Being senior has motivated Mac’s Harris

For four-year MacArthur senior Marquise Harris, district play has been rewarding, but with it being his last year of high school football, it’s also been bittersweet. He has hopes of playing college football, but still being undecided, understands these could be some of the last times to lace up his cleats.

“Knowing this is my last year of high school football has pushed me. I only have a few numbers of games left and then my future is dependent on me from there,” said Harris. “I’d like to play college football and even though I haven’t decided where, I definitely want to play.”

One thing Harris has learned from MacArthur football that he’ll use in his daily life when he graduates is to be respectful and get to know the people around you.

“Create bonds with people. You never know a situation you’ll be in where you need to know somebody or being nice to someone will benefit you,” he said.

Football is Harris’ main sport. He likes hanging out with his friends and teammates in his free time and loves to fish. To Harris, this Highlander squad has a great bond. Their chemistry off the field helps them in their play on the field. That chemistry is what makes Harris think his squad will go far.

“So far, I feel like our team is well bonded, we have good chemistry and spend a lot of time off the field together,” said Harris. “So far this season, our offense is clicking. We have a well-balanced offense and play off each other. The defense has been good too and always plays tough.”

When he’s playing at his best, Harris is relaxed. Before the game, he makes sure to do the right stretches and treat it like any other day, so he doesn’t tense up or get nervous.

“Before the games I make sure I stretch and treat it like a regular day. I don’t want to get worked up over the game before it starts,” said Harris. “I play my best whenever I let the game come to me. Reacting on the dime and when I see it; go. Don’t hesitate.”

Harris believes that the leadership from players at Mac is something that makes them stand out. Teammates aren’t afraid to ask each other for help and are willing to help one an-other to play at their best.

“We have a great group of leaders. If something goes wrong, we’ll discuss it in the huddle,” said Harris. “It’s always easier hearing it from a player instead of a coach because it’s easier to follow, not as much pressure as taking it from a coach. “

His advice to younger teammates as they look to make an impression on the team is to trust in your teammates and focus on the job in front of you.

“Do your job. Function as a team and we’ll all play at a high level. Believe in your teammate to make a play and they’ll believe in you to make yours,” said Harris.

Last week the Highlanders left a big gap on the scoreboard securing a win over Dun-can with a final score of 64-23. Next week the Highlanders will be traveling to face Midwest City where they hope to keep their win streak alive and make it their third district win in a row. In order to do that, Harris said that the team will need to continue dominating on the offensive line like they did against Duncan and doing that will open up the rest of the game.

“Last game our offensive line played well. I think we had 50 pancake blocks com-bined as a team,” said Harris. “Going into next game I think we need to focus on pushing up front, once we get the run going it opens up for the pass. From there we can score with any-body…Control the line of scrimmage and stop the other team from making big plays.”

“I see us continuing our streak and I really could see us going undefeated in district,” said Harris. “Ultimately continuing to succeed in the playoffs is the goal.”