After the completion of his freshman year, Sam Harris had a major decision to make.
He could either stay in Mooreland, a small town about 10 miles east of Woodward, or he could make a nearly three-hour move to Lawton. To some, it might’ve been an easy decision to make, but there was a lot riding on Harris’ choice.
If he moved to the largest city in Southwest Oklahoma, he’d become a member of the Lawton High football team, providing the perfect opportunity to advance his budding career on the gridiron.
At the time, the Wolverines were coming off an 8-2 season, losing to eventual Class 6A-II champion Bixby in the quarterfinals. Mooreland experienced great success in 2015 as well, finishing 11-1 with a berth in the Class A quarterfinals.
Harris anticipated a down period for the Bearcats in the near future, though, and he wanted to play for a state title contender — a quality LHS presented.
However, a relocation meant a move from not only the community he came to love during his few years in Mooreland, but also his father and twin brother.
Harris had lived in the Lawton area for a short time as a young child, but after his parents got a divorce, he and his brother moved north with their father while their mother stayed in Lawton.
After much deliberation, Harris decided the move to Lawton was worth whatever sacrifice he had to make, much to the surprise of his fellow townsfolk.
“I got involved with everyone (in Mooreland) and became a part of the community, so it was kind of a shock,” Harris said. “My mom called me and told me (LHS) was starting football tryouts down here and that I was young enough that if I started then, I’d be pretty good. That hit me heavy because I play football a lot, and I wanted to win and play for a better team and get better myself.
“My dad took it hard, but we’re all still family, and we all still love each other at the end of the day.”
The separation from his twin, Garrett, was perhaps the most difficult part of the unfortunate situation.
Since birth, the two had never been separated for long periods of time. So with about 170 miles suddenly between them, the pair had no choice but to adjust to life apart from one another.
Visits are now few and far between.
“It was kind of hard at first, but I got used to it,” Harris said. “We usually don’t see each other much anymore because we’re both busy, we both have jobs and we both go to school.”
The move paid off on the football field, for as Harris predicted, Mooreland suffered a dropoff, going 5-15 the next two seasons. The Bearcats are 1-4 so far in 2018.
Meanwhile, Harris earned playtime as a defensive end on a Wolverines team that finished as the state runner-up in 2016, and last season he led the squad in tackles as a linebacker with 108 takedowns.
Needless to say, the learning curve Harris endured after moving up five classifications of Oklahoma high school football was a short one.
“It wasn’t that hard for me to adjust because I came down here during the summer and did the workouts and stuff,” Harris said. “I basically got stronger and faster. My freshman year (at Mooreland), I was already playing varsity, so when I came over here, it was kind of the same thing, but there’s a lot more competition.
“The adjustment wasn’t that bad, but it was still pretty tough.”
In addition to switching classifications, Harris has had to adapt to seemingly constant position changes.
As mentioned above, Harris has seen time at defensive end and linebacker for the Wolverines. After excelling as a middle backer in 2017, Harris has been wreaking havoc from the defensive line this season.
“We moved him to d-end to get a better pass rush,” LHS coach Ryan Breeze said. “We felt like he could be more athletic there.”
Breeze hasn’t regretted that decision, for Harris has tallied 56 tackles through five games, averaging about 11.2 stops per game.
If he keeps that pace and the Wolverines make it to game No. 13 — the state championship — he’ll finish with about 146 tackles. That total will certainly be one of the highest in not only Class 6A-II, but the entire state.
Harris hasn’t even realized just how much his defensive production has gone up — he thinks his tackles have gone down since making the switch.
Despite that, he’s put his personal objectives to the wayside to help the team in the best way he can.
“The moves I’ve had in my life have made me a tougher person,” Harris said. “Making changes like that didn’t seem that hard to me. Most people would think it’s the end of the world, but it’s the best for our team. If I need to move positions to help us win, I’m going to do that and do my best at it.
“I don’t care that much about being in the spotlight — I just want our team to win and everybody to have fun.”