Clayton Valley Charter High’s Miles Harrison, Prep2Prep’s NCS Junior of the Year and a first team All-DVAL selection, still has about six months until summer practices start, but when asked what his expectations were for his senior season, the talented running back did not hesitate:

“To win a state championship,” he said.

If the Eagles can rely just as much on their stud tailback, who has interest from Cal, as they did in 2013, Harrison may just reach the peak of the mountain he so desperately seeks.

Though Clayton Valley didn’t make it through the D-II NCS playoffs in the fashion that they hoped, losing 44-38 in the semifinals to eventual champion Miramonte, Harrison put the team on his back this season, rushing for 2,020 yards and 34 touchdowns, on 184 carries (10.9 yards per carry).

This 5-foot-10, 200-pound bruiser racked up one of the more impressive seasons in recent memory, going over 200 yards rushing in numerous games.

“I knew that with our offensive line, that I could rush for a lot of yards,” said Harrison. “I didn’t have any particular amount [of yards] in mind - I just wanted to do as much for my team as I could and help them win games.”

And help them win games he did. In his Clayton Valley’s closest game of the season, a 49-48 rivalry win over Concord High School, Harrison rushed for 185 yards and three touchdowns, vaulting his team into the win column with his bruising runs, and wearing down of the defense.

A key to his success was cutting down on his fumbling ways from junior varsity.

“I worked on [not fumbling] - a lot at the beginning of the year, and eventually it just became natural,” said Harrison.

It’s that kind of adaptation and learning from prior mistakes that allowed this budding star to solidify himself among the NCS’s great athletes this year.

Also considered: Kahlil McKenzie, DL, De La Salle; Kyle Kearns, QB, Foothill; Isaiah Langley, RB, Foothill; Mitch Daniels, QB, Concord; Ben Schrider, TE/DL, St. Mary's; Jason Hinton, RB, Moreau Catholic; Ja'Narrick James, RB, Analy; Mitchell Allan, LB, San Ramon Valley; R.J. Flores, QB, Montgomery; Nick Fadelli, RB, Campolindo.

NOTE: We would like to thank our readers for all of the nominations you sent in for the season-ending NCS football awards. It is a daunting task to narrow down our selections to just the top few as we recognize there are lots of great players who make contributions on the football field that are not necessarily well-documented but mean a great deal to the success of their teams. We salute all of the players that have made this a wonderful season of NCS football.