Harvest Prep doesn’t miss beat without stars

When Harvest Prep graduated two outstanding players last season in Daniel Bangura and Isaiah Mullens, some assumed the Warriors would take a step back.

Coach Milan Smith feeds off those doubts.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve listened to a lot of people tell us what we weren’t going to do,” Smith said. “What they don’t realize is that we have both a strong system and strong culture in place here that can withstand just about anything.”

Bangura, who set the Ohio rushing records for a season (3,401 yards) and career (9,650), moved on to Ohio State, where he is grayshirting. Mullens, a dominant two-way lineman, is expected to redshirt at Wisconsin.

But from the day Smith arrived at Harvest Prep in 2014, his teams have featured a creative and devastating ground game. Nothing has changed as the Warriors have rolled to an 8-0 record and a No. 1 computer rating in their Division VII region.

The heir to take Bangura’s Daquan Owens-Johnson (9) has been part of Harvest Prep’s backfield-by-committee approach this season.

role as featured back, junior Javon Eggert, rushed for 230 yards in just three quarters of the season opener before suffering a serious hip injury. He hopes to return for the season finale and the playoffs.

“So we moved Daquan Owens-Johnson from receiver to take Javon’s spot

and we decided we would operate more as a backfield by committee,” Smith said.

Six players have combined to gain 2,796 yards on a 7.2 yards-per-carry average and have scored 34 touchdowns. Owens-Johnson (845 yards, nine TDs) leads the charge.

“I don’t ever compare teams, but this one is

different in that while we don’t have household names, the system depends more on all the parties contributing in order to operate on a high level,” Smith said. “We’re more multifaceted.”

Two freshmen and six sophomores from the 24-man roster are starting for Harvest Prep, which is riding a 30-game winning streak in Mid-State League Cardinal Division play dating to Oct. 25, 2013. The Warriors, who have already clinched a fifth straight playoff spot, can wrap up at least a share of another Cardinal title with a win Friday over Fisher Catholic (5-2, 2-2).

Although Harvest Prep advanced to a state semifinal in 2016, it has never gone undefeated. The program had only two winning seasons, both 6-4, before Smith’s arrival. His record is 44-12.

“To start 8-0, we’re super excited, especially given that our competition within the league has been much stronger this year,” said Smith, adding that Berne Union, Fisher Catholic and Worthington Christian have a shot of making the playoffs. “We’ve had to come from behind twice in the second half this year, and in the long run, I think that will make us a tougher team.”

The challenge will get steeper in 2019 when Harvest Prep moves into the MSL Ohio with larger schools.