Harvey hopes next move is a college career

BRIAN HARVEY sat in a weight room inside Ben Franklin High, his voice soft, his tone measured. Gone were the ever-present ferocity, passion and spunk that earned him the nickname "Hit Stick" on the football field.

Instead, the 5-8, 160-pound junior linebacker sat politely, hands together, fingers interlocked, fielding questions about this and that. Interview jitters could have explained some of his reticence, but perhaps something else was at play.

In any event, one question required little forethought before an answer gushed out.

"My favorite part about football is winning," Harvey said, smiling, "but when you get that big hit, it just feels so good, so that's my favorite part about football."

The key to punishing opponents: "coming downhill," he said, "quick, hard and fast."

For the uninitiated, Harvey's nickname derives from the popular football video games that feature a controller with a knob used specifically for making big hits, aptly named "the hit stick."

Harvey was knighted with the moniker during his little league days with the North Philly Blackhawks on 11th Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue.

Coincidentally, around that time he was also introduced to another game that would eventually shape his everyday life.

"Chess, it makes me think a lot," he said. "It's a calm game and you just think through everything. And, it helps me everywhere - in the classroom, on the field. Just thinking, ya know?"

When he's not the defensive heart and soul of the undefeated Electrons (5-0, 3-0), Harvey can usually be found at the Penrose Recreation Center on 12th Street and Susquehanna Avenue, a short walk from his home on Marvine Street.

In fact, after Franklin's Week 6 contest was postponed as a precaution after a bomb threat at host Abraham Lincoln, Harvey retreated to Penrose.

Usually, Cornelius Edwards, an assistant football coach at Simon Gratz who also works at Penrose, would pull out the chessboard. However, the Bulldogs played Southern that evening.

"I tell Brian I still root for him as a player and as a person besides when they play us," Edwards joked via phone. "I'll root for him, but not his team."

With Gratz (5-1, 4-0) leading the AAAA Liberty Division and Franklin tied for tops with Washington in the AAAA Independence Division, Harvey and Edwards could meet in the Public League championship.

But, about those matchups on the chessboard . . .

"Ummmm," Edwards said after some laughter, "it's an even match. I'll give him that. Yeah, he's real competitive. The funny thing about him is he's not going to stop until he gets one or two."

Edwards, who played receiver and safety at Gratz ('95), said he learned the game in college at Clarion where he studied at the undergrad and graduate level (also grad school at Saint Joseph's University).

He also runs a mentoring program at Penrose, teaching high-school age young men about résumé development, how to apply for jobs, the importance of a driver's license, college, etc.

Harvey learned chess at the Paul Lawrence Dunbar Elementary School and you can probably guess his style of play.

"Yeah, he's an offensive player," Edwards said. "He's definitely aggressive, but at the same time I try to teach him that sometimes being aggressive doesn't always mean being on offense. Sometimes you can sit back and watch your opponents make mistakes."

Harvey carries that mindset onto the field, but he's also a seek-and-destroy type.

"I just see it, make the hit and then [the emotion] just all comes out," he said. "It's just so exciting."

An All-Pub coaches' selection as a sophomore, Harvey was also the only freshman (in 2012) to earn player of the week honors from TedSilary.com.

This season, he's leading the city's second-stingiest scoring defense (33 points allowed). Only Class AA Del-Val Charter (18) has allowed fewer points.

Harvey's favorite hit this season came against Northeast High along the goal line and ended with teammates, coaches and fans screaming his nickname (Franklin won, 39-20).

"I love that name," he said. "It makes me want to go out there and just excel and work harder."

At the next level, it is likely Harvey must transition into the secondary, probably at safety. No offers have been made yet, but he reports invites to several camps.

Questions about his stature have always been fuel, but Harvey trusts the advice from head coach David Carter, a Franklin grad and former West Virginia linebacker. Carter has said Harvey has a chance to play in college and beyond as a safety.

"I love linebacker, but unfortunately it's just not for me at the next level," Harvey said. "Coach Carter, he's taught me a lot on and off the field. He's been there for me and I look up to him. He's like a father in my life."

Carter - and others - provided support when a difficult situation, not of his doing, forced Harvey to live with an aunt for a few months last year. He has since returned home with his eyes on the future.

"If he stays the course and stays focused, the sky is the limit," Edwards said. "College is in his future, but it's up to him to achieve it."

A 3.2 GPA last year, an interest in math and the ability to relate chess to life should help.

"As long as he stays focused and understands that books come first," Edwards continued. "In the same way chess is all a mind game, if you allow yourself to get caught up in what the next person is doing without knowing your next move, then you won't succeed."

Cheers to that.

"It would really mean a lot to me," Harvey said. "I really need this scholarship. I'm trying to be the only one in my family to get a college degree.

"Football is just inside of me. It's like a soul inside of me. I just can't get away from it. I just love the sport so much I just have to do it. It's just a must-do in my life."