There are eight divisions that crown state football champions based on enrollment, with Harrison winning the Division 2 title in 2010 and advancing to the Division 3 final last season. %link% “But it’s out there.”. Even if Farmington pulls off the upset, Harrison has a good chance of earning an at-large playoff berth at 5-4. For many, this fall isn’t necessarily about rooting for Harrison to win, but knowing it feels like a beloved family member is in a hospital bed, living out the final days with no cure or medicine in sight to help. The recommendation came back to close six schools, including Harrison High School. !function(e,t,n,s){var i="InfogramEmbeds",o=e.getElementsByTagName(t)[0],d=/^http:/.test(e.location)? There were people who did their best to stop the closing, most notably, Herrington. A video crew follows the team around daily as it prepares a documentary on the final season, which it hopes to sell to Netflix or another media provider. So far the foundation has outfitted nearly 3,000 students in 8 states with the gear, determined to make rib shirts a new standard for all high schools, colleges, and NFL teams. Current NFL players Devin Funchess and Drew Stanton played there, as did Aaron Burbridge, who was waived by San Francisco before the start of the season. Now he is taking a quick trip back to his roots, to spread the word about a new trend in safety equipment. Harrison is one of three high schools in the district, along with North Farmington and Farmington, and it is the newer of the three buildings. “I do (think about it daily),” he said. But as has been the case for the past two years, the elephant in the room is impossible to ignore and one Herrington thinks about every day: the end of an era. The team has won 13 state championships, the most of any program in the history of high school football in Michigan. He said he is done being a head coach, but hopes to still be involved in football in some sort of consulting or planning role. They closed us even though they had no emotional ties to us at all.”. Farmington Harrison Hawk Football Alumni has 285 members. So it was really a no-brainer for me to partner with them and join their cause and raise awareness for every single kid that steps on the football field,” said Stanton. Cordially and with a laugh, Herrington, who has the athletic complex that surrounds the football field named after him, said he is sick and tired of people asking him what he’s going to do when the football team plays its last game. Jump to. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. “There's been a lot documented about concussions and heatstroke and stuff like this, so this is really that next wave of things that we can do to help prevent injuries while you step on the football field,” said Stanton. “Personally, I do. 20 Allen to cancel game against Cedar Hill, Arizona parents debate hiding COVID test results to keep fall sports season going, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Eventually, the Stanton family moved to Farmington Hills, Michigan, northwest of Detroit, where he graduated from Harrison High School. “I said, ‘Why would you consider that?’ They didn’t know anything about football, our other sports or any traditions at the school. Attended at Lake Oswego High School, but graduated from Harrison High School. If Harrison is in Division 3 this year, it probably won’t win a title since the state’s consensus best team regardless of division, Muskegon, will likely be in Division 3 again (Muskegon beat Harrison in last year’s final). ©2020 FOX Television Stations, 2 arrested as argument leads to shooting of man in Eastpointe, Tlaib, others raise concerns over Amazon distribution center deal at former State Fairgrounds, Community mourns standout Pershing senior killed in crash who was destined for greatness, Predatory towing company still has its hooks in victims, Friend of Michigan militia brothers charged in Whitmer plot says they won't get a fair trial, Execution-style murder suspect Googled expensive watches & news about burning vehicles in Detroit, police say, Original Temptations member Otis Williams helps get grandson's music career off the ground, Up-and-coming rapper shot during home invasion overnight in West Bloomfield, Woman killed by husband in murder-suicide, family gathers to remember her life, Mother of 6-year-old killed execution-style says she met suspect before. Accessibility Help. Welcome to USA TODAY High School Sports's European Union Experience. With all those achievements and his impact on the lives of countless young men, you would think Herrington and the football program would be worth about a billion dollars for what they have meant to the school district, high school football, alumni and community members. Herrington, 77, and everyone else around the state obviously want Harrison to go out on top by winning another state championship, but it depends on where Harrison is placed in the state playoffs. The football program will be gone, but at least there will be visible memories still around. ! There is a group of non-seniors on the roster who decided to stick it out until the end, but they will have to find new schools to attend and programs to play at next year. (Photo: Dale Young, Detroit News) But he’ll keep on playing and keep on giving back. Herrington was at the board meeting when the firm recommended the measure, which led to obvious shock and a double-take. Pro-style quarterback. Herrington and the football program have been the face of the school for nearly five decades. For more high school stories, stats and videos, visit http://usatodayhss.com. 4 Dave Pesci (Class of 1999) — Most underrated Harrison field general ever. The school board in March agreed to sell Harrison for $500,000 to the city of Farmington Hills, which will turn the building into a community recreation and fine arts facility following a $20 million renovation project. All alumni players who played football at Farmington Hills Harrison High School. The board made the closure official in March 2016 -- the school would close following the 2018-19 school year, starting the slow funeral procession for not only the school, but the famed football program that has become most associated with it. The stadium will still exist, the banners will remain in the newly renovated community center gym, and Herrington said the city is looking into a way to put all of the pictures of all-state players on a touchscreen so people passing through the lobby can view them and relive the glory days of Harrison. 