FORT WAYNE – If Colin Harruff had his preference, he’d liked to see the North offense throw the ball all over the field. It’s what the Homestead graduate likes and is used to.

Playing in a spread offense for four years, the 6-foot-2, 180-pound receiver racked up school records in catches (106) and yards (1,737) and earned the right to play in today’s North-South All-Star Classic and be part of the another successful program at Saint Francis.

Of the three quarterbacks on the North roster, Harruff said two of them can run the spread as well as the triple-option/wishbone set while the third runs only the triple-option.

“Our coaches want to throw it, so we will see what happens,” Harruff said. “There are only two receivers here, so I will get playing time.”

Harruff had 43 catches for 739 yards and eight touchdowns for the Spartans as a senior and will start for North at North Central High School tonight.

He benefited by playing in a pass-happy system with some pretty good arms to deliver the football, including junior Zach Terrell last season.

“It was sweet,” Harruff said of playing in the Spartans’ offense. “We threw like 50 times a game, if not even more. And it was like you are the go-to guy in that kind of offense.

“It was pretty awesome.”

Harruff acted as a mentor as well to Terrell, who was in his first season as the starter but became the best signal-caller in northeast Indiana.

“We stayed after practices, and I would help him on timing and where I would be and how the route was going to be run, the coverage and where he should throw the ball,” Harruff said of Terrell, who threw for 1,800 yards and ran for 640 more.

Homestead coach Chad Zolman credits Harruff’s determination for his success.

“He probably worked as hard as any player we had to improve himself, and he was pretty good to begin with,” Zolman said. “His work ethic is second to none, and he just progressed each year and got better and stronger and faster and had better hands, and all those things. It wasn’t natural, he worked at it. He has some natural gifts, but he definitely spent a lot of time in a whole lot of different areas to make himself a better football player. He made himself one of the best receivers we have ever had.

“He has great timing when to go up for the ball; that is part of his natural gifts. He worked on his hands constantly, watching the ball all the way in. He was definitely one of the most sure-handed guys we have had since I got here.”

The Class 5A All-State receiver has been with the all-stars all week practicing and doing other all-star activities. He said he has been working mainly with the spread offense in practice sessions.

“It has been great,” Harruff said. “The whole team has bonded. It feels like we have been playing together for 15 years. It is something special.”

Harruff said making the all-star team was never one of his goals.

“I wanted to break most of the receiving records, and I did that, but I didn’t really know anything about the North-South game,” he said. “It was quite a shock when I found out. I thought there were better people than who were chosen, but I was happy.”

gjones@jg.net