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A composite image shows (from left to right) The Desert Sun’s picks for 2023 Defensive Player of the Year Braden Cervello of Xavier Prep, 2023 Most Valuable Player Myles Harper of Yucca Valley and 2023 Offensive Player of the Year Aaron Ramirez of Coachella Valley.
Back in September, the Yucca Valley High School football team took the field on a Thursday evening for a non-league game against Granite Hills.
Bill Johnson, Coachella Valley’s head football coach, thought it would be a good opportunity to scout the Trojans, his team’s league rival, so he made the hour drive to Yucca Valley.
The Trojans were overmatched in the game, and it did not help that multiple key players were out with injuries. But Johnson did not come away from the game without an impression.
Facing Yucca Valley senior Myles Harper, Johnson thought, was going to be a challenge.
“He was still battling, making every tackle, even when they were losing big,” Johnson remembers. “He never stopped going all-out.”
Harper, a star defensive player, eventually took over the starting running back position, filling in for injured all-league player Stephon Rogers. That coincided with the Trojans’ surge in the second half of the season and winning 10 consecutive games leading into the Division 12 title game.
Harper did not start the season at running back, but he finished it there, rushing for a school single-season record 1,905 yards and 28 touchdowns to go with three receiving touchdowns, two kickoff returns for touchdowns and 162 tackles for the CIF Division 12 finalists.
For his play this season, Harper is The Desert Sun’s Most Valuable Player.
“Myles had an incredible season,” Yucca Valley head coach Jeremy Johnson. “His play on offense and defense was a big reason for the season we had.”
Coachella Valley’s Aaron Ramirez, a junior who rushed for a…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/myles-harper-2023-football-mvp-203939086.html
Author : The Desert Sun
Publish date : 2023-12-12 20:39:39
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