SAN ANTONIO – There is a first time for everything, and for the Harlan Hawks, it’s varsity football in 2018.
Opened in August 2017, John Marshall Harlan High School is the 11th comprehensive high school in the Northside Independent School District and will now compete for the very first time at the varsity level in football, as the Hawks join District 14-5A division 1.
“I’m so fortunate to be here at Harlan and at Northside to start a new school and ... know that the traditions we set here are going to be traditions that will last forever.” said Eddie Salas, Harlan's head coach. “
In its first season, Harlan will compete in a district that will feature seven teams, including Southwest Legacy, which is another high school participating in its first-ever varsity season.
“I’ve been waiting for this ever since we started opening this school,” said Samuel Carter, who is a senior defensive end for the Hawks. “I feel like last year was a year to get our feet wet and to see what kind of people we have going on.”
Carter will be one of the few upperclassmen that coach Salas will get to rely on this season, with most of his team made up of sophomores and juniors, including starting quarterback Kannon Williams.
“They are going to see a lot of excitement," Salas said. “They’re going to see speed on the field and a bunch of kids doing it the right way.”
The Harlan Hawks will kick off their first-ever season on Saturday, when they face the Holmes Huskies at Farris Stadium.
“This whole summer, we’ve actually spent (time) bonding the team and getting stronger, faster," Carter said. “I really feel like we got what it takes this year to bring it home.”
Starting Saturday, the Hawks will begin to back up that statement.