Observer-Reporter Athlete of the Week
Name: Tyler Harris
School: McGuffey
Year: Senior
Sports: Soccer and football
Harris’ week: During a light week for most area teams, Harris, a midfielder in soccer, was a busy player. He scored a goal in the Highlanders’ 2-2 tie with Class AAA power Peters Township in a non-section matchup of playoff-bound teams. Three nights later, he made his only extra-point attempt for the football team. The kick proved to be important as McGuffey edged Keystone Oaks, 41-40.
Goal oriented: Harris is among the WPIAL’s soccer scoring leaders and the Highlanders’ top offensive threat, having scored a career-high 34 goals this season. Harris tallied 30 goals last year and has 88 for his career despite attracting double teams in most games.
“He has become more of a complete player this year,” McGuffey coach Jim Kita said. “He can beat anyone one-on-one. He has good speed and can really control the ball – it stays on his foot. He’s a good athlete who works hard and has a desire to win.”
Though his goal total has increased, Harris said the biggest improvement in his game this year is his passing.
“I’ve been getting shadowed and double-teamed,” he said. “I learned that I can’t dribble as much and have to get rid of the ball quickly.”
Playoff win: Harris is off to a good start this week. His two first-half goals Monday sparked the Highlanders to a 2-1 victory over defending champion Quaker Valley in the first round of the WPIAL Class AA playoffs. It was the first soccer playoff win in McGuffey history. Surprisingly, Harris did not attract any extra attention from Quaker Valley, which proved to be a fatal mistake for the Quakers.
“Let’s face it, until the last few years McGuffey hasn’t had a history of being a soccer power. Quaker Valley, however, has a storied tradition and probably felt like it could man-up with anyone McGuffey has,” Kita said.
Two-sport athlete: Harris was approached this summer about joining McGuffey’s football team and becoming the Highlanders’ kicker. It wasn’t the first time he was asked about kicking.
“I was asked when I was a sophomore. At first, I thought it was a joke,” he said. “At that time, I was told the school had a rule that you couldn participate in only one sport per season. Since then, that has changed.
“I didn’t make up my mind about football this year until a week before the first game. I was worried that kicking would mess with my soccer, and I knew we had the kind of soccer team that could make a good run in the playoffs. That was my top priority. But my dad (Ron) said that if football was hurting my soccer technique, then he would work with me on Sundays and whenever he could. I’m enjoying football. I have a lot of good friends on the team.”
Harris has made 23 extra points and three field goals for 32 points.
In addition to placekicking, Harris also handles kickoffs. The 5-10, 150-pound Harris had to make a tackle or two, which might have caused Kita’s heart to skip a beat.
“I worry about him getting hurt making a tackle, that somebody might roll up his leg,” Kita said.
Family affair: Harris’ younger brother, Aaron, is a sophomore midfielder, for the Highlanders’ soccer team and their cousin, Luke Desmond, is a junior stopper. Aaron Harris scored the game-tying goal against Peters Township.
One more time: McGuffey (14-4-1) plays South Park (18-1) in the WPIAL soccer quarterfinals tonight. Harris’ play in the offensive end will likely be one of the keys to the outcome. He says that after the tie with Peters Township and the victory over Quaker Valley, the Highlanders are a confident lot.
“Our goal last year was to win the section and make the playoffs, which we did, but that wasn’t a big enough goal,” Harris said. “We thought we could do more.”
Compiled by Chris Dugan