Penn Hills’ Hardy counting down to promising ’18 campaign

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, July 3, 2018 | 5:51 PM

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The Tribune-Review and the TribLive High School Sports Network are profiling each member of the 25-player Trib HSSN Preseason WPIAL Football All-Star team.

The players will be recognized at 2 p.m. July 24 during HSSN Media Day at Kennywood Park.

Daequan Hardy is ready for the 2018 season.

“Fifty-three days,” the Penn Hills rising senior wide receiver and defensive back said Monday.

“I have a countdown going.”

Penn Hills opens with a Week Zero matchup at Steubenville (Ohio).

Hardy is one of a number of key returnees for the Indians, who will try to improve on last year’s results. They finished 8-4 overall and 3-3 in the Northern Seven Conference in Class 6A.

Penn Hills topped Bethel Park in the WPIAL quarterfinals before falling to Central Catholic in the semifinals.

“We built a winning chemistry last year, and I know we can continue that this season,” Hardy said. “We can go far. We just have to keep working together.”

Hardy, who has earned 12 Division I offers, recorded a team-best nine interceptions last year and garnered first-team all-conference recognition.

“Daequan’s always been a speed burner, but he’s working hard in the weight room to build his strength,” second-year Penn Hills coach Jon LeDonne said. “He has a smaller frame, but he’s put on five to 10 pounds of muscle this offseason, so far. He’s just an overall fundamentally sound player skill-wise and technique-wise.”

Hardy said he hopes to increase his tackling totals and be more of a force in the run defense.

“I hope I can be a big hitter on defense,” Hardy said.

Hardy last year also emerged as one of the team’s leading targets for quarterback Hollis Mathis. His 783 receiving yards led the team in a 1-2 pass-catching punch with fellow rising senior Dante Cephas (36 catches, 767 yards, 13 touchdowns).

“Early in the season, we weren’t counting on Daequan as much to give us valuable reps on offense,” LeDonne said. “But between injuries and other factors, he really stepped up.”

Hardy fared well at Pitt’s camp a couple of weeks ago and hopes to increase his visibility at a few more camps before preseason practice begins Aug. 13. His latest Division I offer came from Ohio on May 16.

Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Mlove_Trib.