Harlem Berry’s Journey to Becoming the Nation’s #1 High School Running Back
by: Mike Strom // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
It’s not like St. Martin’s Harlem Berry was born to be a football player.
Destined maybe. Born, no.
The nation’s top running back prospect, in fact, did not begin playing tackle football until arriving at St. Martin’s as an eighth-grader. Prior to then, Berry used basketball and flag football to satisfy his appetite for athletics given that his parents, Harry and Tonika, had major reservations about the inherent danger of injury posed by playing contact football.
The soft-spoken Berry said he entered St. Martin’s believing that basketball would be his ultimate sport of consequence at the Metairie Episcopal school. Boy, was he mistaken.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior completed his final regular season contest Thursday night by rushing six times for 103 yards and 3 touchdowns while catching one pass for a 58-yard touchdown and returning a punt 62 yards in the Saints’ 47-8 District 10-1A victory against Varnado between the hedges of St. Martin’s Tony Porter Field.
Berry finished the regular season with 1,666 yards and 32 touchdowns via 131 carries in 10 games while catching 14 passes good for 247 yards and 3 more touchdowns.
Those numbers leave the Metairie native, whose family now lives in LaPlace, with some staggering career totals.
An LSU commitment, Berry has rushed for 8,047 yards and 133 touchdowns on 647 career carries in addition to catching 46 passes for another 795 yards and 3 TDs. Berry has scored 149 touchdowns with two kickoff returns, two punt returns, and an interception returned for touchdowns.
RUSHING
2021: 164-2,036-27 TDs, 12.4 yards per carry
2022: 194-2,277-37 TDs, 11.7 yards per carry
2023: 158-2,080-37 TDs, 13.2 yards per carry
2024: 131-1,666-32 TDs, 12.7 yards per carry
Totals: 647-8,059-133 TDs, 12.5 yards per carry
RECEIVING
2021: 4-44-0 TD
2022: 8-103-1 TD
2023: 20-401-7 TDs
2024: 14-247-3 TDs
Totals: 46-795-11 TDs
“I was big on basketball because my mom didn’t really like me playing tackle football,’’ Berry said. “So my goal when I came (to St. Martin’s) was to play basketball. And I was pretty good, too. I played a lot of travel basketball, so I thought that I would be able to do that here, too.’’
Those plans were forever altered when a St. Martin’s assistant coach invited Berry as a newbie eighth-grader to join the football program. When Berry’s parents agreed, the wheels were set in motion for a dramatic change in trajectory by their youngest child.
“When we played, I just remember being great at it, just doing me, and having real fun at it,’’ Berry said. “So I was like this is something that I definitely want to keep investing in. I always loved football, but I never really got to play it like that. So when I started doing it, I was like, yeah, this is something that I want to do.’’
Plus, as Berry points out in hindsight, “Obviously, I didn’t get any taller so I knew basketball probably wouldn’t be the best option.’’
“The first time I saw Harlem Berry was when I was coaching against him when he was a freshman,’’ St. Martin’s coach Kevin Dizer, who then was head coach at Riverside, St. Martin’s District 10-1A rival, said. “I had never seen a 14-year-old do the things that he could do. It took me two carries to realize that this kid is different than anybody else.
“He is elite. It took me two carries to see that with him. So it’s not hard to (recognize the talent) with him.’’
St. Martin’s athletic director Frank Gendusa, whom Dizer replaced as the Saints head football coach, already had noticed those elite qualities just from observing eighth-grade practices a year earlier when Berry was a football fledgling.
“We saw that we’ve got someone who could be special here,’’ said Gendusa, who also coached Peyton and Eli Manning during 23 years spent at Newman High School.
That belief prompted the Saints coaching staff to insert Berry as a freshman starter at tailback.
Berry did not disappoint, rushing for 2,036 yards and 27 touchdowns on 164 carries while averaging more than a first down, 12.4 yards, for every attempt during a 7-game season shortened by the August 29, 2021, arrival of Hurricane Ida.
