FALL SPORTS ATHLETIC MEETING TUESDAY JULY 29, 2019 @ 6:30PM

Any student that is interested in playing a fall sport  in 2019 @ HPS there will be an informational parent/student meeting on Monday, July 29, 2019 in the MAC at 6:30pm-7:30pm. This will be for all students attending HPS 2019-2020, grades 7-12.  

The Harvest Preparatory School boys basketball team never doubted that it would bounce back offensively as it prepared for the Division III state championship game against Cleveland Heights Lutheran East.

Coming off a poor shooting performance in their state semifinal win, the Warriors made six of their first 14 shots from 3-point range to build a double-digit cushion and never let the Falcons back within striking distance March 23 at Ohio State.

Harvest Prep captured its first championship with a 55-42 victory, finishing with a 28-2 record.

“I don’t remember us having any times where we shot bad one game and shot bad the next game,” junior guard Christopher Anthony said. “If we shoot bad one game, we’re going to shoot it well the next game.”

It certainly helped the Warriors that Lutheran East, which won a state title in 2017 and was a state semifinalist a season ago, went just 2-for-26 from 3-point range. The Falcons, who finished 20-9, outrebounded the Warriors 35-27 and outscored Harvest Prep 18-5 in second-chance points.

Still, the Warriors limited Lutheran East to 3-for-16 shooting overall in the first quarter while building a 16-8 lead and never led by fewer than eight points in the final three quarters.

Harvest Prep got a 3-pointer late in the third quarter from Elijah Glenn to take a 43-32 lead into the final period. Lutheran East closed to within 44-36 with 6 minutes, 41 seconds remaining, but the Warriors got a three-point play from Anthony with 6:23 left to stretch the lead back to double digits. “We’ve seen tape where (Lutheran East has) shot it very well and we’ve seen tape where they didn’t shoot it very well at all,” coach David Dennis Sr. said. “Our plan was to let them shoot and that they’d have to make them.

“We knew we had to hit them first. If they’d have hit us first, it would have given them a little bit of swag, so we said we had to come out firing, and once we got that lead, it was about us maintaining. If we miss a shot, we still had that seven- to eight-point lead. Our goal coming in was to come out and be aggressive, set the tone for what we wanted to do.”

Harvest Prep, which was state runner-up three times and lost in a state semifinal last season, got 21 points from Anthony, 14 from Glenn and 13 from Soul Hines.

Lutheran East, which had no seniors play in the state final, was led by Nehamiah Benson’s 13 points.

“What a game, what a year,” Dennis Sr. said. “Words can’t really say how we feel right now.”

Harvest Preparatory School boys basketball coach David Dennis Sr. refers to senior guard Raymond Robertson as an “open gym All-American” for his exploits since joining the program midway through last season.

Robertson’s 3-pointer with 1 minute, 25 seconds remaining proved to be one of the Warriors’ biggest baskets during a 48-41 victory over Cincinnati Purcell Marian in a Division III state semifinal March 21 at Ohio State.

That 3-pointer gave Harvest Prep a 42-38 lead, and Robertson made a layup with 56 seconds left as the Warriors stretched their advantage to 44-39.

Four free throws by Brandon Beavers in the final 27.8 seconds sealed the win for the Warriors, who improved to 27-2 and will face Cleveland Heights Lutheran East in the state final at 10:45 a.m. March 23 at Ohio State.

“In open gyms, (Robertson) just scores so much,” Dennis Sr. said. “That was a big 3 that he made.” Harvest Prep had trouble getting its offense, which has topped 80 points 19 times this season, on track against Purcell Marian.

With the game tied at 20 at halftime, Christopher Anthony, a junior guard who was named Division III state Player of the Year earlier this week, and Soul Hines both scored five third-quarter points to help the Warriors take a 32-29 lead into the final period.

Defensively, Beavers and the Warriors’ zone defense held second-team all-state player Alex Dotson scoreless until the game’s final two minutes. “We found a way,” Dennis Sr. said. “I thought we got some breaks, got some stops and we made some shots. It was a great team effort.”

Harvest Prep was only 17-for-41 from the floor but limited Purcell Marian to 17-for-39 shooting, and the Cavaliers made just four of 11 free-throw attempts and were only 3-for-15 from 3-point range.

Anthony finished with 17 points and Robertson scored eight to lead Harvest Prep.

Javonta Lyons had 15 points to lead Purcell Marian, which finished 24-5. Dotson finished with only three points.

“It means a lot,” Anthony said. “We had a talk earlier in the locker room that all we wanted was a chance, and God gave us a chance.”

