WELLINGTON – Zo’Marion Harper had the game of his life last week.
In Glades Central’s 41-0 blowout win over Palm Beach Central on Oct. 31, the junior quarterback utilized his weapons on offense in an effective way. Our Breakthrough Player of Week 1 completed 22 of his 31 passes for a whopping 417 yards and three touchdowns.
Though Harper’s game was not perfect – he threw one interception to a Palm Beach Central – it was more than enough for a suddenly resurgent Glades Central collective.
“I am exceptionally happy with the outcome because we won amidst a ton of mistakes and missed opportunities,” the 6-foot, 203-pound quarterback said. “I am looking forward to fine tuning my accuracy and reads in hopes of increasing my efficiency. Thankfully, we have an opportunity to play this week and continue to grow as a team. I’m looking forward to getting the ball in our playmakers hands. Other than that, my teammates and I put in a lot of hard work in the offseason. It definitely felt good to see some positive results.”
One of Harper’s best plays was he read the Palm Beach Central defense and found an open wide receiver in senior Antavious Tarver. It was an offensive series that took just one play at the 5:10 mark of the second quarter, a 34-yarder to the end zone that opened up a 14-0 for Glades Central.
“I got it by using my speed to get the defender to open up, then stopping on the dime for the catch,” said Tarver, who had two catches for 44 yards and the score from Harper. “I attacked his inside shoulder to make more room for me in the inside.”
Tarver’s performance led to his selection as our Honorable Mention – Offense for Week 1.
With that said, Tarver spoke about Harper’s influence on the game.
“The thing about him is that he’s only a junior and has potential to out work anybody,” the 6-foot, 165-pound wide receiver said. “But I think Zo’Marion did a great job by putting the ball in areas where the defender couldn’t get to it.”
Harper’s two other touchdown passes were to wide receivers Robert Luckas (17-yarder with 1:17 left in the third quarter; 41-0 lead for Glades Central) and Ro’Quon Porter.
All of Harper’s action came in just three quarters of play.
“One thing about that kid, he’s a leader,” said new Glades Central head coach Rashad Jackson, who earned his first win at the helm. “He can make every throw on the field. He’s now starting to figure the game out. When I first got my hands on him, he was raw. Now this kid is starting to dissect the safeties, read the corners, read the outside backers. He knows where to throw the ball. He’s just doing a great job of running the offense.”
Can Harper do it again in Week 2 against Royal Palm Beach?
We will find out tomorrow night (Nov. 7; 7 p.m. kickoff) at Wellington High School.
