Harris Flies Like a Record-Setting Eagle
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 30, 2012
Drake Harris may not have expected the full force of the performance he put up Saturday to cap an incredible junior season for Grand Rapids Christian.
But he had a pretty good idea at the start that it could turn into a special night.
When Orchard Lake St. Mary’s attempted to cover him with just one player – and continued to do so frequently throughout the Division 3 Final at Ford Field – the 6-foot-4, 180-pound Harris found himself in a dream come true.
“I kinda figured they would come out like that and play me like that. My coach knew that, and he just put me in the right position to make plays,” Harris said. “And I was happy they came out like that.
“I’m not the type to brag on myself. But when I see that, man-to-man coverage, that’s my dream. I love when people go man, and no safety over the top. It’s just me and the DB. The better man wins.”
Harris gets a Second Half High 5 this week after probably the most victorious day in his young career.
He grabbed eight passes for an MHSAA Finals record 243 yards and a touchdown as the Eagles beat St. Mary’s 40-37 in overtime to claim their first football championship.
Saturday’s numbers gave him, unofficially, 91 catches for 2,015 yards and 25 scores this fall. While those totals still must be confirmed for record book purposes, the yardage will be the most in MHSAA history for one season and rank 12thnationally. His yards per game this fall will rank fourth nationally and his yards per catch sixth. His catches will rank fourth in MHSAA history and his touchdown catches second.
Harris has committed to sign next fall with Michigan State for basketball and then the following February for football too. He’s expected to do big things again this winter for a Grand Rapids Christian basketball team that advanced to the Class A Quarterfinals last season.
Hoops always was his sport – he wasn't sure at one point that he’d even play football in high school. But Harris said Spartans men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo told him he loves players who are on their football teams as well. And Harris said he is starting to realize his football future might be the brighter of the two.
Saturday couldn't have hurt that observation.
Harris caught passes of 49 and 22 yards before hauling in a 74-yard scoring strike early in the second quarter. He had an 85-yarder called back during the third quarter, but caught passes of 24 and 38 yards to set up a touchdown early in the fourth. He then caught his final three passes during the team’s final possession of regulation, gaining a total of 36 yards in helping to set up Joel Schipper’s 28-yard game-tying field goal with four seconds left.
One catch will live on in Finals memory for years to come. In the fourth quarter, Harris went so high as to nearly jump over his defensive back. The defender tackled his legs mid-air, dumping Harris back-first into the turf. But Harris held on, and the Eagles continued to move.
After gaining more than 1,000 yards receiving as a sophomore too, Harris will need only 609 as a senior to set that MHSAA career record. He needs 66 catches and four for touchdowns to tie those records. And if a record was kept for highlight-reel catches, he might already be the holder.
“People don’t necessarily think he’s tough or something. But to have a guy go up 3-4 feet in the air and get flipped, catch the ball and land on his back or head; that’s pretty tough in my book,” Grand Rapids Christian senior quarterback Alex VanDeVusse said. “I’d take him on my team every single day. He’s amazing.”
PHOTO: Drake Harris went high to make this grab during the fourth quarter of Saturday's Division 3 Final against Orchard Lake St. Mary's. (Click for more from Terry McNamara Photography.)
Herremans' Focus on 'Dadding,' Giving Kids Similar Small-Town Childhood
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
August 5, 2021
Todd Herremans played 11 seasons in the NFL, battling big-name defensive linemen every Sunday and ascending to celebrity status in Philadelphia.
But make no mistake: He’s still a small-town, Ravenna boy at heart.
“We lived in downtown Philly for the last 10 years and then the kids came along,” said Herremans, a 2001 graduate of Ravenna High School. “I tried to make it work, but one day it just hit me that I have no idea how to raise kids in the city.”
So, in a scene straight out of the 1960’s television comedy “Green Acres,” in January he loaded up his wife, Elizabeth, daughter Olivia (5) and son Jaxon (3) and moved to a farm in West Chester, a small town about 50 miles east of Philadelphia.
One of the goals of the move has been to provide his kids with a childhood something like his idyllic upbringing in Ravenna, a rural village in eastern Muskegon County with about 1,200 residents.
Herremans’ father, Paul, is approaching his 31st season as the varsity baseball coach at Ravenna, despite retiring as a math teacher in 2010. He has also coached football and basketball at Ravenna since the 1970s and, as a result, his sons John, Scott and Todd basically grew up under the bleachers.
“I remember being really little and I couldn’t wait to be old enough to be the bat boy,” said Todd Herremans, now 38, whose mother, Marilee, was also a teacher. “Then once I did that, I was itching to put on the pads and the uniforms. Then I couldn’t wait to be on the varsity.”
He grew up to be a four-sport athlete at Ravenna – starring in football, basketball and baseball (along with helping out the track & field team in his senior year, throwing the discus and shot put) – and he credits playing multiple sports for helping him not only make it to the NFL, but to stay there for 11 years and remain healthy enough to start 126 of 135 career games.
“There’s no doubt playing other sports helped me make it to the NFL – the footwork I developed playing basketball and things like that,” said Herremans. “But it really helped me stay there. When you play different sports you are in different scenarios and fill different roles on each team. I think I was more adaptable than some of the other guys I played with.”
Herremans earned all-West Michigan Conference honors in football, basketball and baseball at Ravenna, but he was a late bloomer in many ways as his skill set grew into his big frame.
He went on to start for four years at Saginaw Valley State, playing in 48 games and starting 40 of them at left or right offensive tackle. During his senior year at Saginaw Valley he earned first-team Little All-America honors from The Associated Press, which put him firmly on the NFL radar.
He was selected in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft, when the Eagles traded up to take him with Green Bay’s pick (126th overall). He started his first NFL game Nov. 27, 2005, and remained a fixture on the Eagles’ offensive front for the next decade.
Herremans, who played at 6-foot-6 and 323 pounds, was known for his consistency and durability, as well as his versatility – playing every interior line position for the Eagles except for center.
The versatility didn’t stop there, however, as he is one of the few interior offensive linemen in NFL history to catch two touchdown passes, one each in 2008 and 2010.
After being released by the Eagles in 2015, he was picked up right away by Indianapolis, where he started two games.
These days, Herremans spends much of his time taking care of his children at the farm in West Chester and also at his cottage on Torch Lake in northern Michigan.
“I do a lot of dadding,” he said with a laugh.
Since his retirement, Herremans and a partner started BodyChek Wellness, a company that makes hemp-based products to help with wellness, balance and recovery. He is also a member of Athletes for Care, a group that advocates for athletes on various issues of health and safety, including the use of cannabis as medicine.
He looks forward to the summer months, when he spends most of his days at his northern Michigan cottage, allowing him a perfect place and opportunity to catch up with his family and friends from both Ravenna and Saginaw Valley.
Even better is having time to watch his kids grow up, which he said would have been nearly impossible during his NFL playing days.
“I have a lot of fun being with them,” Herremans said. “Ever since we moved out to the country, my son has been obsessed with tractors and tools. I love that.”
2020-21 Made in Michigan
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PHOTOS: (Top) Past Ravenna standout Todd Herremans, here with the Philadelphia Eagles, spikes after scoring in 2008. (Middle) Herremans with wife Elizabeth and children Olivia and Jaxon. (Below) Todd’s high school memories include kicking field goals and earning the Homecoming crown. (Top photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Eagles; middle photo courtesy of the Herremans family; below photos courtesy of Ravenna High School.)