Area trio plays role in JHU's 10 wins

Three area high school graduates have become part of a football transformation that has taken place at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, one of the top academic schools in the nation.
Poland's Frank Colaprete of Cardinal Mooney High and Jim Sanders and Lee Everett from South Range High have helped Johns Hopkins to achieve a school-record 10 wins and gain its first playoff berth.
The Blue Jays went on to defeat Kings College, 41-13, in the ECAC Division III South Atlantic Football Championship Game two Saturdays ago to conclude the season with a 10-1 record.
Colaprete, a John Carroll University graduate, completed his third season as an assistant coach for JHU after shifting from a similar position at Allegheny College.
Colaprete coaches the defensive backs and special teams and also recruits in Ohio, Michigan and New Jersey.
While at John Carroll, he was a defensive back with the football team.
Sanders and Everett are defensive starters. Sanders (6-0, 180) is a sophomore safety while Everett (6-3, 250) is a freshman defensive tackle.
Both were in the same graduation class at South Range, but Everett is a transfer from Youngstown State and retained his freshman status.
Sanders played in 11 games and had 12 tackles (seven solos and five assists), five pass breakups and one interception.
Everett played in 10 games and ranked No. 11 on the team in tackles with 34 (five solos and 29 assists), with four tackles for losses and two sacks.
Players attracted there
Colaprete credits a lot of Johns Hopkins' recent success to recruiting high-quality players who excel academically and on the football field.
"A lot of it has to do with recruiting but I think the talent has been there the last few years," Colaprete said. "The talent is there now that we are winning more. Kids want to come here. The school was know for academics, and now it is being known for football [too]."
Colaprete likes recruiting, especially the kinds of players he is recruiting.
"The kids I recruit are intelligent and self-motivated, and so they are easy to work with," Colaprete said. "The recruiting is easy because the kids want to come. They want to go to an Ivy League-type school. We are one of the top schools in the country. We rank No. 5 reputation-wise. Now that we are winning, we have become attractive to football players looking for a good education."
Colaprete said Sanders, who also started as a freshman, and Everett both are talented players.
"[Sanders] does about everything well. He can run and he can hit. He is in the right place at the right time. He has a nose to make the plays," said Colaprete, also noting that Everett filled a void on the team.
"[Everett's] main asset is his strength and quickness. That's what the defensive line needed. "We had a lot of quickness [before], but we didn't have the strength and size that he brought."
Harris starter again
Meanwhile at Duke University, Micah Harris (Poland High) completed his second season as a starting defensive end for the Blue Devils' football team.
Harris (6-4, 225), a junior, wound up with 34 tackles, including 16 solo stops, although he missed three games due to injuries, as Duke posted a 4-8 record, including 2-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Harris was sidelined for the Virginia game because of a right knee injury for which he had arthroscopic surgery. And he missed the Northwestern and North Carolina games due to a sprained ankle.
Last year, Harris started all 12 games and had 61 tackles to rank No. 5 on the team.
In 2001, Harris played in all 11 games and started once, finishing with 31 tackles.
XJohn Kovach is a sports writer for The Vindicator. Write him at kovach@vindy.com.