Harvest Prep 71, Columbus Academy 67

Soul Hines made four three-pointers in the final nine minutes to guide top-seeded Harvest Prep over fourth-seeded Columbus Academy. The Warriors won their fourth Division III district title in six years.

“They found a way to persevere,” Harvest Prep coach David Dennis said.

Hines had 21 points. CJ Anthony added 14 points and four rebounds, and Brandon Beavers had nine points and five steals.

The Warriors and Vikings traded baskets throughout the first half, with Harvest Prep taking a 36-31 lead into the break.

Harvest Prep went on an early 8-0 run to start the second half before Academy’s Carter Warstler dragged the Vikings back into the game with 14 points — including four buckets from three-point range — in the third quarter.

But Hines found his shot in the fourth, and his third three-pointer of the quarter with 2:25 left gave the Warriors the lead for good.

Warstler finished with 20 points. Dalyn DeCree had 12 points, and Hayden Compton and Dorrian Moultrie each added 11

DIVISION III

Others receiving 12 points or more: Oregon Stritch 22. Milford Center Fairbanks 19. Worthington Christian 17. Seaman N. Adams 14. Cle. Hts. Lutheran E. 12. New Paris National Trail 12.

How cleveland.com voted: 1. Archbold, 2. Canal Winchester Harvest Prep, 3. Cincinnati Purcell Marian, 4. Wheelersburg, 5. Lutheran East, 6. Ottawa-Glandorf, 7. Worthington Christian, 8. Columbus Academy, 9. Ashtabula Edgewood, 10. Oregon Cardinal Stritch.

Division III

1. Harvest Prep (6) 16-2, 84;
2. Worthington Christian, 15-4, 68;
3. Johnstown, 14-3, 60;
4. Columbus Academy, 14-4, 52;
5. Grandview 11-6 and Fairbanks, 17-2, 30.

BOYS
 

Associated Press poll
 

Division III
 

1. Archbold (15) 19-0, 185;
2. Wheelersburg (2) 20-0, 155;
3. Harvest Prep (1) 16-2, 128;
4. Genoa, 17-0, 121;
5. Anna (2) 18-1, 111;
6. Cincinnati Purcell-Marian (1) 17-3, 80;
7. Ashtabula Edgewood, 18-1, and Beaver Eastern, 19-1, 6;
9. Ottawa-Glandorf, 15-3, 55;
10. Brookville, 16-3, 33.
11. Worthington Christian, 16-3, 33.

DIVISION III

DIVISION III

This learning experience had some sting to it.

Madison High School’s boys basketball team got an up-close look at an elite Division III squad Monday night at the Flyin’ to the Hoop showcase and discovered one thing: The Mohawks are further away from being a D-III state contender than they thought. 

“It was just a whole nother ballgame compared to what we’re used to,” admitted Mohawks senior guard Mason Whiteman, who had nine points and three assists. “We’re used to controlling the pace of the game and playing how we want to, and we had to adapt to their style of play right away.

“In the first half, we were just shocked by how fast and quick they were. We kind of cooled down and relaxed in the second half, but we were just so down from the first half that it didn’t make a difference. It definitely shows us the competition we’re going to run into if we want to make a run for Columbus.”

Madison coach Jeff Smith tried to accentuate the positives after watching his team outscore the Warriors 36-30 after halftime.

“It’s a learning lesson for us. I just wish it wouldn’t have been so painful for the first 16 minutes,” Smith said. “But the last 16 minutes should give us confidence moving into future endeavors.” 

Grant Whisman stepped up in the spotlight and led Madison (13-2) with 20 points and five rebounds, hitting 8-of-12 shots from the floor. Matt Gomia added 11 points.

Christopher Anthony, a 6-foot guard who’s regarded as one of the state’s top juniors, pumped in 32 points for Harvest Prep (11-2).

“That’s our brand of basketball right there — quick, get up the floor, pressure defense all the time. That’s how we get to do what we get to do,” said Anthony, who has college offers from Air Force and Stony Brook. “They knew who we are, but they didn’t know what we were about, and I think we really showed them what we were about today. That was our big plan, to come in and show the world that we can take on anybody.

“You’ll definitely see us back in the Schottenstein Center later on down the season in March. We know what we’re capable of, and we’re not going to stop.”  

Harvest Prep absolutely sizzled offensively in the first half. The Warriors scored 24 points in the first period and 25 more in the second stanza, shooting 74.1 percent from the floor while burying 9-of-15 bombs from beyond the arc.

Anthony got to the rim at will and was a 3-point demon as well. He had three treys in the first five-plus minutes and added three more in the third period.

