GRAND FINALE: Hun School running back Chris Sharp heads upfield in a game earlier this fall. Last Sunday, senior star and Virginia-bound Sharp ended his career on a high note, rushing for 212 yards as Hun routed Mercersburg Academy 64-16 to earn the outright MAPL title, finishing the fall at 7-1 overall and 5-0 in league play. Sharp’s final run in a Hun uniform, a 96-yard scoring gallop down the sideline to start the third quarter, put him over the 1,000-yard rushing mark this fall. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

When Christopher Sharp joined the Hun School football team in 2011, he soaked up some valuable lessons when the Raiders produced a Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) championship campaign.

“In my freshman year, we had seniors like Wendy Laurent and Dave Dudeck,” said Sharp. “You are growing up and you want to be just like them.”

Last Sunday, Sharp followed in the footsteps of Laurent and Dudeck,  rushing for 212 yards as Hun routed Mercersburg Academy 64-16 to earn the MAPL title outright, finishing the fall at 7-1 overall and 5-0 in league play.

“We saw that we had something special in August and we just wanted to finish,” said Sharp. “We wanted to go undefeated in the MAPL and that’s what we did.”

To add icing to the cake, Sharp’s final run in a Hun uniform, a 96-yard scoring gallop down the sideline to start the third quarter, put him over the 1,000-yard rushing mark this fall.

“It was a very special moment to share with my teammates and family, especially on senior day,” said Sharp, who is heading to the University of Virginia and will be playing for its football program.

“The first thing I did was to thank all of the linemen, the fullback, and the quarterback. I can’t do it all by myself.”

As Sharp took off down the sideline on that final jaunt, he wasn’t exactly sure if he should go the distance.

“Coach [Todd Smith] told me at half that I had 31 yards to go,” said Sharp, who scored four touchdowns on the day.

“I broke it and at first I didn’t really know what to do. I hit 31 and I thought do I keep going. I wasn’t sure. I went with my gut and went all the way. It was amazing.”

Hun experienced an amazing turnaround under new coach Smith as it rebounded from a frustrating 2-6 campaign last fall.

“Coming into the season, I knew it was going to be special,” said Sharp. “With the kids that came in, we knew going in it was going to be a different feel. It was just like fresh and new things were brewing up with the Hun football team. It is exciting to see the fruition and what grew out of it.”

Sharp grew into a force this fall, producing dazzling runs and receptions as the engine of the Hun offense.

“I love running the ball and being able to catch the ball out of the receiver position is a blessing as well,” said Sharp. “It is just amazing to see the growth that I have gone through.”

In reflecting on the team’s perfect MAPL campaign, Hun head coach Smith cited the amazing support his program received this fall.

“It is not just me and the MAPL title, it is all the coaches that coach here,” said Smith.

“It is the people in the admissions department. It is the school itself, the draw of Hun. Great kids want to come to Hun and we want to match that with athletics. These kids have so many academic activities in front of them; we are trying to match that on the field for them. That was a school-wide effort this whole season.”

While Hun didn’t get the opportunity to play November 1 at Peddie as the Falcons forfeited the contest due to a shortage of healthy players, the Raiders were prepared to close the deal against Mercersburg.

“We gave the kids the day off yesterday, we brought them in early this morning and had a good walk-through,” said Smith, who got four touchdown passes from quarterback Simon Vadas in the win on Sunday with Cameren Kitchen, Justin Morrison, and Fred Hansard scoring touchdowns in addition to Sharp.

“Everything has been productive. We have been able to talk football, it has been an intelligent conversation. That game today was just a team taking care of business.”

Smith certainly liked the way Sharp took care of business this fall. “Chris is just a fantastic kid, it is a shame we only had seven games with him,” said Smith.

“He got 1,000 yards and a boatload of touchdowns to go with it. He has gotten so much better as the year went on. I am just really excited about his future, I think he is going to be a great football player at the next level.”

The team’s senior class as a whole made a great contribution this fall. “I am real happy for them, it started in the summer,” said Smith.

“They all bought into the summer workouts, the kids that could make it down here. I think they fought through camp, it was rigorous and they did a great job. They could see how much the hard work paid off.”

Putting in that hard work helped the players develop some deep bonds. “We just grew as a family as it went on,” said Smith, who experienced a special family moment after the game as he proposed marriage to his girlfriend after the game in front of the players, parents, supporters, and coaches and achieved the biggest win of the day as he got an affirmative answer.

“It was never individual. It was just let’s do a great job and play for each other. When you have 11 kids playing as one out there, there is no end to it.”

In putting the happy ending in perspective, Sharp said it was a group effort. “We were strong everywhere,” said Sharp.

“Our offensive line and defensive line are big and they get great pushes. We have receivers and we can run the ball as well. We didn’t have too many weaknesses going into the season and we just stayed healthy and that’s how it played out. Today was amazing, it was kind of like a fantasy.”