Running through everything

Largo's Brynn Harvey is on track to break one more record this season, and it seems as if nothing can stand in his way.

By BOB PUTNAM
Published December 4, 2007

Largo's Brynn Harvey, shown in a Nov. 23 game, needs 59 yards to break the record for most rushing yards in a season including playoff games.
	[Ted McLaren | Times]

LARGO - When Brynn Harvey was 10 years old in his neighborhood streets, he and his friends would play a game they called "kill the carrier."

The rules were simple: The kid with the ball had to get past everyone else until he was tackled.

The abiding memory of Harvey was that of a boy charging down the field with three defenders clinging to his back. He carried would-be pursuers for laps around the yard.

"I know I made it a few times without going down," Harvey said.

Nobody kept statistics to prove that little Brynn Harvey led the neighborhood in knock-down, drag-out runs, but as the Largo Packers await Friday's Class 5A state semifinal game against Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, statistics prove that he's leading Pinellas County in rushing with 2,432 yards.

And yard by yard, Harvey is inching toward a record many thought was untouchable.

The Packers senior needs just 59 more yards to break the county record for most yards rushing in a single season including playoff games.

The previous mark was set in 2005 by another Largo running back, Dexter McCluster, who rushed for 2,490 yards.

"I never thought I'd see those kinds of numbers from a running back in this county again," Largo coach Rick Rodriguez said. "Now, the record could be broken again by someone from our own school."

Just as memorable as his numbers is his style. Harvey insists on going through, not around, defenders. He is of the head-down, go-forward genre typified by Jerome Bettis and Mike Alstott.

"Brynn brings the thunder; he's a load to bring down," said Packers quarterback Leonard Johnson after last week's region final victory over Cape Coral, in which Harvey ran for 200 yards and scored three touchdowns. "We'll go as far as Brynn takes us."

Early on, Harvey's reckless approach was confined to other positions. In youth leagues, he played defensive line.

At Largo, he started out as a fullback, clearing a path for McCluster during his record-setting season.

There were times when Harvey would get the ball in mop-up duty as a sophomore. He showed enough that he was moved to tailback to replace McCluster last season.

In 2006, his first season as a starting tailback, Harvey responded with 1,746 yards and 19 touchdowns. In a playoff game against Countryside, he set a state-record with 51 carries.

"Brynn has the body to handle that type of workload," Rodriguez said of Harvey, who stands a shade under 6 feet and weighs 210 pounds. "I think he's the best back in the state."

On Friday, Harvey can prove he's the best back in the county.

He'll have several fans on hand to witness what could be a record-setting evening, including his father, Greg Harvey, a former star for the Packers who played from 1985-86.

"We talk about football a lot," Brynn said. "We like to see who has bragging rights in the family."

Another former player who'll be there is the previous record holder, McCluster, who is now at Ole Miss.

But Harvey is not even thinking about his own statistics.

"It's nice for everyone, but I don't really care too much about the record," Harvey said. "The biggest thing that matters to me is getting the team to the state final.

"That's all any of us can think about."

Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas (12-1) at Largo (13-0)

At stake: A berth in the 5A state final Dec. 14 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

TV: Catch 47 will broadcast Friday's game live.

Tickets: $7. No advance sales. The ticket booth at the school will open at 6 p.m. on Friday.

Brynn Harvey's yards per game this season:

Week 1: at East Lake, 246
Week 2: at Palm Harbor U., 286
Week 3: Off
Week 4: St. Petersburg, 235
Week 5: Dunedin, 100
Week 6: at Pinellas Park, 362
Week 7: Lakewood, 69
Week 8: Dixie Hollins, 142
Week 9: at Seminole, 190
Week 10: at Gibbs, 215
Week 11: Northeast: 198

Playoffs

Region quarterfinal: East Lake, 95
Region semifinal: at Dunedin, 94
Region final: Cape Coral, 200
Total: 2,432

[Last modified December 4, 2007, 01:00:59]