It was sometime while I was watching the night sky become a flickering strobe last week that my phone buzzed with the first message. While I was waiting for the lightning to pass so high school football games in our area finally could kick off, a parent texted to say McCallie’s talented defensive lineman Jay Hardy had been injured and it didn’t look good.
Defensive linemen like Hardy, a four-star prospect and one of the state’s top overall recruits, often get knees or ankles banged into during the course of a game because they’re typically close enough to the pile of bodies at the line of scrimmage to be in harm’s way. It’s unfortunate, but it happens.
But after watching video of the way Hardy suffered the MCL injury that will sideline him for 4-6 weeks – beginning with Friday night’s rivalry showdown at Baylor – I felt sick to my stomach. And not just for Hardy’s sake.
Early in the second half, on an extra-point attempt with Hardy lined up on the right side, West Forsyth sophomore Oscar Delp, rushing from the edge, took three quick steps before planting both feet and diving low into Hardy’s right knee.
He made no attempt to make a play on the ball or engage Hardy at the line. It was clear that Delp maliciously dove into Hardy’s knee with intent to injure his opponent, and after Hardy’s right knee buckled on impact, he limped to the sideline. An official threw a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct but did not eject Delp, who later was allowed to re-enter the game by Wolverines coaches.