Harvey stands tall for SHS
Over the last 25 years, Starkville has produced some special receivers whether it be the brothers of Freddie and Tee Milons, Raphael Leonard or A.J. Brown.
Those players made their mark on every team they became a part of whether it be on the junior college level, in the Sun Belt, the Southeastern Conference or the National Football League. While he's the smallest of the crew, Rufus Harvey is not to be outdone.
At around 5-9, 165 pounds, Harvey plays as if he's 6-4. He can out-jump, out-man and out-catch many of his competitors and he became the biggest playmaker for the Yellow Jackets following the exit of Brown in 2015. Since Chris Jones has been on campus coaching him up, his coach has done everything in his power to get him the ball.
“The way the game is played today we want to spread the ball around and find that one-on-one matchup,” Jones said. “Even in his sophomore year, he made some big plays in key moments. He continued that same trend. To be able to be productive year in and year out it speaks volumes of his whole career.
“If he was at a smaller school, he'd have 2,000 to 3,000 all-purpose yards because he's that kind of talent. We spread the ball around so for him to still get his numbers says what kind of player he is. You've got to have those type of guys to make those plays.”
As a sophomore, Harvey made his first appearance in the offense and had 38 catches for 517 yards and seven touchdowns as he helped the Jackets to the Class 6A State championship game in Jones' first season. Last year, the junior took another step up with 53 catches for 935 yards and eight more scores.
Jones and company used his talent more than ever in his final year as he caught 75 passes for 1,066 yards and 16 touchdowns, added 21 carries for 109 yards and another two scores and even went 2-for-2 passing for 34 yards and a touchdown. For those numbers, Harvey was chosen the Starkville Daily News Area High School Offensive Player of the Year.
When the dust settled, he finished his career with 2,971 yards all-purpose in three years and 34 touchdowns. He challenged Brown's records for yards and touchdowns in a career, season and game all year long. He believed he saved the best season for last and the numbers prove it though having talented quarterback Luke Altmyer a year older throwing him the football helped his progression as well.
“It was a great season for me,” Harvey said. “It didn't end the way that I wanted it to, but I helped the team win some games.
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