Ferns knows the same disappointment as Ways. His own team was yet another state runner-up, in Ohio's Division 4. Although the Red Devils lost several key contributors, including Purduebound wide receiver Dan Monteroso, that simply means this year's senior class, led by their 6-3, 240-pound four-star player who is ranked as the nation's No. 11 middle linebacker, has to fill that void. "Our goal is to make it back to the state championship and to win it this time," Ferns said. "Our team last year had a lot of seniors, so I know I'm going to have to step into more of a leadership role this time around." Not every player in Michigan's 2014 class is looking for a state title as the primary goal. While that's the pinnacle of high school achievement for a team, there are