Harper Creek's Julion McCray is the 2022 Battle Creek Enquirer Male Athlete of the Year

Over his career, Julion McCray became one of the best to ever carry a football at Harper Creek.

On one special night last fall, McCray was the single best player to ever carry a football for the Beavers in a single game.

Add decorated basketball and track high school careers, and McCray will go down as one of the top athletes ever at the school.

Which makes McCray our choice as the 2022 Battle Creek Enquirer Male Athlete of the Year. He is joined in the honor by Enquirer Female Athlete of the Year Alex Kersten of St. Philip.

TERRIFIC TIGER: St. Philip's Alexandra Kersten is 2022 Battle Creek Enquirer Female Athlete of the Year

"When you think of Enquirer Athletes of the Year over the years, you think about people who excelled in multiple sports," said Harper Creek football coach Mason Converse. "We encourage, and push in a positive way, all of our athletes to play multiple sports and Julion has been doing three sports since he started. He gets good grades and he is the kind of kid we want other kids to model. He's a great choice."

The three-sport standout shined brightest under the Friday night lights on the Harper Creek football field. His career included one special night where he broke a 55-year-old school record, rushing for 363 yards in a game.

Along the way he finished second in school history for rushing yards in a season and ended third on the career list for rushing yards, getting all his carries in just two seasons. With two 1,000-plus yard seasons, it was just the 13th and 14th times a football player did that in Harper Creek history. . And he tied the record for most touchdowns in a single game with five.

McCray also helped Harper Creek football to a Interstate 8 Conference title and a playoff berth.

Earning First-Team honors on the Associated Press Division 3-4 All-State team, McCray had a season to remember.

"When I was younger, I was telling people I was going to go after some of those records, but didn't know if that was ever going to happen," McCray said. "But as my junior year started to go, I realized some of those records were in reach.

"Coach always has us write down our goals and breaking those records was a big goal and for us to win the league title and get to the playoffs were goals and I'm glad we were able to achieve those as a team."

That record-breaking high school career helped McCray achieve another goal — that of playing college football. McCray has committed to play at Trine University.

"I have been thinking about playing at the next level since I started playing in fourth grade," McCray said. "So to get a chance to go to Trine to play football is amazing."

The all-around athlete was a two-year starter on the Harper Creek basketball team, earning all-conference honorable mention honors for a Beavers team that won the unofficial "city title" — beating all the city teams on their schedule, including Battle Creek Central, Lakeview and Pennfield.

"My basketball family was as important as any thing, honestly, that I did at Harper," McCray said. "I started playing with those guys when I was a young and I probably wouldn't be at Harper if I didn't have those connections."

As a two-time state qualifier in track, missing out his sophomore year due to the season being called off because of COVID concerns, McCray also shined in the spring.

McCray earned All-State honors as a member of a state-placing 1,600 relay team his junior year. He was also the Interstate 8 Conference and regional champ in three events his junior year. His senior year he was a key part of a league championship squad for the Beavers. Despite being hampered with ongoing hamstring issues, he still ended up being conference champ in two events, regional champ in two events and he qualified for the state meet again — although he was unable to run there due to injury.

"Little frustrated with how track ended up because of the hamstrings," McCray said. "But my goal was to qualify for states again and I did that and we had a good season as a team."

With his name up on the record boards and being part of multiple league championship teams, McCray will leave with fond memories of his alma mater.

"I will just remember all the moments, like going to games, hanging out on the bus with my teammates, being on the sidelines with my friends. Those were the best moments of my athletic career, probably even over the wins or the records," McCray said. "It's been a bittersweet time to end the year as I started thinking back at all the fun I had in sports at Harper Creek. But I am also looking forward to what's next, ready to try something new."

Contact Bill Broderick at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on Twitter @billbroderick.

Enquirer Athletes of the Year

2021 - Lakeview's Brazyll Watkins/Pennfield's Ryne Petersen

2020 - Harper Creek's Alysa Wager/St. Philip's Conor Gausselin

2019 - Lakeview's Karlie Kucharczyk/BCC's Josh Mann

2018 - Harper Creek's Megan Kusler/BCC's Antonio Postell

2017 - Lakeview's Maggie Farrell/BCC's Juan Warren

2016 - Harper Creek’s Charlie Andrews/BCC’s Brandon Randle

2015 - Harper Creek’s Charlie Andrews/Lakeview’s Jake Herbers

2014 - St. Philip's Sierra Hubbard-Neil/Lakeview's Donnie Ernsberger

2013 - Harper Creek's Bri Burritt/Harper Creek's Josh Bass

2012 - Lakeview's Lydia Drikakis/Lakeview's Dan Emery

2011 – Pennfield's Emma Fishnick/Lakeview's Clay Youngquist

2010 - St. Philip's Lena Oliver/Lakeview's Clay Youngquist

2009 - St. Philip's Liz Sherzer/BCC's Larry Caper

2008 - Lakeview's Megan Sliva/Lakeview's Jake Labrecque

2007 - St. Philip's Allyson Doyle/Harper Creek's Nate Smith

2006 - St. Philip's Allyson Doyle/Lakeview's Devan Kline

2005 - St. Philip's Jessica Greene/BCC's Liam Knapp

2004 - Lakeview's Bre Ballard/Lakeview's Carl Mulder

2003 - St. Philip's Allyson Riley/St. Philip's Mike Leifeld

2002 - Pennfield's Amanda Fowler/Pennfield's Aaron Nasers

2001 - Lakeview's Audrey Graham/BCC's Ben Reed

2000 - Lakeview's Julie Dawes/BCC's Dan White

This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Harper Creek's Julion McCray is 2022 Enquirer Male Athlete of the Year