Ex-BHS Star Hardesty Heads To BC

The Daily News-Record | By Matthew Stoss

After a year away, Seth Hardesty is returning to the Valley.

Hardesty, who graduated from Broadway High School in 2006, is coming back to play football for Division III Bridgewater College after redshirting his freshman year at Division II Shippensburg University.

“There’s nothing bad going on,” Hardesty said by phone Wednesday night from Shippensburg, Pa. “It’s just a matter of what I want to do.”

Hardesty said he made the decision over the winter break and just finished his paperwork to become a Bridgewater student – including his admissions deposit, the Division III equivalent of a letter of intent, which he said he sent Tuesday.

Under NCAA rules, BC coach Michael Clark is prohibited from publicly commenting on Hardesty until the admissions deposit clears.

“I should be an official student there by now – at least I would hope so,” the 6-foot, 205-pound fullback said. “It should just be a matter of paperwork and ending my credits here in good standing, but that’s not going to be a problem.”

Hardesty said Bridgewater, which finished 8-2 last season and missed the playoffs for the first time in six years, recruited him out of high school along with Hampden-Sydney, Shenandoah and Elon. He said one of the reasons he chose Shippensburg, which went 5-6 last year, was its wing-T offense – an offense Hardesty was familiar with at Broadway.

But after a season, Hardesty said the Red Raiders’ wing-T didn’t fit him as well as he would have liked. If he had stayed, he expected to be switched to outside linebacker or halfback.

“I had Bridgewater on my mind,” Hardesty said. “I was pretty set on what they did at Bridgewater. I knew I would fit into their offense.”

Hardesty was the Valley District’s leading rusher in 2006, running for 1,771 yards and 17 touchdowns in his only season as the Gobblers’ starting tailback.