CHESTER — When Chester handed the keys to the offense to Jalen Harris last fall, the freshman quarterback was forced to lead, but within a circumscribed area. Around him in the Clippers huddle were plenty of veterans among the guys blocking for him and catching his passes.
This year, the balance has shifted. As Harris plots how to follow up his historic rookie campaign, he knows he’ll need to supply more than just last year’s bonkers stat lines for the Clippers to reach their team goals.
“Just growing into being a leader, from my freshman season to now, just on the field and off the field,” Harris said. “It’s talking and being together with the guys.’
Leading by example, Harris can do. His 2,261 yards and 35 touchdowns last year represent one of the most prolific seasons ever for a Delco quarterback, to say nothing of a freshman. His talent is clear.
But this year’s Clippers are losing a ton of leadership from a 10-2 season, which brought the first Del Val League title in 25 years and a first-ever District 1 playoff win. Leading receiver Cymeer Brown (school records of 54 catches, 1,075 yards, 13 TDs) graduated, as did leading rusher Noble Thompson. Thompson, an All-Delco linebacker, is among heart-and-soul leaders like LaFenis Mays, Jerimiah Gates, Colin Ferrell and Charles Thompson that the defense must replace.
“You don’t really replace guys like them (Mays and Gates),” first-year head coach Dennis Shaw said. “But we have some guys. … We’re not lacking. It’s more of a reload than a rebuild for us. We’re going to be stout up front.”
Such older players took some of the burden off a freshman quarterback, allowing him to just worry about doing his thing. This year, however, Harris knows those training wheels are gone.
“He’s maturing,” senior defensive end/tight end Dominic Toy said. “(Last year), everything would bring him down. But this year, he won’t let anything bring him down. He stays up, next play, we’re going to get it right.”
The cupboard isn’t bare. Toy, who recently committed to the University of Connecticut, becomes Harris’ top target, after 31 catches, 530 yards and 13 TDs. Toy, whose aspiration is to play tight end at the next level, will also anchor the defense.
Like Harris, he’s a lead-by-example type who is trying to add more vocal expressions to his leadership repertoire. That could help alleviate the burden of losing so many leaders to graduations.
“It’s hard,” Toy said. “That’s one thing I’ve been trying to do. I’m definitely hoping we can get someone like their energy, but we’re going to figure out a way. It’s going to come along.”
Harris will have targets. In addition to Toy, speedster Quamere Cosby and Harris’ twin brother Daron Harris are back. Nahree Melvin was the team’s second-leading rusher as a sophomore. The line has become an area of strength thanks to Zane Tillery (5-10, 320 pounds) and Jerry Young (6-4, 270).
Daron Harris, who had four interceptions last year, and Cosby anchor the secondary. Deandre Pee, Damon Fitzgerald and Jerelle Palmer are among the defensive newcomers that Shaw is high on.
Success has brought a change in the schedule for the Clippers. Instead of early season dates with Public League teams – Week 1 last year was an 80-0 win over Central – they’re on the radar of big programs. They start this year with a visit from Perkiomen Valley before travelling to Cheltenham. Downingtown West and a pair of West Chester schools are on the docket around the four-game Del Val slate.
It’s all part of the growing process that Toy and company have been a part of at Ninth and Barclay Streets.
“I’m mad about the (playoff) loss last year and the loss before that, but I see progress,” Toy said. “Each loss made progress for this season. The year before that, we lost in the first round. Last year, we lost in the second round. This year, it feels like we can go all the way.”
