The Turner Golden Bears football team is having one of their best seasons in quite some time. A lot of that success can be attributed to the success of junior quarterback Jaelon Harley.
Harley carried his regular season success into the postseason. He combined for five total touchdowns (3 passing and 2 rushing) in the Golden Bears’ 61-49 Kansas Class 5A First Round playoff win over Washington.
His performance is the reason he was named the Hy-Vee 41 Five-Star Athlete of the Week. He was certainly excited to find out the news.
“It feels great. I’ve put in plenty of work, and I’m finally getting recognition for it. It’s pretty awesome,” Harley said.
Harley’s stat line was impressive last Friday night: 5-of-8 passing, 151 yards, 3 TD’s; 18 carries for 123 yards, 2 TD’s.
He’s been equally impressive all season long: 84-of-123 passing, 1,519 yards, 16 TD’s; 113 carries, 437 yards, 11 rushing TD’s.
Click here to see other Athlete of the Week winners.
Turner Head Coach Jeremy Milne has often seen what some others have not – a consistent effort day in and day out.
“It’s an offseason work ethic as well as in-season. This doesn’t just happen overnight for Jaelon. He’s not just an overnight guy. If I can describe him in one word, it would be relentless. [He’s] relentless in everything he does – weight room, out here on the practice field. He’s learning how to become a student-athlete,” Milne said.
Harley attributes his success to the other teammates on the team.
“I give it to the fullback over and over. And then [the opponent is] like, ‘Oh, okay the fullback is getting the ball,'” the 6-foot, 165-pound quarterback said. “So then, [the next] play, I pull the ball and watch him take his eyes off me and go tackle the fullback."
“We do like a lot of QB run game stuff,” Milne said. “We feel like it gives us an extra player as a lead blocker. So, it is part of the game plan.”
Harley is in his first year as an upperclassman. However, he has also earned the respect of his coaches and teammates over the course of his high school playing career.
“You know, these kids rally around him. He’s not afraid to stick his helmet in places. Sometimes, I wish he wouldn’t. But, he’ll throw his body anywhere. He’s a fearless, relentless player,” Milne said.
The Golden Bears (5-4) will travel to face Topeka-Seaman (7-2) in the Round of 16 Regionals. The team has acknowledged that they have a tough test ahead of them. However, Harley feels Turner is ready to rise up and compete with the Vikings.
“It’s gonna be a challenging game for sure," said Harley. "But, I think we [have] some confidence built up right now. And, this is probably the highest that Turner has ever been as a football program, in 10 years at least. We [have] some momentum and we’re all excited to be playing them.”
NOTE: The Hy-Vee 41-Five Star Athlete of the Week airs every Thursday night during the 10 p.m. sportscast for the entire school year.
------
Ryan Marshall can be reached at Ryan.Marshall@KSHB.com.