“It was like, ‘Wow!’’’ Gendusa said. “He wasn’t carrying the ball that much. We weren’t trying to kill him or anything. We didn’t play him on defense then. But that’s when we noticed it, his eighth-grade year, and then his freshman year he just had a great year.’’
For Gendusa, Berry stirred fond memories of what it was like coaching schoolboy athletes destined for NFL stardom.
“Harlem is a real special athlete,’’ Gendusa said. “I have been very fortunate. I have coached some really good athletes in the past. They were great at what they did and maybe the best ever to play the quarterback position. I’m talking about Peyton and Eli (Manning). But the best athlete that I’ve ever coached that could do everything was Harlem.
“He’s a freaky athlete. He’s a basketball player. He can run track and field. He’s one of those kids, you probably could give him a ping pong paddle and he’s probably going to beat you at ping pong. Then the topper, even more besides all of his abilities as an athlete, is that he’s just a really nice kid.
“Harlem is respectful. He’s humble. He’s friends with everybody. He’s friends with the athletes, with the nerdy kids. They’re all friends. They all talk. He’s just a wonderful young man. His mom and dad have done just a real nice job of raising him.
“Harlem is going to make a splash as an athlete at the next level. But I think people are going to see what kind of person he is and that’s going to go even further. He’s a really nice young man.’’
It actually was St. Martin’s small school feel that attracted Berry.
“I walked around the school. I toured the school and said this is somewhere I need to be,’’ Berry said. “(The campus) wasn’t too big, so I felt like I fit in way better. I know everybody in my grade. When I got here, I saw the campus and it looked amazing. The teachers and everything were nice. So I just liked it.’’
Athletics were not so much a decisive factor.
“(St. Martin’s is) not a big school, so I knew I’d definitely be able to play a lot coming in,’’ Berry said. “Then I started playing football and realized that I was pretty good at it. So then I played football and that went on to what it is now.’’
Blessed with 4.38 speed in the 40, Berry quickly emerged as a game-changer whose abilities were recognized as the No. 1 running back prospect in the nation in the ESPN 300 for 2025.
A full academic qualifier with a 3.3 grade point average, Berry committed to LSU in January while participating in the Under Armour All-American game in Orlando. Berry chose Coach Brian Kelly’s Tigers over his two other finalists, Florida and Texas.
“I love football,’’ Berry, a young senior who doesn’t turn 18 till late May, said. “Honestly, I couldn’t see myself doing anything else. I am going to be a businessman in the future. But my heart is in football.’’
Judging by Berry’s list of admirers, the feeling is mutual.
“I would say he’s definitely second to none in terms of acceleration and being able to control his speed,’’ Dizer, his coach, said. “He can go from zero to 60 (miles per hour) like no other, like the best of the best. He’s never going to get caught or anything like that.
“For him, he can be extremely patient and then all he needs is a little bit of light and, boom, he’s gone. He’s second to none with that. It’s kind of scary to watch it. The other thing where he’s really good at is he’s very agile and can make you miss in the open field.
“So those are the strengths. That’s what makes him special. Personally, I think he’s still learning the position of running back, believe it or not. And he’s going to have to learn so much more when he goes to the next level of what to do, what not to do, and adjusting to the speed of the game.
“But the two things he’s got as strengths are going to carry him through anything. I think he’s second to none in the world, the best of the best, with those two strengths.’’
“As a running back, I feel like I’m very different from a lot of the other running backs,’’ Berry said. “I’m not the big, powerful back that’s going to run between the tackles and run through your face. I like getting in space and making you miss. Being able to be a game-changer, changing the course of the game.
“Just being able to make people miss and being able to use my speed to get down the field and score a touchdown and see the joy on everybody’s faces when you get in the end zone, that’s something special.’’
