Cathedral’s Harrington Sets Program’s Single Season TD Record
Hunter Harrington entered Cathedral Catholic (CA) without the high expectations, hype, and hearsay.
The multi-sport athlete, who committed to Stanford for baseball during the summer heading into his freshman season, had become known for ball tracking, sublime pass-catching aptitude, and 4.34 40-time speed.
Prior to his arrival, however, Cathedral was not exactly known for a spread-the-field passing offense.
The team was predicated on an effective ground game, without explosive athletes or a surefire gunslinger taking the snaps.
The approach has changed. Cathedral recently stamped a resounding 27-6 throttling of La Costa Canyon.
Harrington, a separation-creating 6-foot-2 wideout, earned plaudits that circulated across the internet when he yanked in a fireball from 2026 quarterback Brady Palmer for a 78-yard touchdown.
Harrington was named Game MVP, pulling in four passes for a game-best 119 yards and the aforementioned TD. Now Harrington has attained a new milestone, becoming the school’s all-time leader in single-season touchdowns (13). The breakaway speed of Harrington and Parker Johnson has kept pressure on defensive backs all season long.
“We have guys with battle-tested varsity experience and more hunger than we did last year,” said Harrington, who has accumulated 900 receiving yards during his time at Cathedral.
“Coach (Sean) Doyle and staff have had us ready to go since Day 1.”
Harrington and Cathedral have been fueled by a desire to revive the program and simultaneously make up for lost time.
Last season, the team underachieved with a pedestrian start and a 4-8 overall record. That left a sour taste in the program’s mouth.
Beyond reloading, Cathedral’s augmented physicality on defense and various multi-tooled athletes now have the program chasing state title aspirations. And they aren’t far-fetched.
Harrington’s ability to reel in passes via tight windows and deliver in traffic in the red zone has garnered plaudits this fall. He was recently featured in Paul Rudy’s podcast, where his ball-tracking acumen was likened to that of an outfielder.
Fitting.
Even amid his commitment to Stanford for baseball, the high-academic Harrington has football programs vying for his services.
He was offered by Washington State prior to the 2024 campaign.
Utah has now become involved. Several Ivy and Patriot League schools have been in persistent pursuit since his sophomore year. Harrington recently wrapped up an unofficial visit to Stanford, where he could ultimately decide to play both sports.
While he’s been on the national radar for baseball for a while now, Harrington said football has become a vital component of his livelihood.
While most athletes focus on one sport after making a verbal pledge, Harrington has been a central figure in Cathedral’s postseason power surge.
“I think football presents life lessons like no other sport,” said Harrington, a back-to-back Honor Bowl Game MVP his sophomore and junior year.
“I found my passion for it last year and haven’t regretted sticking to it.”
Given his breakout campaign and translatable attributes, SEC, ACC, and Big Ten programs have all been in contact with the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Harrington.
A San Diego native, Harrington has not ruled out the possibility of playing both sports in college. He’s spoken with coaches at Stanford, as the baseball program has advocated for him to play both.
Harrington could be on the trajectory to become one of the first multi-sport high-major athletes in recent memory.
He would join an elite society that includes the likes of Donovan McNabb (basketball and football at Syracuse), Nate Robinson (basketball and football at Washington), Jameis Winston (baseball and football at Florida State), Deion Sanders (football, baseball, and track and field at Florida State), John Elway (football and baseball, Stanford), John Lynch (football and baseball, Stanford), and others.