Will Morris Millard West High School Sports Feature Writing The Beast October 2nd, 2013 Millard West senior Harrison Phillips is a defensive lineman for the varsity football team. He will be playing at Stanford University next year. He sets a good example and is a great person, teammate Ross Drwal says. (Photo by Will Morris) After a 7-4 season and a knockout in the state playoffs, the Wildcats lineman hopes to return his team to the top. Hike! The single word resonates around the 22 stationary players. Suddenly, action explodes on both sides. Fourteen boys smash into each other. The offense attempts to keep the defense away from the quarterback who drops back, scans the field for receivers, and eludes the chasers. The pocket of safety around the lone man trying to throw the ball collapses. One player, wearing 66 on the back of his jersey, breaks through the wall of linemen and charges at the quarterback. The quarterback, sensing danger is near, begins to scramble for his life as number 66 closes the gap. Too late. The quarterback hits the ground in a split second as Harrison Phillips jumps to his feet to celebrate. Sack made by number 66, Harrison Phillips, booms the announcer. Phillips jogs over to the sideline, pulls his helmet off, and exposes his short brown hair. Bedlam erupts from excited Millard West fans sitting in the home stands at Buell Stadium. The sack brings a fourth down situation for the Millard South Patriots. This wouldn t be the last time the announcer calls that particular number, 66. The name Harrison Phillips echoes throughout the stadium all night. He has an impressive game, despite the Patriots double and triple
teaming him. Even so, Phillips continues to kill the drive for the opposition, helping the Millard West Wildcats seal off an impressive 27-10 win in the battle between the Q street rivals. Currently ranked No. 5, the Wildcats (4-1) picked off tough teams such as Lincoln Southeast, Millard North, and Millard South early on, but lost a close one to the Burke Bulldogs, 23-21. And Phillips has been a huge contributing factor in the Wildcats successful season thus far. Coach Kirk Peterson says Phillips is a high motor player, with lots of intensity and physicality. Quarterback Ross Drwal agrees with a laugh, He s a beast. Phillips makes another tackle during the South game last year. Phillips is also a two time state champion wrestler. (Photo by Tess Riecke) Phillips proved what a kind of animal he was at the defensive end position last year with 81 tackles, 35 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. Since the last snap of last year s season, he s been focused on football only, Peterson says. This is Phillips s senior season as a Wildcat so next year he will be off to Stanford University on a full- ride scholarship to play 3-4 defensive end. The 6 3 245 lbs. player received quite a few opportunities. I got twenty-three full-ride scholarship offers before I committed to Stanford and nine more after I committed, he says. Some other top offers included Nebraska, Kansas State, Duke, and others. He made his decision a bit early this summer before school and football started. After three practices and two days at Stanford, Phillips felt it was a good fit all around. He has a good future at Stanford, Drwal says. Now Phillips can focus on state with his ultimate goal the state championship trophy for the Wildcats.
Harry takes a much needed break on the sidelines during the Millard West vs. Millard North game. West defeated North 24-14 this fall. (Photo by Breanna Stohs). The game of football has always been a very physical sport, all the way from the age of leather helmets and no pads, up to the present era of full pads, durable helmets, and rules that limit concussions and brain injuries. Players are not immune to getting hurt and Phillips is no exception. As a young player, he sustained a back fracture which still gives him pain and it forces him to wear a brace for his practices and games. Despite the odds, Phillips was named a captain of the team this year, along with Drwal, Skyler Monaghan, and Victor Beanum. He is a vocal leader, and leads more by performance than by talking, and has become more vocal with age, Peterson says. Wide receiver Monaghan says Phillips gets them (other players) in line, and knows what he s doing. Football is a sport that requires hard work and quite a bit of focus, and a strong work ethic can be the difference between a good player and a great player. Phillips high concentration on the game has made him the player he is today. Monaghan says Phillips is always the first one in the weight room and the last one out. He sets a good example and is a great person, Drwal says. He (Phillips) puts the team before himself, Monaghan adds. Phillips is also a very versatile athlete, managing to be a star in both football and wrestling. He won state as a sophomore wrestler. It was a surprise my sophomore year. I was the underdog and there were a lot of emotions, Phillips recalls. He was undefeated his junior year and ranked No. 1. He was expected to win. Even with high expectations on his shoulders, Phillips took away the championship trophy with a 31-0 decision over Lincoln Southwest s Eric Oltman.
Phillips, a captain this year, is a team player. He (Phillips) puts the team before himself, wide receiver Skylar Monaghan says. Phillips continued his winning streak at the NHSCA National Championships in Virginia Beach with a first place finish. Ranked No. 1 as a heavyweight in Nebraska, Phillips will again attempt to take away another state title his senior year. Intense. Tough. Intimidating. But off the field this intelligent young man is energized and is often seen talking and laughing with friends like Drwal or walking with headphones on, the beats of Hopson pulsing through his ears. As soon as he steps on the grass though, Phillips becomes a formidable opponent. You wouldn t want to deal with him in a game he gets through you every time, teammate Richard Wade says. 1. He loves cats. 10 things you may not know about Harrison Phillips 2. He drinks a gallon of chocolate milk every day. 3. He is very religious. 4. He s ranked 3rd in the nation for high school wrestling. 5. He loves to hot tub. 6. His favorite book is the Bible. 7. He s the currently ranked No. 1 discus thrower in Nebraska. 8. His biggest role model is Jake Herweyer.
9. He has 50+ scholarship offers for football and wrestling. 10. He has a pet dachshund.