Bulldogs’ tailback Cleveland Harding: ‘It’s my chance to show what I’m about’

Just a few years ago Cleveland Harding couldn’t envision being in this position: starting tailback for the Wilson Bulldogs.

He progressed through the program as a receiver. When he came to Gurski Stadium as a kid he was focused on guys such as wide receiver Brian Wright and the elite group of receivers he played with in 2016: Justin Weller, Mason McElroy and Foday Jalloh.

Sure, tailback Iggy Reynoso was on his way to a Berks rushing record but Harding — at 5-11, 175 pounds, he’s built more for basketball, where he’s a starting guard — was transfixed by the guys running down the field catching the ball.

“I would never have thought about starting at running back,” Harding, a senior, said as he looked ahead to Friday’s season-opener against Roman Catholic. “It feels amazing.”

Harding got all of four carries last season. He’s one of a number of Bulldogs whose exposure to Wilson football was restricted mostly to sideline duty.

Wilson will unleash 13 first-time starters against a Roman Catholic team littered with blue chip prospects, such as Penn State recruit Jameial Lyons, considered by some the No. 1 defensive end in the state; wide receiver Tyseer Denmark, ranked the No 1 junior in the state; and Austin “Big House” Ramsey, an offensive lineman committed to Kentucky.

Whether or not the Cahilittes are ready for Wilson’s Big House — Gurski Stadium — and the Bulldogs’ winning ways is another question.

Good as Roman looks on paper, what with six returning Catholic League Red Division all-league picks, it won just three times last season and hasn’t had a winning record since 2012.

The Bulldogs? Well, you know all about them: They haven’t had a losing season since 1963, when the price of gas was 31 cents a gallon.

There’s not much question the Bulldogs will extend Pennsylvania’s longest active streak for consecutive winning seasons — they’re picked by most to take a third straight Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 title.

The question remains as to how soon they will come together and be in championship form, or at least cohesive enough to fend off an opponent rich with physical talent such as the Cahillites.

August football games, filled with equal parts anxiety and uncertainty, can be unpredictable.

“When you don’t have 10 or 12 games under your belt, it’s hard to say how they’re going to respond to the crowd and the noise and the adrenaline,” said Wilson coach Doug Dahms. “We have a lot of first-year starters that didn’t see a lot of playing time last year.”

Harding tops that list.

With horses such as Jadyn Jones and Gavin Lenart occupying the backfield last season there was no room, or need, for Harding’s skills. Now there is.

He watched Jones pound his way to 1,364 yards and quarterback Brad Hoffman slug it out for another 1,080 on the ground. They ran behind a big offensive line and ran over defenders.

That’s not Harding’s style. Like Cam Jones, a senior wide receiver who will also figure prominently in the running game, he’ll make ’em miss. If given a seam he’ll dash through it and head for daylight.

He watched and listened a year ago and did “a lot of mental reps” to prepare for this chance.

“He’s got deceptive speed, and he’s got good hands as a receiver,” Dahms said of Harding, “so he gives us some versatility there. He’s too skinny for my taste, but it allows him to squeeze through some cracks.”

When Jones and the other senior running backs walked across the graduation stage last June no one was cheering harder than Harding.

“Now,” he thought to himself, “it’s my chance to show what I’m about.”

That’ll be the case for quarterbacks Adam Woods and Tommy Hunsicker, a pair of juniors who have been battling it out for the starting spot all spring and summer.

Dahms was hoping to name a starter heading into the opener but each performed well enough throughout camp and in last week’s scrimmage against Coatesville that they’ll open the season sharing the job.

“They’re both doing nice things,” he said. “No one’s emerging as better than the other. They’re both gonna play. They’ll both have packages in. We’ll see who has the hot hand.”

Hunsicker, at 6-3, 185, is bigger and possesses a stronger throwing arm, Dahms said. Woods is 5-10, 150, but has better timing on passing plays, Dahms said.

So they’ll be used interchangeably, depending on game situation and how things play out.

It’s an unusual situation for the Bulldogs. They haven’t had a job-sharing situation at quarterback since 2016 when Connor Uhrig and Grayson Kline battled it out all season. Each was injured at some point and the other took over. By season’s end Uhrig secured the position as the Bulldogs won the District 3 Class 6A championship.

A year later Kline transferred to Warwick and earned a spot at Penn State; Uhrig ended up as the No. 4 passer in Wilson history.

Dahms has been through season-long quarterback shuffles before and hasn’t enjoyed it. Still, this situation has its plusses. The Bulldogs will have depth at the position and both Hunsicker and Woods can be utilized on defense as well as at quarterback.

“You’d always rather have a (clear) No. 1, because he’s going to get more reps, and he’s going to progress at a faster pace,” he said. “At the same time, we have the freedom to use these guys on special teams, on defense, because you’re comfortable with where you are offensively.”