“The main thing is everybody’s happy for you,” Anthony said of his hot hand. “The guys on my team, they don’t care who scores. It could be my night, it could be somebody else’s night, it doesn’t matter. This was my night tonight, and they showed me love.”

“Christopher loves the big stage. He steps up on big stages,” Warriors coach David Dennis Sr. added. “He’s one of the best juniors in the state. There’s a lot more you haven’t seen, so that’s a good thing.” 

Brandon Beavers (16) and Soul Hines (10) were also among Harvest Prep’s top scorers. The Warriors shot 61.5 percent from the field overall and tallied 25 points off 16 Madison turnovers.

“We don’t shoot the ball all the time like this in a game, but we do shoot like this in practice,” Dennis said. “So it’s nice to see what we do in practice come through to the game. To hold them to 20 points in the first half and play the way we did, I knew we always had that in us. Tonight, we showed it.

“On a big court like this, it’s hard to chase us because we’ve got ball handlers and guys that can create and make shots. We’re not as big as (Madison), so when they have to come out and play man, that benefits us.”

The Mohawks went man-to-man after beginning the game in a zone. Nothing worked in the first half.

“We were hoping when we started in the zone that we could match up better so we wouldn’t get screened, but we had to get out of the zone pretty fast,” Smith said. “We knew they shot the 3 well. We didn’t know they’d shoot it this well that early.  

“They were on us so early, it was just like bang, bang … our kids were kind of shell-shocked. And we missed so many layups. The genie was out of the bottle, and we couldn’t put him back in. It just snowballed from there in the first half.”

Smith said he didn’t need to come down hard on his players at halftime.

“They were embarrassed enough,” he said. “I just said, ‘We’re not going to win. That’s over. Let’s just play well and try to win the third quarter and see if it shrinks the score.’ And it did. We played a lot better in the second half.”

The Mohawks were unable to practice Saturday and Sunday because Madison’s campus was closed. Smith felt that had an effect on his team, which had a short shootaround Monday before heading to Kettering.

“Maybe (Harvest Prep) didn’t practice either, I don’t know,” Smith said. “But we had more things that we had to do differently than they did. They just did what they do. I knew we couldn’t do what we do and be successful. We did such a poor job with the ball and getting into position on offense in the first half, and I made some mistakes as well. It was everybody.”

Levi McMonigle had six points and six boards for the Mohawks, and Tristan Sipple added five assists. Whiteman and Whisman sank a trio of 3-pointers apiece, all in the second half.

 

 

Madison’s Jake Phelps (22) is confronted by Christopher Anthony of Canal Winchester Harvest Prep on Monday night during Flyin’ to the Hoop at Fairmont’s Trent Arena. Harvest Prep won 79-56. MARC PENDLETON/STAFF

 

Taking advantage of its opportunities to grow was paramount in the way the Harvest Preparatory School boys basketball team put its schedule together this season, especially when factoring in its league limitations.

The Warriors are 5-0 in the MSL-Cardinal Division and have won their league games by an average of 46.8 points. One of those victories was a 90-40 rout of Zanesville Rosecrans, which was ranked ninth in last week’s Division IV state poll, on Dec. 22.

Harvest Prep’s league game against Fisher Catholic on Jan. 12 at home was postponed because of bad weather and rescheduled for Jan. 28. Fisher Catholic received votes in the opening Division IV state poll.

To help offset what could be perceived as a weak league schedule, Harvest Prep competed in the Joe Machens Great 8 Classic from Dec. 27-29 in Jefferson City, Missouri, and traveled to Hammond, Indiana, on Jan. 2 and 3 for a pair of games against opponents from Indiana.

The Warriors, who are 9-2 overall and were third in last week’s Division III state poll, play a league game Friday, Jan. 18, at Wellington before continuing their non-league slate Monday, Jan. 21, by traveling to Kettering Fairmont to face Middletown Madison in Flyin’ to the Hoop.  

Wellington lost to Harvest Prep 81-52 on Dec. 8 but has a 1,000-point career scorer in senior Dallas Patrick, while Madison received votes in last week’s Division III state poll.

“We’ve played some very good teams,” coach David Dennis Sr. said. “We’ve played schools that are ranked in the top of the state. I think we’ve learned a lot about ourselves offensively and defensively. We’ve learned a lot about continuity. We were challenged, so that’s allowed us to see how we’re going to react.”

The Warriors lost to Fairmont 73-67 on Dec. 29 in the championship game of the Great 8 Classic and lost to Michigan City (Indiana) Marquette Catholic 57-56 on Jan. 3.

