Penn Hills notebook: Daequan Hardy enters NFL Draft, earns spots in East-West Shrine Bowl

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, January 21, 2024 | 11:01 AM

Penn Hills graduate Daequan Hardy didn’t have many offers from big-name FBS schools until his virtuoso performance in the 2018 PIAA Class 5A state championship game.

Regarding his professional aspirations, Hardy has been trying to best position himself to get to the National Football League. Hardy recently told Penn State he would forgo his last year of eligibility to enter the NFL Draft and was accepted to play in the 2024 East-West Shrine Bowl.

The Shrine Bowl will be held Feb. 1 at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas.

Hardy returned 17 punts this season for Penn State, taking two back for touchdowns. He averaged 14.6 yards per return.

Hardy also intercepted two passes for Penn State, returning them 34 yards. The Nittany Lions finished this past season 10-3 and made the Peach Bowl. Hardy played in that game despite declaring his intentions to leave for the draft.

Hardy finished with 340 all-purpose yards and three interceptions during a win over Manheim Central in the PIAA title game for Penn Hills.

Dugger heads south

In the transfer portal, Jaden Dugger became another Penn Hills football player who found a new home. Dugger recently committed to play at the University of Louisiana. Dugger had a strong year at safety for Georgetown and was named second-team All-Patriot League.

He finished with 43 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions for the Hoyas this season.

Cephas hits portal

Dante Cephas will be coming back for a sixth year of college football. After playing his first four seasons at Kent State, Cephas spent last year with Penn State. Cephas finished with 246 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Cephas’ best season came in 2021 when he finished with 1,240 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Cephas hasn’t committed to a school yet.

Big win

The Penn Hills girls basketball team picked up a narrow home win over Kiski Area on Jan. 17. Penn Hills edged out the Cavaliers, 45-43, at home.

The win moved the Indians into a tie for third place in the section with Woodland Hills and Franklin Regional. Penn Hills is averaging 45 points per game.

McIntyre starts strong

Mackenzie McIntyre had a solid first meet for Penn Hills at the Tri-State Track Coaches Association’s first meet of the season. McIntyre finished in second place in the 60-meter dash with a time of 8.07 seconds.

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