“I’m thankful to the whole Carroll community,” Harris said. I wish them all the best moving forward. … And I’m excited to not only have an imprint on the [Digital Pioneers Academy] football program, but on other sports as well.”

The school, in turn, had plenty of gratitude to extend to Harris. After it had just one winning season in the decade before his arrival, Harris took the program back to its championship roots of the 1980s, bringing back gold helmets and a policy of tough love while fostering an on-field product the school could take pride in.

During his tenure the team went 42-38, including a 23-4 record over the past two years behind South Carolina commit Nyckoles Harbor and a slew of All-Met selections as the Lions won the D.C. State Athletic Association AA championship in 2021 and WCAC Metro title in 2022.

Still, even as Harris counts both championship-winning efforts among his most treasured memories at Carroll, he cherished the opportunity to build from the ground up and watch his players graduate, many of whom did so as members of the National Honor Society.

At Digital Pioneers Academy, he’ll have that opportunity again.

“Seeing things grow — and grow the right way — is something I’ve always had as my mission,” Harris said.

Under Quick, the Lions will follow a coach with a similar calling. After joining Harris in 2015 following several years in youth football, Quick progressed through several roles with the junior varsity and varsity teams while overseeing the school’s eighth grade feeder program and perfecting his football acumen. His approach will reflect his predecessor’s, Quick said. But it won’t be identical.

“Coach Harris taught me how to be a great coach, how to put it all together,” Quick said. “And I’m going to implement what I want our culture to be built on: Respect, effort, accountability and love. Those four pillars are really going to take us to another level.

“And these kids, they’re going to be playing for a coach that loves them.”