Marco Lee, Kylan Draper play roles of heroes in Hardaway victory

In Hardaway junior Kylan Draper’s mind, he was just doing his job with about four minutes to go in the second quarter of the Hawks’ game against Harris County Saturday.

Draper was the long snapper on a Hawks punt, and after he launched the ball between his legs he took off toward the Tigers punt returner. Draper got to the Harris County player just in time for it to bounce off the Tiger, landing in perfect position for Draper to pounce.

Draper recovered the muffed punt in what was a big night for he and the Hardaway defense. Draper had two fumble recoveries that led to seven points for Hardaway (1-1) and helped the Hawks go plus-two in the turnover margin of a 20-15 victory.

“It was a really big win,” Draper said. “We had a close game with Harris County last year [The Hawks won 20-17]. We came in head strong. I owe every bit of our defense and our win to our coaches.”

Draper was part of a Hawks defense that held its own against Harris County (1-1), which put up 46 points against Carver one week ago. Draper’s recoveries along with an interception by Jakhari Thomas deep in Hawks territory went a long way on an evening when the Hawks defense never broke and rarely even bent.

“The defense bowed their necks when they had to and did a great job,” Hardaway head coach Michael Woolridge said. “To give up 15 points to a group that just beat Carver and scored 40-something points, that’s unbelievable.”

Of course, the defense’s stands and takeaways only meant so much if the offense didn’t make the most of it. Luckily for the sake of Draper and Co., they had senior running back Marco Lee on their side.

Lee once again carried the load for the Hawks at running back, taking 31 carries for 166 yards and one touchdown. Along with his 6-yard touchdown run with 1:15 left before halftime, Lee took 15 carries on the Hawks’ last two drives as Hardaway drained the clock to secure the win.

Though he was undoubtedly drained from the long night, Lee said he relishes the role of finisher.

“It’s a lot on my back, but I like that,” Lee said.

Lee’s runs toward the end sealed a victory featuring some big scores from three Hawks. Along with Lee’s ground touchdown, quarterback Dominique Ford’s had a one-yard run midway through the second quarter and added a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jon Stephens midway through the third.

Lee’s lone score came exactly one play after Draper secured a fumble on the Harris County 6-yard line. Draper said he could see the end zone just a few feet away, but with the ensuing group of players charging after the loose football, Draper’s would-be touchdown was just not meant to be.

Lee complimented the outing from Draper and the rest of the Hawks defense, saying they came through when they needed to. Though they might have never been on the field at the same time, there’s no denying that without the efforts of Lee and Draper, the Hawks would have been hard pressed to walk away winners.

“This win means everything to us,” Draper said.

This story was originally published August 26, 2017 at 11:59 PM with the headline "Marco Lee, Kylan Draper play roles of heroes in Hardaway victory."