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Back by a different measure

Central's foes can't afford to overlook 5-6 junior DuJuan Harris.

By DAVID MURPHY
Published September 21, 2005

BROOKSVILLE - Sweat seeping from his pores, cornrows tucked beneath a black skull cap, helmet gripped in his hand, DuJuan Harris acknowledged the obstacle he currently faces.

"I've got to gain like two more inches," the Central running back said after practice Tuesday. "I've got to get taller."

Four games into the season, Harris has quickly established himself as one of the most talented running backs in the area. In an opening 33-0 win over Hernando, he rushed for 132 yards on 13 carries. Sept. 9 against Crystal River, he gained more than 20 yards on each of his first three carries, and finished with 107 yards and three touchdowns.

But with a listed size of 5 feet 6, 168 pounds, Harris is small. Very, very small.

It's not that he doesn't look like a running back. His tight spandex practice shorts are stretched out around rock solid quads. His white practice jersey reveals a rippled abdomen. His cleated feet carry pear-shaped calves. This isn't Rudy Ruettiger or Martin Gramatica we're talking about.

"He's got that frame," Bears offensive lineman Andy Leavine said.

But still. ...

"I think the one thing that hurts him is that he doesn't weigh that much," Leavine said. "You look at some of the greats, like Tim Gaynor. They kind of had the same height, but they had more bulk to him. Fox is like 160, 170, where Gaynor was like 190."

Fox is what teammates call him. Nobody seems sure where it comes from, not even Harris. But it's clear he runs like one.

Even in post-practice sprints, he finishes yards ahead of teammates. His stride is that of a sprinter, his feet gliding over the grass.

Harris is quite possibly the best running back Central has had since Gaynor rushed for more than 1,700 yards in 2001. And unlike Gaynor, he might play college ball.

But he'll have to overcome the stigma of his size.

"I feel like in college ball he could be a punt returner guy, maybe a corner or something," Central coach Greg Bigham said. "I don't think he'll be a running back or something. He could be a receiver, maybe a little slot receiver, but I really feel like he could be a defensive back in college."

That's not necessarily Harris' mind-set. He has played cornerback since moving up to varsity late in his freshman season. But the junior's words are those of a running back.

"My goal was to gain 200 yards a game," Harris said. "But I'll settle for 100."

He's soft-spoken - at least to a stranger - and his coach says his head is firmly in place. Grades. Behavior. Attitude.

He dawdles in the locker room and is last on the field for practice, but as far as personality flaws go, Bigham says they aren't mortal.

"I'm really determined," Harris said. "I think I'll have a better career at college. I think it will be easier because everyone will be the same talent."

Harris says the questionnaires from Division I schools are pouring in. Iowa. Mississippi State. Notre Dame.

"Charlie Weis from the Patriots (now Notre Dame's coach) sent me something," he said.

But questionnaires differ from scholarships, and interest is different from commitment. Harris has nearly two full years to transform the former into the latter.

Both his coach ("There are college players that are 5-foot-6, 5-foot-7," Bigham said), and teammates ("I think he could be one of the all-time greats from this school," Leavine said), believe he will.

But. ...

"It's going to be hard to put weight on him," Bigham said. "I'm going to really try in the offseason to put 15 pounds on him. It would really help him."

On that, player and coach can agree.

[Last modified September 21, 2005, 00:24:18]