3 Jevon Shaw (Class of 2015) — The definition of a dynamic dual threat under center. Good luck prying this one out of my hands ! FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – Very few can imagine the end is actually near. It feels like a slow death that is having its every move documented. It’s almost as if it will be a de facto museum. “We don’t mention it to our players,” Herrington said. Ultimately, none of the pleading mattered. Drew Stanton, a former Farmington Hills Harrison star, played at Michigan State from 2003-06. “I got up and talked right away,” Herrington said. Drew was born on May 7, 1984, in Okemos, Michigan to Gaylord and Christine Stanton. If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. Herrington is the only coach the school has ever known since Harrison opened in 1970, and he also was a social studies teacher and baseball coach before retiring from those posts. Former Michigan State and NFL standouts John Miller and Mill Coleman also starred at Harrison. The football teams at Farmington Hills’ Harrison High School were outfitted with the new gear. While Herrington doesn’t know what he’ll do after the closure, there has been a future lined up for the building. But because Harrison had the lowest enrollment of the high schools and closing it would save a reported $1.5 million, Harrison was a school recommended to go on the chopping block. Many feel the school long ago should have changed its name to "Farmington Hills Herrington," and for good reason. John Herrington sits in his coaching office on a crisp fall day in Farmington Hills and does his best to worry about the upcoming day’s practice regimen. It’s been my life. Despite a limited number of players on the roster, Harrison is enjoying a 5-3 start to the year, and the team likely will beat Farmington on Friday, which would automatically qualify Harrison to the state playoffs that start next week. He grew up in Oswego, Oregon and Farmington Hills, Michigan. In the summer of 2015, amid declining enrollment and financial losses, the school district enlisted a consulting firm, Plante Moran, to assess the financial picture and make recommendations for how to fix it. Not the community that has identified so much with the program; not those who follow high school football around the country; not the former college and NFL players who have played there; and last but not certainly least, not the coach who, for 50 years, has built and presided over this factory that has churned out wins, championships and elite players. No. Nobody knows when the exact end will be, but the fact that the end is inevitable has many asking a simple question: Why? NFL QB Drew Stanton: 'It just doesn't seem fair' that Harrison HS is closing. "I actually wear the pads myself each time that I step out onto the field, and I firmly believe in them. Local newspapers are following the team weekly and doing articles on past great players and last events for the program, such as the final homecoming game that took place in September. What will the world look like without the Farmington Hills Harrison football program? Drew got his start where they are now, moving on to Michigan State University, and the Lions, and now, back-up quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals. Khalid Kareem, a starting defensive end for Notre Dame, played at Harrison, and each year, the program seems to have multiple players who are committed to Division I college programs. Sections of this page. We'll soon have an answer to that question, because the program won’t exist in a couple months. The EVOShield rib shirts were introduced to Drew last August by the Taylor Haugen Foundation, named for a Florida high school player killed on the field in 2008 after a hard hit crushed his liver. Fox 2: “It works like this, pads are inserted inside the shirt, and they form fit to each individual player, harden, and that protects their rib cage.". But while being able to relive the past, not looking forward to a future for Harrison football beyond this year will be hard for anyone to imagine. Harrison High School (Farmington Hills MI), AVCA/USA TODAY Super 25 national high school volleyball rankings Week 7, 'Massive' high school party in New Mexico prompts fall sports practice cancelations, Party leads Alaska high school to temporarily shut down fall sports, end football season, Watch: Paralyzed South Dakota player scores touchdown, Second-biggest city in Massachusetts postpones fall high school sports season, Positive COVID-19 test results force No. The rib shirts soften impact from hits on the kidneys, spleen, liver and other internal organs. FARMINGTON HILLS - Football star Drew Stanton is back in town to show some new safety gear to students at his old high school. Keith Dunlap, Digital Content Team, Graham Media Group. Photo: Detroit Free Press. "It's always great to come back to the Midwest, this will always be home, especially Harrison high school,” says Stanton, back-up quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals. Drew Stanton is an idol to Harrison High School football players. As it turns out, though, it wasn’t even worth $1.5 million. He spoke at four town hall meetings and attended more school board meetings in an effort to convey what Harrison has meant to the community. David Gottschalk. FARMINGTON HILLS, ... Current NFL players Devin Funchess and Drew Stanton played there, as … Here is a 2007 Donruss Classic Drew Stanton Classic Autograph. By: Tyler Calvaruso, https://usatodayhss.com/2018/nfl-qb-drew-stanton-it-just-doesnt-seem-fair-that-harrison-hs-is-closing, NFL QB Drew Stanton: 'It just doesn't seem fair' that Harrison HS is closing.