Father-son team

Many high-school athletes look to their coaches as father figures, and that’s especially true for Southern quarterback Jalil Harris.

His assistant coach, after all, is his father, former Rams starter Greg Harris.

Both insist the coach-player relationship supercedes the familial bond on the field.

"He is just another guy," coach Harris said. "Most of the time, I treat him like the other kids because we have a chance to talk at home."

Back in 1963, Greg Harris was the starting center for the then-7-3 Rams. The team has tallied more losses than wins in recent years, but the 58-year-old coach said he still enjoys coming to practice every day.

That might have something to do with son Jalil, 17, now in his second season as the Rams’ starting quarterback. The player enters the week with 211 passing yards and two touchdowns over three games.

Jalil, a senior, said he doesn’t mind taking direction from his dad.

"He’s not that hard, but he can be at times," he said.

The duo, of 24th and Oakford streets, already is seeing some payoff this season. When the Rams defeated William Penn 36-6 in a non-league game earlier this month, it marked the first time since Oct. 24, 2002, that the varsity program had won a game. It also marked the first varsity win for Jalil Harris, who inherited the starting quarterback role after transferring from West Philadelphia last year.

Greg Harris also previously coached at West Philadelphia, and followed Jalil to Southern this season.

Jalil will face his old team tomorrow with high hopes. West Philly opened the year with back-to-back losses.

In Public South play, the Rams have lost 16-12 to Bartram and fell 22-6 to Bok. But the offense is showing improvement after being shut out four times last season.

That’s not good enough, however, for the team’s offensive leader.

"It’s been real frustrating, especially after losing to Bartram by four points," Jalil Harris said. "We’re not focused. Everybody has to stay focused for the whole 48 minutes of a game."

Harris prepares by watching Southern game films at home with his dad.

"We have a talk about the games," said Greg, who also works as a math teacher at Bartram Communications Annex, 81st Street and Lyons Avenue. "We focus more so on the passing game, with getting a faster release of the ball and getting the timing down with receivers."

Jalil also studies NFL games for pointers. Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb might be having a career year, but the high-school athlete prefers taking his cues from Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback Michael Vick.

"He is a versatile player who can throw and be accurate," Jalil said.

While he is very serious about football now, the player almost dropped the sport before starting high school.

His youth-league experience had prepared him for the next step. Jalil started out as a cornerback with EOM, moved to quarterback a year later, and continued playing for both EOM and the Sigma Sharks.

But when he was ready for high school, he was only interested in shooting hoops, Greg said.

"He loves basketball like the rest of the kids," the coach said. "I didn’t want to be one of those fathers who pushes him into something. At the last minute, he decided to play football for West Philadelphia."

It’s turning out to be a great audible, as the 5-foot-8, 180-pound athlete is developing into a solid quarterback. Greg Harris said letters arrive at the house regularly from Division I, II and III football programs, but Jalil has yet to receive formal scholarship offers.

This week, the Rams are regrouping from the Bok game, in which the offense was held to one third-quarter touchdown on an 8-yard run from running back Lamone Fox. The junior finished the game with 97 yards.

"After that loss, people were saying that they’re not playing anymore," Jalil said. "We’ve got to stay focused."

The player, who might continue to emulate his dad by becoming a schoolteacher, hopes to add some more wins to his senior season. But realistically, the Rams might have to wait a couple of years for measurable improvement.

By that time, the junior-varsity program — which made a comeback this season after a long absence — should help build more competitive players.

Coach Harris said he is ready for all transitions, including his son’s graduation.

"It won’t be tough [coming to practice without Jalil] because I’ve been doing this long before he was around," he said.

Public South standings through 9/28
Bartram 2-0
Bok 2-0
Overbrook 2-0
Franklin 0-1
University City 0-1
Southern 0-2
West Philadelphia 0-2

Rams results/schedule

Oct. 7 Bye
Oct. 15 Overbrook Away 3 p.m.
Oct. 22 Ben Franklin Home 3 p.m.
Oct. 28 University City Home 2:30 p.m.
Nov. 6 Quarterfinals
Nov. 13 Semifinals
Nov. 20 Championship
Nov. 25 Neumann-Goretti -Home 10:30 a.m.