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The Next Big Thing: Ridge Point’s Harvey could be Houston’s next bigtime OL prospect
Feb 11, 2021
HOUSTON – Walking through the halls of Ridge Point High School you cannot miss Calvin Harvey.
The 6-foot-8, 328-pound offensive lineman for the Panthers has always been the biggest kid in class his entire life. When you are young that can be challenging.
"When I was younger I didn't want to be the tallest kid, because I thought it was weird or I didn't fit in with everybody," Harvey said. "I couldn't wear all the things my friends wore, so I didn't really like it."
But when you play football in high school – it's a complete advantage and college coaches take notice.
<p>Harvey just finished his junior season at Ridge Point, where he earned unanimous first-team, all-district honors, and is getting noticed with recent offers from SMU and the University of Houston. And more should be coming. </p><p>"I believed that if I put in as much hard work in as I was told to put in that they would come," Harvey said. "I do have something that you can't teach, which is 6-foot-8, so I knew that my pure size would attract a lot of recruiters. I didn't know if I would get big Division I schools after my second year of playing."</p><p><ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-9787720712654893" data-ad-slot="8738871937" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>
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</script></p><p><br></p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">After a great conversation with <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachRickerOL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachRickerOL</a> I am proud to announce that I have received my first Division 1 offer from SMU!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoMustangs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoMustangs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Coach_SG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Coach_SG</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachKScholz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachKScholz</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RPHS_FB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RPHS_FB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Perroni247?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Perroni247</a> <a href="https://t.co/7ScDhpp0oj">pic.twitter.com/7ScDhpp0oj</a><br>— Calvin Harvey (@CalvinHarvey76) <a href="https://twitter.com/CalvinHarvey76/status/1359633622379151364?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div><p>Getting that first offer call was a special one.<br></p><p>After getting off the phone with Coach AJ Ricker at SMU, who did Harvey tell first? – his grandmother. </p><p>"My grandma always tells me, get your education," he said. "Your brain can take you farther than your body can. I've been preached to and talked to for several hours about that I'm a student-athlete. Being a student comes first.</p><p>"I told my grandma; she came to tears and told me just to keep my head on straight and focus on the task at hand." </p><p>What is crazy about all of this is that Harvey never played middle school or even freshman football. He really didn't even play much little league football growing up either. </p><p><ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-9787720712654893" data-ad-slot="8738871937" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>
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</script></p><p>Harvey played for Fort Bend GridIron Football when he was about nine-years-old and played for Ridge Point White for his dad who was the coach. Harvey, of course, one of the biggest kids on the field, played middle linebacker, outside linebacker, and right tackle. </p><p>Football did not stick though as a young Calvin Harvey didn't like contact and went the basketball route. </p><p>Well, that has changed. </p><p>Turning on his HUDL highlight, it's a show of unrelenting force over and over. Opposing defensive linemen being tossed a few years away or being shoved straight to the ground. </p><p>"My power comes from legs to drive and having a no prisoners attitude," "I want my opponent in front of me to know that I am there and that they can't escape me for the whole entire game. I want them to know it's going to be a long night. </p><p><ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-9787720712654893" data-ad-slot="8738871937" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>
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</script></p><p>"You put someone in front of me, you're going to need backup." </p><p>One person that got a front-row seat to the Harvey show each week was first-year Ridge Point coach Rick LaFavers, who sees the pure raw talent that the junior lineman possesses. </p><p>"He has great measurables, can bend and run with great length and punch," he said. "Great energy, work ethic, and leadership! He is just scratching the surface with his abilities as he continues to learn and grow. He is a tremendous player and more importantly a tremendous young man and an absolute joy to coach and be around!" </p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/12751881/5fffbfbbdfe27c1378b7ab6a" width="640"></iframe></div><p>So, now being the biggest kid in his class - including having a between a 6-foot-5 and 7-foot wingspan and wearing a size 17 shoe - is something Harvey embraces. He actually loves it. </p><p>"It's a blessing," he said. "Coaches come and talk to me. I'm the biggest guy on the field. I'm a dominant player with my size, so the sky is the limit. </p><p>"Yeah, I've always been the biggest kid around a lot of people, and quite frankly, now I embrace it. I love being 6-foot-8, 328-pounds." </p>
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#BlackUnicorn: El Campo's Owens among best in 2023 recruiting class
Sep 23, 2020
RUEBEN OWENS II DOES NOT FASHION HIS GAME AFTER JUST ONE ELITE BACK.