“Harlem is ranked No.1 for a reason,’’ St. Martin’s quarterback Ashton Oliver said. “He makes plays happen. He’s just a playmaker. He can have three guys on him and somehow escape it. I don’t know what else to say. He’s just Harlem Berry.
Off the field, Oliver said, “Harlem is not Hollywood. He’s one of us. If you don’t watch him play and you just watch us interact, you wouldn’t know that he’s a five-star (prospect). He’s down to earth, a chill guy.’’
Ever grounded and forward-thinking, Berry does not fantasize about what his career might have been like had he opted to attend a larger school and compete against stiffer competition.
“I still feel like I would have dominated,’’ Berry said. “I don’t think any of those kids (at larger schools) are better than anybody we play. They just have a larger amount of people than we do. But I still feel like I would have done my thing and dominated and been the player I am now.’’
Dizer particularly is proud to see Berry’s total development.
“What I love about him, and I think we’re kind of a perfect marriage because I’m all about being multiple (on offense), and Harlem is the ultimate Swiss Army knife,’’ Dizer said. “So we can use him in so many different ways.
“We use him as a Wildcat quarterback, a traditional running back. We use him at receiver. We motion him all over the place. So we can get real creative with him. He loves doing that type of stuff and being diverse. So it’s been really fun.
“It’s also challenging at the same time because you never know how people are going to defend you. I’ve seen some of the most exotic looks that I would never have thought of with coaching the offense. We’ve seen some of the craziest looks. We’ve seen it all.’’
Like I said, Harlem is the ultimate Swiss Army knife and I’m hoping that’s the path he’s able to go in college,’’ Dizer added. “He’s a great running back, but my thing is he’s a great football player. Just get the ball in his hands.
“He’s not a guy that needs the ball 20, 25 times to be effective. Give him the ball 10 times, he’s going to score twice, and I’m talking about at the highest level. He’ll make an impact that way.’’
Dizer practices what he preaches, having limited Berry’s rushing attempts this season in order to load up on his prized senior in the upcoming state playoffs. Berry also is a two-way starter playing primarily as a safety on defense where he has recorded 20 tackles, forced three fumbles, recovered one fumble and made three pass breakups.
“He only averages 13 carries a game and that’s for a reason. That’s by design,’’ Dizer said of 2024. “You want him healthy and you want him ready to go to make a playoff run. So we want to rely on him for sure.’’
Unranked St. Martin’s completed the regular season Thursday night with an 8-2 record and 3-1 mark in District 10-1A good for second place behind Riverside. The Saints carried a No. 10 power rating into their season finale versus Varnado.
St. Martin’s will ride a four-game winning streak into the postseason after sustaining consecutive losses to Pope John Paul II (28-21) and Riverside (76-37) in mid-season that cost the Saints a No. 5 state ranking.
The St. Martin’s Saints moved up to the #9 seed and will take on #24 Delhi Charter in the first round the LHSAA football playoffs, with game time and date still to be determined.
The Saints returned approximately 15 starters, 12 of whom play both ways, from last year’s Division IV Select state quarterfinalists.
In addition to Berry and Oliver, wide receiver/kicker/punter Cooper Helmke, center/guard Daniel Fink and guard/tackle Cole Lacoste lead the Saints’ multiple offensive packages while sophomore linebackers Gabe Savarese and Carter Furman along Berry and Oliver as safeties and defensive linemen Aidan Molaison, Destin Brooks, Lacoste and Fink are top defenders in the 3-3-5 Odd Stack defensive scheme. Helmke is a Boise State commitment as a kicking specialist.
The Saints additionally have had to deal with season-ending knee injuries sustained by two-way lineman Zach Kelly and wide receiver/cornerback Tyler Penny that have decreased the depth chart.
“This year, I feel like, the team has definitely gotten real close,’’ Berry said. “We worked real hard over the summer. We faced a lot of adversity through the season losing a lot of key players we needed, but we keep going. We keep working to get better and better each week. I really love this team, honestly.’’