On Jan. 8 in a 95-24 league victory over Millersport, junior guard Christopher Anthony had 24 points, including three of the Warriors’ 16 3-pointers.

“We’ve had great shooting, and being coachable is our main thing, being disciplined, especially on defense,” senior wing player Brandon Beavers said. “We have unfinished business and we’re all just going to try to get the job done. The main thing is guys stepping up and playing their roles.”

Anthony has increased his scoring average from 20 points last season when Harvest Prep reached a state semifinal to 25 this winter.

Senior forward Elijah Glenn is averaging 12.3 points, followed by Beavers (11.8), senior forward Andrew Tate (8.9), senior wing player Soul Hines (8.0), senior forward Raymond Robertson (6.5) and senior guard Avonti Duncan (5.5).

“We can’t get satisfied,” Anthony said. “We’ve got to keep grinding for everything we’ve got. We’ve been listening, learning and grinding and it’s paying off. It really helps out that everybody mostly came back and everybody’s hungry and ready to go. We’ve been jelling together really well, really bonding and we haven’t lost a beat.”

julrey@thisweeknews.com

DIVISION III

DIVISION III

Others receiving 12 points or more: Day. Stivers 39. Cin. Deer Park (3) 38. Cin. Purcell Marian  31. Middletown Madison 29. Oregon Stritch 29. Mantua Crestwood 20. Oak Hill 19. Cols. Africentric 16. Byesville Meadowbrook 15. Metamora Evergreen 15. Warrensville Hts. 15. Beaver Eastern 14.

How cleveland.com voted: 1.Archbold, 2. Canal Winchester Harvest Prep, 3. Cincinnati Deer Park, 4. Cincinnati Purcell Marian, 5. Leavittsburg LaBrae, 6. Lutheran East, 7. Johnstown, 8. Wheelersburg, 9. Genoa, 10. Warrensville Heights.

Harvest Prep 89, Fairfield Christian 35

CJ ANTHONY AND ELIJAH GLENN POWER HARVEST PREP’S ROUT OF WELLINGTON

Harvest Prep was overly dominant in their win over MSL-Cardinal rival Wellington on Saturday night.

However, that was not the case early on in the game.

Wellington came out fearless and were leading 16-14 at the end of the first quarter. Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there as Harvest Prep implemented a full court press that Wellington simply did not have the ball handlers to matchup against and Harvest Prep led 42-22 at halftime. After a plethora of turnovers forced by Prep’s sensational backcourt duo of junior CJ Anthony and senior Brandon Beavers, it did not get much prettier from there as Harvest Prep powered their way to an easy victory, 81-52. 

Prep was led by Anthony along with a career night from senior big man Elijah Glenn, who feasted in a huge matchup against Wellington’s junior forward Elijah Meredith. The big man Glenn's 20 point- performance featured a strong showing down low finishing at the rim, expanding his range out to the 3-point line, a no look pass out of the high post to an open cutter, and a euro step through the teeth of a Wellington defense which showcased fantastic agility for a player of his size. 

Wellington’s Meredith held his own as well on the offensive end, retaliating with 16 points. Scoring efficiently at the rim and flashing the ability to put the ball on the floor, even initiating the Wellington offense in the fourth quarter.

The Jaguars also received solid performances from sophomore guard Marcus Stewart, who knocked down several tough jumpers scoring 12 points. Also in double figures was senior guard and four-year starter Dallas Patrick, who chipped in 10, playing with tremendous balance and pace off the dribble thriving on mid range jumpers. 

---

CJ Anthony (6’0 PG/ Harvest Prep / 2020): I was absolutely blown away by CJ Anthony on Saturday night. His production was impressive, but there were so many aspects of Anthony’s game that went well beyond another 20+ point outing. First, was the way Anthony scored his points. He was not overly ball dominant as many of his points were from defense to offense transitions. He also was able to knock down a three off movement along with knocking them down off spot ups. Anthony was still able to flash his ability to score in higher usage offensive action as well. He was able to attack off the dribble and finish strongly at the rim with ambidexterity. When Anthony attacks offensive off the dribble he is lethal as a passer combining passing vision with lightning quick decision making. 
Similar to his teammate Beavers, Anthony had a handful of steals in this game courtesy of a deadly full court press. However, a few of those steals came from his anticipation ability in the halfcourt. He is a highly intelligent defender as well that is always in the right spot. He drew a couple charges in the game and also made a fantastic rotation into the weak side corner on a spot up shooter that you usually see collegiate defenders miss, so seeing a junior in high school make it is very exciting. 
Anthony was five steps ahead of everyone on the floor tonight. He was able to score both on and off the ball which will add big time value to his collegiate appeal if this continues. As a prospect with two low-major Division I offers, many Division I schools are starting to trend toward larger ball handlers. Anthony is able to play that off the ball role as he can create seperation with his off ball movement (an incredibly hard skill to master). He has a solid first step, tremendous burst that will allow him to attack in the lane off spot ups or off ball movement, and the quick decision making on the move to still add value as a passer in a low usage role. He can also play a more ball dominant role where he could thrive in an uptempo system as a transition ball handler. Bottom line, coaches want smart players and smart basketball players always succeed and Anthony is as intelligent as they come. 