The No. 1 running back in Texas for the Class of 2023 per 24/7 Sports studies the work of a trio and then emulates parts of their games into his own.
When watching Owens tear through an offensive line, you may see flashes of Adrian Peterson's style and power and Barry Sanders' vision. But he will be quick to tell you, he isn't just a stick-the-ball-in-his-gut and a cloud-of-dust kind of back.
Another attribute he has picked up is versatility. Like that of Le'Veon Bell, the ability to move out to receiver and become a nightmare for a defensive back is another key part of his game.
Package that all together and you have the El Campo running back. As a freshman, he rushed for 689 yards in the regular season – as a part of a three-headed rushing attack with Johntre Davis and Charles Shorter III. He has soared up the national recruiting ranks to become a four-star prospect with 20 offers.
"It's a great accomplishment to be the No. 2 back in the nation but I'm coming for the No.1 spot," Owens said. "There's lot of great backs in my class. So, I will keep grinding and working on my craft until I'm the No. 1 overall player in the nation.
"That's the big goal."
<p>
When Owens was just four years old, his father Rueben Owens Sr. placed a football and basketball in front of him. As the story goes, Owens crawled to the football.
</p><p>
Two years later, Owens got the nickname that is emblazoned in his Twitter profile - #BlackUnicorn.
</p><p>
"My father gave me that nickname, because he says I'm a rare breed, a different type of beast," Owens said. "He says I have been different since I was six years old when I scored my first touchdown.
</p><p><ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-9787720712654893" data-ad-slot="8738871937" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>
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"He's been calling me the Black Unicorn since then."
</p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I bet I shake the room, left him in that spot 🤮 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DifferentTypeOfMonster?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DifferentTypeOfMonster</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeWestHTX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MikeWestHTX</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/mikeforman21?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mikeforman21</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/dctf?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dctf</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MaxPreps?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MaxPreps</a> <a href="https://t.co/CZXvEcfx8a">pic.twitter.com/CZXvEcfx8a</a><br>
— Rueben Owens ll #BlackUnicorn (@ii_rueben) <a href="https://twitter.com/ii_rueben/status/1308067856312131585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2020</a>
</blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"> </script></div><p>
Owens would grow into the game with his father training him along the way. It was in Florida at the AYF National Championships when he started realizing the gift. <br>
</p><p>
"I knew I had a special gift and plus I had the work ethic to become what my father was telling me," Owens said. "I still have a lot more work to do but my father got me off to a great start to become the best back I want to be."
</p><p>
Fast forward to 2019 at El Campo High School.
</p><p>
Just like his father, who played mainly basketball for the Ricebirds (averaging 28 pts, five rebounds and five assists his senior year) and was a 2002 graduate, Owens stepped on to campus to don the Ricebirds red.
</p><p><ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-9787720712654893" data-ad-slot="8738871937" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>
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Owens slid right into the running back rotation for the Ricebirds, which can be daunting for a freshman being thrust into varsity play.
</p><p>
"I learned a lot as a freshman playing on the varsity level. It's a faster game and you have to be more focused," Owens said. "You can't make too many mistakes because coaches and players will be looking for a weakness and take advantage of them. But year two will be something to see, I promise you that."
</p><p>
Owens loves playing football. It is more than a hobby, it's a passion. He is fueled by the sport.
</p><p>
"Did you ever love doing something so bad that it consumed you?" he said. "That's what football does to me. It is my passion, my life, my escape. When I play, I forget everything that is going on in the world or my life."
</p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Losing is only temporary and not all encompassing. You must simply study it, learn from it, and try hard not to lose the same way again. Then you must have the self-control to forget about it. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Time2BounceBack?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Time2BounceBack</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeRoach247?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MikeRoach247</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Perroni247?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Perroni247</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SWiltfong247?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SWiltfong247</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/samspiegs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@samspiegs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Jason_Howell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Jason_Howell</a> <a href="https://t.co/C5dzqwffud">pic.twitter.com/C5dzqwffud</a><br>
— Rueben Owens ll #BlackUnicorn (@ii_rueben) <a href="https://twitter.com/ii_rueben/status/1304806496648208385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2020</a>
</blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"> </script></div>
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