Another W Pa Kid on the Radar

[Captain Kangaroo]

Versatile Harvey might have to do it all for Penn Hills

Friday, August 13, 2004

By Mike White, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

David Harvey is slated to be Penn Hills' best punter. But in practice earlier this week, coaches looked at players for the long snapper job. Harvey tried it, and the coaches agreed he was the best by far.

This presents a problem for Penn Hills because Harvey obviously can't play two positions at the same time. Or can he? Harvey is so fast, maybe he could snap the ball and be the punter.

Go ahead and laugh. But Harvey's speed and quickness is no joke. A 6-foot-1, 180-pound senior, Harvey runs the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds.

"The kid is a gifted athlete," coach Neil Gordon said. "He does so many things. [Assistant coach John] Fischetti was wondering if he knows how to bake, too."

The best thing Harvey does is play receiver. Some scouting services rank him among the best in the country. He is ranked No. 18 by theinsiders.com and rivals100.com has him at No. 23.

"He's a great holder, for extra points, too," Gordon said. "I have no problem with him being a long snapper for us this year except that I'd like to get him off the field every once in a while in a game."

Harvey also returns punts and kickoffs and plays cornerback on defense.

"He has a great up-the-field burst of speed," said Joe Butler of Metro Index Scouting. "Plus, he can play so many places in the future -- receiver, cornerback, even safety."

Gordon said, "He can play anywhere, but he sure looks like a receiver in the future to me."

Harvey moved from Homewood to Penn Hills as a freshman and was a starting receiver as a sophomore. He was the favorite receiver of quarterback Anthony Morelli -- and the two were big-play masters. Last season, Harvey caught 35 passes and averaged 18.7 yards per reception. As a sophomore, he had 25 receptions and averaged 34.7 yards.

But Morelli graduated and is at Penn State. The main question now is will Harvey see the ball? Even with Morelli, Penn Hills didn't throw much. This season, the Indians aren't sure of a starting quarterback -- and the first game is only two weeks away.

Chad Parker, a 6-4 junior, and Brian Moore, a 5-10 senior, are vying for the quarterback job. Parker virtually has no experience. Moore played some at Central Catholic before transferring to Penn Hills after his sophomore season.

"Neither one is a centimeter ahead of the other one," Gordon said. "I hope we can get Harvey the ball. I'm sure we have to have somebody who can at least throw it up in the air and let him go get it."

Harvey seems to understand why a plethora of passes might not come his way this season. Besides the inexperience at quarterback, Penn Hills has two excellent running backs in Ed Collington and Ken Lewis, although Collington is out indefinitely with a dislocated shoulder and Lewis has been slowed with a hamstring injury.

"I guess people think I should get the ball more, but coach knows what he's doing. We made the semifinals the last two years," said Harvey, who also was a starting guard on Penn Hills' PIAA championship basketball team.

Harvey apparently doesn't have to prove himself to college football recruiters. He has scholarship offers from Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia, Iowa, Georgia Tech, Wisconsin and Akron. Harvey was expecting a scholarship offer from Michigan, but two other receivers made verbal commitments to the Wolverines and they are no longer recruiting him.

"Michigan was my favorite team. I liked them since I was little," Harvey said. "Probably Penn State and West Virginia are my top two schools now."

Gordon said, "There can still be great receivers on teams that don't throw the ball that much."

Count David Harvey among them.

[Zipsrifle]

Q: What do you call a great receiver that doesn't get thrown the ball much?

A: Coach in training.