MONTICELLO – Wayne Hardy will tell you quickly how much heenjoys playing on both sides of the football, either offense ordefense. The Lawrence County senior had a career game on offenseFriday night, leading the Cougars to a 55-34 victory over the MageeTrojans.

Hardy (6-1, 215, sr.) rushed 12 times for 235 yards and 4touchdowns. That performance has earned him The Daily Leader’sOffensive Player of the Week honor for the third week of the 2001campaign.

“I like running the ball as much as I like playinglinebacker,” said Hardy, breaking into a broad smile. He madeseveral tackles and blocked a Magee punt as the Cougars avengedlast year’s loss to the 2000 Class 3A state champions.

“Magee beat us so bad last year, it really felt good to beatthem,” said Hardy. “I was surprised. I thought the game would becloser.”

Many of Hardy’s yards came on off-tackle leads. Histouchdowns were accomplished on runs of 1, 31, 42 and 65 yards. Thelongest came in the second half.

“My offensive line was awesome,” said Hardy. He ticked offthe names of center Philip Campbell, guards Derrick Horton andJohnathan Smith, tackles Rodney Keys and Cory Williams and tightends Luke Thames and Anthony Evans.

Physically, Hardy is blessed. He bench presses 300 pounds,squats with 520. He runs the 40 in 4.5 seconds and has scored 18 onhis ACT. He maintains a B-average in the classroom and his favoritesubject is math.

Obviously, Hardy has made the priority recruiting list ofseveral major colleges, among them Southern Miss, Auburn, LSU andTennessee State.

“I want to weigh my options after the season,” saidHardy.

Lawrence County head coach Trent Hammond had nothing butpraise for Hardy.

“Wayne is a warrior. He is a true football player. He playsthrough injuries and being tired. He gives 100 percent all of thetime.”

After losing their season opener at Collins, the Cougarshave won two straight. They face their biggest game of the seasonFriday night, hosting the McComb Tigers. McComb (1-2, 0-0) is thedefending Class 4A state champion and a favorite in the Region 6-4Arace.

“I’ve heard a lot about the McComb defense but I don’t thinkwe’ll have a problem with them,” said Hardy. “Our offense anddefense will step up for this game.”

Hardy said he has seen steady improvement in the Cougars.”We’ve come a long way since the first game. We want to get betterevery week. We have our mind on one game at a time.”

In his spare time, Hardy said he enjoys following theSouthern Miss Golden Eagles. In the NFL, Hardy likes the TennesseeTitans, especially Steve McNair and Jevon Kerse.