By Lisa Byers
October 29, 2009 — Trevor Harris is a math major, and a pretty good one at that, having been named a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference scholar athlete four times throughout his career thus far. But strangely, Harris isn’t a real big fan of numbers.
To him, numbers are just that, numbers. To everyone else, they’re a measuring point. And it takes only one look at Harris’ numbers to know he is and will always be one of the best quarterbacks ever in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
Just ask the best, East Stroudsburg’s Jim Terwilliger.
“He is a tremendous quarterback,” said Terwilliger, now the head football coach at Pleasant Valley High School. “I only got to see him play one year, but I was extremely impressed. I can only imagine how much he has grown since then.”
Heading into the final two regular season games of his career, Harris ranks among the top four in five categories in the PSAC record books. He ranks second in two of those categories, trailing only Terwilliger, who does has a convincing lead.
There is one record, however, well within Harris’ grasps, career pass completions. Harris currently ranks third behind Lock Haven’s Bob McLaughlin (884) with 880, needing just 26 to tie Terwilliger for the lead.
“I always thought the records would be broken,” Terwilliger said. “Honestly, I was never about the records. It was more about winning. The records just came along as I was successful. I’m sure Trevor would say the same thing.”
Undoubtedly.
“It’s very, very humbling,” Harris said of the records and being defined as one of the best quarterbacks in Division II right now. “When you say that it kind of gives you chills to think that people even put you in that breath. It’s a compliment to my teammates … They don’t say football is the ultimate team sport for nothing.”
Terwilliger isn’t surprised, though, that Harris is chasing those records or earning the praise he is.
“Of all the quarterbacks I ever played against, I can remember him very well as a freshman,” said Terwilliger, who played his last season for East Stroudsburg in 2006, Harris’ freshman season. “I can remember thinking, ‘It’s a good thing I’m getting out of here.’ Because I think that East Stroudsburg-Edinboro contest could have been a little crazier.”
“I thought this is a guy who can really swing it around,” he added. “He was a tremendous player. And I can remember him coming up to me after the game. He said some tremendous words. I thought what a great guy. This young man is going to be great. And from what I’ve seen, he has been.”
Terwilliger also considers Harris a great spokesperson, per say, for the PSAC, which is quickly developing into one of the most competitive football conferences in Division II. That is coming from one of only two PSAC players to ever win the Harlon Hill Trophy, Division II’s equivalent of the Heisman. Terwilliger won the award in 2006. Bloomsburg’s Irv Sigler won it in 1997.
Harris was one of eight finalists for the Harlon Hill last season and is figured to be among the favorites this year.
“One thing about the PSAC is week in and week out there are great football games,” Terwilliger said. “The level of competition is great. It’s certainly a stepping stone to getting the word out there when you have a great player like Trevor serving as kind of a spokesperson for the conference.”
The question is, does Harris, who has attracted several NFL scouts to the stadium this season, have what it takes to compete at that next level. Terwilliger made a brief stop in the NFL himself, as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings, and doesn’t necessarily consider himself qualified to judge, but said, “There is a place in the NFL for someone who is tough, a great leader and knows how to be a great quarterback and can learn the system. I can see Trevor putting his hat in the ring.”
After all, that is Harris’ ultimate dream.
“Hopefully that opportunity does present itself,” Harris said. “If not, I’ve got plenty of backup options. It would be a fun experience to go through. And I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been thinking about it.”
