Senior Luke Harwood is all smiles on signing day.
BY SAMANTHA ELLIOTT
When Luke Harwood was just a sophomore, he got pulled up to the varsity football team and when he got pulled up, he started dreaming big. Those dreams turned into reality in 2019 when the Grosse Ile senior signed to continue playing football at the collegiate level.
After three years on the varsity squad, and an explosive senior year on the gridiron, Harwood has committed to Grand Valley State University, where he will major in business and finance.
This past fall, Harwood helped lead his team to a 9-1 overall record and a flawless league record. In a huge come-from-behind effort, the senior ran in two touchdowns against league rival Riverview to secure the Huron League Championship.
In total last fall, the senior ran in 14 touchdowns and was on the receiving end of one more. He averaged 156.4 yards per game on the ground and finished with 1,846 total yards.
During games, keeping calm was key, especially in high-stake games such as Riverview.
“I try to keep my teammates calm and myself,” Harwood said. “In football, if you worry about every little thing that happens, then you’ll distract yourself from the game unintentionally.
So, if someone made a mistake or if I did, the mindset was to just get over it and move on to the next play.”
His favorite high school football memory was that very game against Riverview.
“My favorite football memory was beating Riverview to win the Colvin Cup and outright Huron League Champions,” he said. “The way we came back from being down 14 points at half to win was just crazy. That was the most exciting game I’ve played my whole life. Also, seeing my family after the game when we came off the field and talking to all of them after the game was something I’ll never forget.”
To go along with his football career, Harwood also played basketball for three years and ran track all through high school. But for him, football stuck out.
“Football teaches you many life lessons that you take with you off the field and on with your life,” he said. “I also like the physicality of the sport and the contact. When I got pulled up (to varsity), I started thinking about making something of my abilities.”
After a decade of playing football in Grosse Ile, Harwood chose Grand Valley because it offered a quality education while still being able to play the sport he loves.
“When I went up there, it felt like home and I liked the coaches a lot,” he said. “(It) just seemed like the best fit for me.”
As he looks ahead to the future and reflects back on Grosse Ile football Harwood said he does not have one favorite part about the program because there was just too much.
“Whether it was winning games and then celebrating with my teammates or all the off-field memories we made, there are many moments that I will remember for the rest of my life,” he said.
As he moves on to fulfill his own dreams, Harwood encourages younger players to chase theirs.
“My advice to younger players is to believe in yourself and your teammates,” he said. “If you think you can go somewhere with football, don’t give up on your dream and don’t listen to the doubters. They’ll always find something they don’t like about you or your team. We were projected to go 5-4 or 6-3 and we just proved everyone wrong.”