Kendre Harrison returns to Reidsville, helps lead Rams to win over North Forsyth
Kendre Harrison's first game back at Reidsville was just what the Rams were hoping for.
Harrison, a junior, started at tight end against North Forsyth on Friday. He had four receptions for 61 yards and scored two touchdowns after re-enrolling at Reidsville on Monday. The dual sports star was cleared by the Rockingham County School Board to compete in athletics following a transfer from Providence Day on Sept. 17.
His return helped the Rams take a 37-0 Mid-State 2A Conference victory over North Forsyth. Harrison said after all of the additional media attention he has received over the last week, it was great to finally be back on the field in the place where he feels he truly belongs.
"I grew up with all of my boys, so it really wasn't that hard for them to welcome me back in. It felt good coming out here on a Friday night," he said following the victory. "People have been saying that I really haven't been doing nothing with the competition. I just have to come out here in my environment and show everybody what I'm really capable of."
Harrison is listed as the No. 1 tight end and a No. 30 basketball prospect in the country for the high school class of 2026, according to 247sports.com . He said his initial transfer to Providence Day this past summer was to help him prepare for the next level. But the 6-foot-7, 245-pound standout had a change of heart and re-enrolled at Reidsville, where he said he plans to finish his high school career.
Over the last week, members of the Rockingham County School Board and the NCHSAA thoroughly investigated Harrison's school records and application to ensure he was eligible to return to Reidsville and play sports.
"As a district, we cannot discuss individual student records, but I will tell you that we follow our local policy and NCHSAA policy," Rockingham County School Board Assistant Superintendent Charles Perkins said Wednesday. "If you see a student out there practicing and playing, know we went through the appropriate checks to make sure the student is eligible."
By the time Rams head football coach Erik Teague told his team that Harrison's return was official, it was old news in the locker room. Most of the players had known for several days that the move was imminent.
"It really wasn't too big of a deal with the players. It was kind of like he was never really gone, so he just kind of jumped in there and it was practice like normal," Teague said.
So far, Harrison being inserted into the lineup as a starter doesn't seem to have ruffled any feathers with teammates that took the field during his absence.
"We don't have anybody else on the team that plays the position where he does. It's not exactly game-planned the same way. He can do a lot of different things that other people can't do, so it's more of a shuffle around with personnel than it really is taking somebody's spot," Teague said. "As far as I've seen, the guys are happy to have him back and we have continued just like nothing ever happened."
Obviously, the Rams were pretty good without him, rolling to a 4-0 start.
During Harrison's four-game absence, Reidsville's offense didn't miss a beat as it averaged 41 points per game with 703 passing yards and nine touchdowns.
But it doesn't take a mathematician to figure out the addition Harrison's return could mean for the Rams moving forward.
Offensively, Harrison had 940 yards receiving and scored 16 touchdowns in 2023, and on defense, he had 76 tackles including nine sacks during his sophomore season when Reidsville won a NCHSAA 2A state title.
Teague said the tight end gives the Rams other options most teams don't have with the run blocking as well as the passing game because of his size and skill.
"It's kind of the same thing that we were dealing with last year. We had the hopes and the plans with four or five receivers on the field, but then we had the injuries early on in the year, so it's similar to when we started to get guys back healthy," he said. "This year, inserting him in there just kind of gives us another weapon, especially with Dionte (Neal) back there playing quarterback. It's just another weapon that we really didn't have before."
Harrison shares a unique bond with several of the offensive players other teams just don't have. Wide receivers Johnnyius Sharpe, Cam Jones and Neal at QB, were also starters on Reidsville's 2A 2023 state championship basketball team. The collective chemistry they share is evident on both the hardwood and gridiron.
"Yeah, I think so, and just the player that Dionte is, he shares that with several guys. There have been a handful of instances that I can think of just off of the top of my head where the guys will just give a nod, or a look, and Dionte will check the route and they know what each other is thinking," Teague said. "He's had a couple of instances of that type of situation with Cam and J9 (Sharpe) already this season, so I'm sure he's got that same type of chemistry with Kendre and that definitely helps when they can communicate and be on the same page with the quarterback."
