Athlete of the Week: Mike Harper

Although senior Mike Harper is focused on his duties as the co-captain of the cross-country team, he is looking forward to the upcoming hockey season and being the Magicians' number one goaltender.

“I can’t wait,” Harper said. “I’m totally focused on running right now, but this hockey season is going to be great, we’re the defending champs and I’m looking to have a great season in net.”

Harper has been running competitively since his freshman year and is sharing the captaincy this fall with Pat Duffy. Harper runs the 800 and the 4x400 in the spring, and has broken 20 minutes several times on the cross-country course.

“Growing up I began skating at four, and playing hockey at six, and when I was in eighth grade, my coach (XC coach Brian Heenan) came to the middle school to talk to us at lunch about running cross-country," Harper said. "My friend Josh Drooks said we should both run, so I started running to get in shape for hockey and now I’m hooked.”

Although running long distance and getting hit with a slapshot can both be painful, Harper said he has cherished his time as an athlete at Marblehead High School.

“Running is all-out, and I like that, it helps me with hockey, the better shape I’m in the better I’ll play on the ice, I think,” Harper said. “It’s a different experience, I approach the game like a full sprint, and I’m in good shape for the hockey season from track.”

Harper didn’t start out as a net-minder, but he was having trouble making the Marblehead Youth Hockey travelling squad that headed to Quebec each winter for games against the boys from St. Lambert.

“Only the first two teams went to Canada, and I never made the top two as a skater,” Harper said. “One time the goalie didn’t show up so I volunteered to play, I started playing goalie a lot and the next season I made the second team as a goalie, so I finally go to go to Canada, and I’ve been playing net for Marblehead ever since.”

Harper has been between the pipes since Pee-Wee’s and now he’s heading into his senior season as the number one goalie for coach Bob Jackson’s club.

“This is a huge season for us, in all three sports, I’m the captain so I have to lead and run well, and we’ve got big shoes to fill as seniors on the hockey team this winter,” Harper said.

Harper lives on Seaview Avenue with his parents and younger sister, a sophomore at Marblehead High School, and has lived in town his whole life.

"Mike is one of the hardest working runners I've ever had the pleasure of working with, he came out as a freshman and has improved every season," Marblehead cross-country coach Brian Heenan said. "Mike works incredibly hard every day to be the best runner he can be."

"Mike is one of the nicest young men I've met in all my years of coaching, and he's the backbone of our team this season," Marblehead hockey coach Bob Jackson said.

The Mike Harper File:

Age – 17

Class – Senior at MHS

Favorite meal – His mom’s steak, asparagus and sweet potato fries

Favorite TV show – The Office and Entourage

Favorite movie – Friday Night Lights

Favorite band – 3 Doors Down

Most embarrassing song on my iPod – “The Dixie Chicks, and I listen to them a lot.”

Favorite athlete – Steve Prefontaine

Favorite team – The Boston Bruins

Dream – To run or play hockey in college.

Up next – “Finishing up the cross-country season strong in the league, and at the State Meets, and repeating as State Champs in ice hockey.”