On Friday night, the Harrison High School football team secured a 45-35 victory over Marietta, advancing to the second round of the 6A GHSA playoffs. Sophomore quarterback Aiden Watson played a key role in the win, completing 17 of 24 passes for 221 yards and rushing for an additional 188 yards. Watson scored all six touchdowns for his team and accounted for a total of 409 offensive yards out of the Hoyas’ overall 555.
Harrison Head Coach Luqman Salam praised Watson’s performance, stating, “He did an amazing job of leading our football team on Friday. Aiden’s a humble, gritty leader, and he displayed a level of toughness that you don’t often see in a sophomore quarterback. He has a high intelligence and makes good decisions, and allows his teammates to make plays.”
In recognition of his performance, representatives from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Georgia High School Football Daily visited Harrison High School to present Watson with the Player of the Week Award.
Ted Langford from GHS Football Daily said at the award presentation in the Hoya Center: “It’s very unusual to have someone like Aiden get selected as Player of the Week. He’s a sophomore and a first-year starter. He has now passed for 2,334 yards this season and ranks among the top passers in the state.”
Langford also drew comparisons between Watson and former Harrison standout Justin Fields: “Comparisons are already being made to another standout dual-threat quarterback at Harrison, Justin Fields, who is now playing for the New York Jets. I was told that Justin was in the stands for last Friday’s game and got to witness something that even he never accomplished in his high school career: gaining more than 400 total yards in a game. Aiden has a very bright future, and that’s why he’s our first Player of the Week for the postseason,” Langford concluded.
Coach Salam added about Watson’s development throughout this season: “He has matured wonderfully. His progress since the start of the season has been nothing but upward. He stays calm and confident in any situation and knows where he’s going with the ball before the snap.”
Watson credited his ability to stay composed under pressure to advice from his father and coaches about managing responsibilities as quarterback: “I take deep breaths and close my eyes,” Aiden said quietly. “One of the main things about being a quarterback is being level throughout the game, not being too high or too low. I’ve been practicing this for a long time, just like closing my eyes and kind of being in the moment.”
Watson’s mother Katrina attended Wednesday’s award presentation as well. Katrina Watson teaches eighth-grade English Language Arts at McClure Middle School.
“We love this community. It’s a great community and a great family. It’s been such a blessing to us,” she said with a smile during her remarks at Harrison High School. “I was diagnosed with cancer when we first moved here, and the Harrison community wrapped its arms around us, not even knowing us. And that set the stage for just a beautiful relationship throughout those years. My oldest graduated two years ago from here and played football and baseball, and Aiden is following his footsteps. My husband Rashad and I couldn’t be more proud!”
The Hoyas will face Carrollton next Friday as they continue their playoff run.
