sports Brand New Homes are NOW OPEN End of an Era at Harrison High School at FOX RUN STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER B Discover the style and ease of Edison Place , the newest residence building at Novi’s premier continuing care retirement community. If you’re considering a move to Fox Run, now is the time to act! Take the next step—before it’s sold out! Call 1-800-917-8169 today to get your free brochure or schedule a visit. FoxRunNovi.com REMODELING INC. COMPLETE INTERIOR CUSTOM REMODELING/REPAIRS AND DESIGN YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE WHAT WE DO! 10% DISCOUNT 248-476-0816 Cell: 248-508-1975 Email: kandkremodelinginc@yahoo.com www.kandkremodelinginc.com Family Owned, Licensed & Insured Since 1992 IMMIGRATION LAW FIRM ANTONE, CASAGRANDE & ADWERS, P.C. Representation in all areas of family and business immigration law. JEFFREY S. PITT N. PETER ANTONE www.antone.com or email at law@antone.com 8.JMF3E 4UFt'BSNJOHUPO)JMMT .* Ph: 248-406-4100 52 December 6 • 2018 jn Fax: 248-406-4101 13090610 Novi illy Slobin is 56. For 46 of those years, Farmington Hills Harrison High School football has been a huge part of his life. His connection started as a fan. He played for the Hawks for three years (1977-1979) and he’s been the pro- gram’s volunteer strength and condi- tioning coach for 33 years. Harrison football is now nothing more than memories and history. The clock ran out on the state’s most suc- cessful high school football program last month when the Hawks were elim- inated from the state playoffs. The end of Harrison football was slow and agonizing, covering three seasons. The school board for Farmington Public Schools decided in 2016 to close Harrison at the end of the 2018- 2019 school year because of declining enrollment and financial pressures. Farmington and North Farmington high schools remain open. Slobin has known this for three years, but the reality and now the final- ity of it have been difficult to grasp. “This is going to take time to sink in. I need to decompress,” he said. “When our season ended each year, I looked forward to going to work in the weight room to prepare for the next season. That didn’t happen this year. “After Chelsea beat us (last month in the Division 4 state quarterfinals), I read somewhere that Chelsea ended our program. No, Chelsea didn’t end our program. The Farmington school board did.” Slobin is reminded every day he goes to work. His office at Mortgage 1, filled with Harrison football memo- rabilia, is directly across West 12 Mile Road from Harrison’s football field. “I could hear the whistles from coaches and the marching band prac- tice,” Slobin said. Slobin’s sons Stephen, 25, and Jake, 23, played football at Harrison and were members of the Hawks’ last state championship team in 2010. Each was named the Jewish News Male High School Athlete of the Year after com- pleting his senior year. Stephen and Jake went on to play college football and, like their father, they work in the mortgage business. Jake, Billy and Harrison’s loss to Stephen Slobin Chelsea was particu- in Billy Slobin’s larly heart-wrenching office because Chelsea scored two touchdowns in the final 2:07 to win 21-14. But getting that far in the state play- offs, finishing 8-4 for the season and pulling out a miracle win a week before the loss to Chelsea were remarkable accomplishments. Harrison kept its post-season hopes alive by stunning Detroit County Day 13-10 in overtime in a district title game that saw the Hawks score the game-winning touchdown on a botched field goal attempt that turned into a 5-yard TD pass. “That was one of the greatest wins in our history,” Slobin said. Just 30 players were in the Harrison program this season because of attri- tion caused by the high school’s immi- nent closure. “We had no depth,” Slobin said. “It was difficult to practice. You can’t have juniors and seniors beating on the younger kids in practice. I think this was arguably Coach (John) Herrington’s best coaching job.” That’s saying something. Herrington, 77, was Harrison’s only football coach. He started when the team started in 1970. The Hawks’ 13 state championships — the first was in 1981 — are the most for a football team in Michigan High School Athletic Association history and their 18 appearances in the state championship game are the most of any team. Herrington’s 443 wins (443-112-1) are the most of any prep football coach in state history. ■ Send news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.