Hardaway offense rolls right along in blowout victory over Shaw

Leading up to Hardaway’s season finale, quarterback Dominique Ford told the team’s seniors he would get them a win to end their careers. Thanks to Ford and several of his teammates, the Hawks made that wishful thinking a reality.

Ford was a driving force offensively in the Hawks’ 34-0 victory over Shaw. Ford’s two touchdown passes coupled with three rushing touchdowns by three different ball carriers gave Hardaway (4-6, 3-4) all it needed and left the Raiders (1-9, 0-7) reeling.

“I want to thank my offensive line,” said Ford, who was 11-of-16 passing for 132 yards and two touchdowns. “It was a great o-line, the best I’ve ever had. We had great coaching and amazing teammates. I was able to make plays and get the ball to guys. I’m really thankful for all the seniors we had.”

Jaron Early made the most of his first carry of the game, taking it straight up the middle on a 16-yard touchdown run that made it 7-0 Hawks with 2:15 to go in the opening quarter. Marco Lee followed with eight minutes left before halftime, sidestepping a few Shaw defenders on a 27-yard touchdown run.

Lee ended the night with 20 carries for 115 yards and one score. His performance left him with 1,570 rushing yards in his senior season.

Caden Mitchell became the third Hawk with a rushing touchdown thanks to his 3-yard run with 3:10 to go in the second quarter. Ford added the Hawks’ last points of the first half, firing a pass to Jakhari Thomas for a 41-yard pitch-and-catch with just 21 seconds left before the quarter’s end.

Ford said he told Thomas to adjust his route when the team huddled before the snap. As the play developed, Ford saw the senior was in position to make something happen.

“When I let it go, I just knew it was a touchdown,” Ford said.

Ford added another touchdown with a third-quarter throw to Jon Stephens, who weaved his way through the defense for a 15-yard score.

Hardaway entered the game with playoff hopes that were dashed when Columbus fell to Cairo 45-7. Hawks head coach Michael Woolridge was realistic about his team’s slim chances of making the postseason, which led to the offense operating with 2018 in mind.

“Next year, we’re going to have to pass a little bit more with Marco leaving,” Woolridge said. “Marco was an in-between-the-tackles back, so we’re transitioning to Jaron, who’s an outside, stretch runner. We’re going to open up a little bit more.”

Based on Friday night alone, the outlook is promising.

Woolridge is losing his top running back and several other contributors, but he was very optimistic about the coming season. He said the early portion of the Hawks’ schedule will be favorable, and the returning talent shows potential. He said his players will concentrate a great deal on finishing games, which was a constant issue this fall.

Ford also sees plenty of promise on the horizon for what will be his senior year.

“We’ve lost a little bit, but we’re going to gain, too,” Ford said. “I feel like we’ll have an upcoming running back, and we’ve got more offensive line coming. I really have faith in my team.”

This story was originally published November 3, 2017 at 9:52 PM with the headline "Hardaway offense rolls right along in blowout victory over Shaw."