Cretin-Derham's Jonathan Harden broke through the offensive line against Mounds View in Mounds View Minn., Friday, September 9, 2011. ] (KYNDELL HARKNESS/STAR TRIBUNE) kyndell.harkness@startribune.com
Everything about Cretin-Derham Hall defensive tackle Jonathan Harden is big, from his 5-foot-10, 300-pound frame to his 46-inch waistline to his impact on opposing offenses.
He catches your eye with his size before surprising you with his quickness -- the root of which he revealed after a pause and a big, bright smile.
"I was actually a dancer," said Harden, who took ballet classes as a first-grader at his mother's behest. The principles stuck.
"Dancers have incredible footwork and balance," he said.
Utilizing all those elements makes Harden one of the state's top defensive linemen. The No. 3 Raiders (2-0) are riding two strong defensive performances into their game at 7 p.m. Friday at No. 10 Stillwater (2-0). Harden is once again the dynamo inside, posting 17 tackles, three tackles for a loss and a sack.
Those numbers are the simplest way to tabulate his impact. Others, such as how much time opposing coaches spend watching Harden on film or how many double-teams he faces during games, are tougher to count.
Current Stillwater and former Woodbury coach Beau LaBore, who will face Harden for the fourth time Friday, said the big fella "requires careful planning on every play" and "disrupts the run with strength and is in the backfield chasing quarterbacks with speed."
Despite all this praise, plus a verbal commitment to play at Western Michigan, Harden's ego remains disproportionately small.
"He's got an easygoing personality," Raiders defensive line coach Bill Hennessey said. "Plus, he's an interior lineman. His name's in the paper, but he's not a prima donna."
Added Raiders head coach Mike Scanlan: "You worry about kids getting envious of kids who attract a lot of attention. But it's not like that with Jonathan. He's humble; he's a good teammate."
Football is serious business for Harden, but he doesn't take himself too seriously. During a break in Monday's practice, he long-snapped a ball to a teammate, then went out for a pass he just missed catching behind his back. The fun continued even as the Raiders resumed practice. At one point between plays he let out a laugh as large as his frame.
Watching his best friend, wide receiver Taylor Montero, suffer a season-ending knee injury this summer reinforced Harden's humility.
"[Football] goes by too fast to act like you're bigger or better than someone because at any point it can be taken away," Harden said.
Dedication in the weight room has Harden bench-pressing 305 pounds, dead-lifting 550 and squatting 475. With extra power and thrust from his massive legs and hips, Harden is making good on his goal to be "in the camera view" on every play. Last week against Mounds View, Harden made the tackle on a third-quarter screen pass to swift Mounds View running back Jimmy Jaeger.
Some of Harden's most important contributions have come behind the scenes. He's a third-year starter playing for a team on which many players are seeing their first significant varsity action this fall. And while the defense has impressed so far this season, the offense is struggling with injuries and inconsistency. Instead of pointing fingers, Harden has spoke up in the name of team unity.
"In the locker room both games, the offense was kind of anxious to get going, but I was trying to make the point that there's going to be a game where the defense can't hold someone and our offense is going to be magical and score 60 points," Harden said. "You have to have each other's back."
David La Vaque • 612-673-7574
NAME | HIGH SCHOOL | YEAR | POS. | COLLEGE | VERBAL |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Duke Anyanwu | Blaine | Senior | QB | Minnesota | Yes |
Matt Arends | Prior Lake | Senior | WR | Princeton | Yes |
Tavaughn Blair | Hopkins | Senior | SS | Northern Iowa | Yes |
Cal Bloom | Osseo | Senior | TE | Central Florida | Yes |
Nick Carr | Totino-Grace | Senior | OL | South Dakota State | Yes |
Kevin Carroll | Edina | Senior | OL | Northern Iowa | Yes |
Paddy Clancy | St. Thomas Academy | Senior | DB | Dartmouth | Yes |
Breion Creer | Benilde-St. Margaret's | Senior | DT | Northern Iowa | Yes |
Nick Davidson | Eden Prairie | Senior | OT | Stanford | Yes |
Rob Diane | Robbinsdale Cooper | *RCC Junior | DE | South Dakota State | Yes |
Cedric Dicke | Cannon Falls | Senior | LB | Minnesota | Yes |
Karmichael Dunbar | Prior Lake | Senior | DL | Louisianna | Yes |
Isaac Fruechte | Caledonia | *RCTC Sophomore | WR | Minnesota | Yes |
Joel Fuxa | Minnetonka | Senior | TE | Drake | Yes |
Jonathan Harden | Cretin-Derham Hall | Senior | DT | Western Michigan | Yes |
Tyler Hartmann | Andover | Senior | DE | Minnesota | Yes |
Isaac Hayes | St. Thomas Academy | Senior | OL/DL | Minnesota | Yes |
Cody Hazelette | Simley | Senior | LB/TE | Northern Illinois | Yes |
Kyle Hughes | Minneapolis Washburn | Senior | WR/DB | Eastern Michigan | Yes |
D.J. Hebert | Osseo | Senior | QB | Northern Iowa | Yes |
Cavonte Johnson | Edina | Senior | DB | Minnesota | Yes |
Will Johnson | Osseo | Senior | TE | West Virginia | Yes |
Zack Johnson | Eastview | Senior | OL | North Dakota State | Yes |
Paul Kaczor | St. Cloud Tech | Senior | OL | Harvard | Yes |
Brian Labat | Detroit Lakes | Senior | RB | North Dakota | Yes |
Andrew Larson | Eden Prairie | Senior | RB | Harvard | Yes |
Brandon Larson | Bemidji | Senior | LB | North Dakota | Yes |
Ben Lauer | Wayzata | Senior | OL | Minnesota | Yes |
Mitch Leidner | Lakeville South | Senior | QB | Minnesota | Yes |
Andre McDonald | Hopkins | Senior | WR | Minnesota | Yes |
Nate Meixell | Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial | Senior | LB | South Dakota State | Yes |
Nate Meyer | Rocori | Senior | QB | South Dakota State | Yes |
Drake Michaelson | Eden Prairie | Senior | LB | Wofford | Yes |
Rossevelt Morisset | Thief River Falls | Senior | WR | Southeastern Louisiana | Yes |
Andy Moritko | Totino-Grace | Senior | DB | South Dakota State | Yes |
Philip Nelson | Mankato West | Senior | QB | Minnesota | Yes |
Brett Pierce | Holy Angels | Senior | DL | North Dakota State | Yes |
Jonah Pirsig | Blue Earth | Senior | OL | Minnesota | Yes |
Nick Rallis | Edina | Senior | S | Minnesota | Yes |
Taj Rich | Robbinsdale Cooper | Senior | LB | North Dakota | Yes |
Zach Riopelle | Warren-Alvarado-Oslo | Senior | LB | North Dakota State | Yes |
Kasey Robinson | Breck | Senior | WR | Drake | Yes |
Chase Roullier | Burnsville | Senior | OL | Wyoming | Yes |
E.J. Welch | Mesabi East | *MRCC Freshman | DL | North Dakota | Yes |
Lucas Wiborg | DeLaSalle | Senior | OG | Cornell | Yes |
Evan Williams | DeLaSalle | *IWCC Freshman | RB | Northern Iowa | Yes |
Maxx Williams | Waconia | Senior | TE | Minnesota | Yes |
Carey Woods | Bemidji | Senior | WR | North Dakota State | Yes |