“I think there’s been a decent amount of adversity and that’s expected and we prepare for that,’’ Dizer said. “I think our kids have done a great job of handling adversity. Then some of it is self-induced. We lost back-to-back football games. We gave up 76 points (to Riverside). But what I want our kids to understand is that losing happens. Bad things happen. It’s all about how you respond. I think our kids are responding.’’
In regards to this season and the playoffs, Dizer said, “We really don’t have expectations. Our expectations are to be selfless, disciplined, and tough. If we take care of those things, we believe the scoreboard takes care of itself. So we want to be process-oriented and thought-process (oriented) as opposed to result-oriented.
“I don’t want our kids worrying about the scoreboard. I want them to concentrate on being the best they can be, having the best work ethic, being a good teammate. We just believe those (other) things are going to take care of itself. If you run up against somebody better than you, then so be it. That’s high school sports. But we just want to fight till it’s done.
“Me, personally, I think it’s been a successful season because we’ve had conflict, we’ve had dilemma and we’ve overcome it. I think that’s what going to make you good as a young man and as a person in moving forward in life.’’
Despite their limited personnel numbers, the Saints have advanced to the quarterfinals and semifinals the past two seasons with Berry, of course, serving as linchpin.
As a sophomore, Berry posted prolific numbers in rushing for 2,277 yards and 37 touchdowns on 194 carries with an 11.7-yard average per carry. The Saints earned a No. 4 seed and advanced to the Division IV Select semifinals to complete an 11-2 season.
“I think we are who we are,’’ Dizer said. “That’s what I’ve told the kids. When you’ve got the best player on the field, you’ve got a chance if everybody else does their job. I want our kids to embrace that. And that doesn’t mean that Harlem has got to make all of the plays. No, that means that we’ve got to help create the plays as a team. We’re going to lean on him.
“Defensively, we’ve just got to play with swagger. We’ve got to play with an edge. We’ve got to play with confidence and understand that the other team can score. That’s football. Just play the next play, play the next snap. Just keep on fighting.
“I think going into the playoffs, I don’t think we’re the best team. I don’t think we’re the favorite. But I don’t think there’s a lot of people who will be looking forward to playing us and having to see Harlem Berry in the playoffs. That’s something we want to embrace going into the playoffs.’’
Berry, likewise, is embracing every moment of his final season before he signs with LSU on Dec. 4 and joins the Tigers in mid-December to participate in bowl and/or college football playoffs preparations.
“Obviously, the goal every year is to win the state championship,’’ Berry said. “I feel like every year with every team that we can get there if we keep working and, obviously, strive to get there. But those past two years those teams were great and I miss those guys, those big guys, we had. It’s a new year. It’s a new team we have. But we’re just going to keep working to get better.’’
“I feel like we have a strong team,’’ Oliver, St. Martin’s quarterback, said. “I feel like we have pieces all over the field. I think we’ve just got to make that final connection, like piece the puzzle together, and we can make a very, very far push into these playoffs.
“I think we can shock a lot of people. I think we are very under-estimated and I think we’re going to shock a lot of people in these playoffs.’’
Dizer, St. Martin’s coach, said he will not be shocked at the heights he expects Berry to reach outside of football.
“Harlem is the best,’’ Dizer said. “As a young man, he’s way better as a person than he is as a player. He’s the absolute best. We’re talking about a guy who doesn’t ask for anything. He doesn’t feel like he’s owed anything. He’s not entitled. He’s as humble as can be. He’s the nicest person to everybody on campus.
“We go to games and fans will be out there yelling at him, ‘Over-rated and all of that.’ Then when it’s done, he’ll sign autographs for any kid who comes up to him. He’s the best. He’s destined for success and greatness. I think his impact on the world is going to be something even greater than football.
“I think he’s better than just being a football player. He’s not a football player. You use football as long as you can, but we’re talking about a CEO, we’re talking about a president. We’re talking about something in that realm with Harlem Berry.’’