Brandon Beavers (6’2 G / Harvest Prep / 2019): Tonight Beavers took a backseat as well, but still had a strong showing on both ends off the floor. He plays with tremendous pace and is able to knife his way into the lane in spacious situations offensively. The name of Beavers’ game tonight was thriving in the ball screen game which should continue to be one of his more translatable aspects as he makes a transition into the collegiate game. He can score at the rim off screens and showcased some tremendous passing vision where he is able to find open spot up shooters once he gets into the lane. 
Defensively, Beavers was an absolute pest on the ball in every possible way. He showed off some active hands coming up with a few on ball steals that lead to easy transition opportunities. If Beavers can follow up on this fantastic performance and continue to add two way value, he should add to the one NAIA offer that he currently holds from in-state Shawnee State. Beavers should be viewed as a priority for NAIA and Division III programs moving forward, as he also features an excellent academic profile.

Soul Hines (6’4 WG / Harvest Prep / 2019): The unsigned senior was relatively quiet scoring the basketball in this game. However, I think his offensive and defensive value were both displayed on the court tonight. Offensively, Hines has a relatively unorthodox jumpshot that is behind his head, but that high release combined with the elevation on his jumpshot makes it incredibly hard to contest. Combine that with his fluidity as a ball handler and his soft shooting touch and you see Hines’ translatability in the future at the college level. He could be deadly curling off screens and getting to his sweet spots from mid range attacking closeouts with one to two dribble pull ups. 
Defensively, Hines’ length and athletic ability make him very useful. He could be used as a point of attack on-ball defender that could really irritate smaller guards or wings on the ball. Coaches that want to implement a zone could also find value in Hines with a long wingspan at the top of a 2-3 or 1-3-1. 

DIVISION VII  

First-team offense

Running backs: Daquan Owens-Johnson (Harvest Prep) 6-0, 202,
Linemen:  Jeffrey Ray (Harvest Prep) 5-10, 190, sr. 

Linebackers: Zion Bangura (Harvest Prep) 5-9, 190, sr.
Linemen: Khelin Jackson (Harvest Prep) 5-8, 220, jr.; Elijah Rogers (Harvest Prep) 6-1, 245, jr.

Offensive player of the year: Daquan Owens-Johnson (Harvest Prep)

Special mention

Moses Davis (Harvest Prep); Shaun Goines (Harvest Prep)

Division VII – Games at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10

With our win on Saturday night vs. Green, our Warriors face #3 seed Glouster Trimble, at Logan High School

2 Harvest Prep (10-0) vs. 3 Glouster Trimble (10-1) at Logan Chieftain Stadium

 

With the win over Fisher Catholic, our football team has clinched their 5th consecutive league title. Congrats to Coach Smith, his staff, and all the player's for their hard work.  All Glory goes to God.

Harvest Prep 12, Fisher Catholic 0

Da’Quan Owens-Johnson and Khalin Jackson first-half touchdown runs held firm as Harvest Prep (9-0, 5-0) remains undefeated in shutting down visiting Fisher Catholic (5-3, 2-3) in the MSL Cardinal.

Mid-State League Cardinal Division Middle School Track & Field Championships

Gate Workers/Ticket Takers

Game Clock Operators

Concessions


The athletic department relies on parents, community members, and anyone else who is willing to volunteer at our events.  If you are interested in helping out, please contact the athletic office at 614-382-111, ext. 322 or via email to Joey Day, Athletic Director at dayj@harvestprep.org or Dave Wolfe, Assistant Athletic Director at wolfed@harvestprep.org

God Bless and GO WARRIORS!

Baseball @ Ridgedale: CANCELED

Softball @ Newark Catholic: Game time is pushed back to 1:00PM (1 game)

Track @ Liberty Union: On as scheduled

• Finished with a 9 win season!
• Won the Mid-State League Two years in a row!
• Secured a Home field Playoff game for the first time
• Won a Playoff game for the first time