Farmington Hills Harrison High School has been known over the past few decades to produce the best football players in the State of Michigan and also winning numerous State Championships. With sad news that this school will be closing in the next couple years, Harrison football hasn’t shown any signs that it will go quietly. With student athletes like Mike Knox, his mission is to show the state of Michigan that his school has been setting the standard for high school sports and it’s legacy for a long time and will always continue to.
Setting a standard is what separates you from being someone who follows; into someone that can lead. Mike Knox, 5’10”, 205lbs junior inside linebacker from Farmington Hills Harrison has been making it known that for his senior season he will be the leader for his team.
Knox is not what you call a typical student athlete. Knox has vison far beyond his years. I had the opportunity to ask Knox some questions. What attitude do you bring to the game of Football? “I bring a very aggressive attitude to the game, I’m an extremely emotional player and I think that’s what makes me the player I am right now. I believe with the passion I have for the game and the love for making plays is what gives me that aggression. The emotion just spills out” said Knox.
With Harrison having a disappointing season last year losing extremely early in the State playoffs, Knox who just transferred in February plans on changing that. I asked Knox, what are some of the team goals for the 2016 football season as well as for himself? “At Harrison, it’s either state championship or bust this year. We definitely feel that we have the team to complete the task. We all stay late in the weight room and also on the field working as hard as we possibly can to make that a reality. For myself, I just want to have the best senior season as possible, play as hard as I can, and be a leader for my team” said Knox.
Knox had a great season last year at North Farmington high school, eclipsing over 100 tackles and being named to the Oakland County All-Area team. I asked Knox, why did you leave North Farmington for Harrison? “It was difficult making a name for myself attending a school that isn’t known for football. But when I got to Harrison, they made me feel like a part of their family, and the coaches have already instilled in me what the goals and objectives of the program are for this season. I’m very excited to start this season with a great new group of guys, and I’m certainly ready to be an impact player for Harrison” said Knox.
When it comes to recruiting, it’s very difficult to determine what a college may be looking for in a student athlete. This process is really tedious on student athletes, because every athlete believes they have Division 1 talent. I wanted to know what Knox thought about his process. I asked Knox, what’s different about your game that should attract colleges? “I can make plays, whether it’s in coverage or blitzing. I play downhill and fast like my hair is on fire. I watch tons of film so I can read plays very well and stop runs in the backfield. Most importantly, I can make tackles. I think tackling is something that is getting away from most defensive players and that they don’t practice it enough but I’m a for sure tackler and I definitely do that the right way” said Knox.
Knox attends Rising Stars Recruiting every week to polish up his game. I asked Knox, how has Rising Stars Recruiting evolved your skills on the field? “Rising Stars has improved my abilities to cover tremendously. They do a great job at coaching us up and making sure we know what we have to do when camp time comes around. They added another dimension to my game that will definitely help me on the next level” said Knox.
Many high school seniors begin to wonder how they would be remembered amongst their peers after high school. Knox wants to be remembered as a student athlete who transferred his senior year, worked tremendously hard and gave 100% every time he was on the field. Knox is a good teammate, student, and a key factor for his team winning a championship.
With my final question I asked Knox, how are you chasing your dreams? “Honestly that’s the best question I have ever been asked. But for me it’s constantly working to improve everything that I can from a football and academic standpoint. Also, making sure I’m doing the right things every day to make God and my parents proud” said Knox.
Mike Knox is setting the standard that we need to pay more attention to.
Markell Metoyer
Chasing Dreams Inc.