Olympia football, community tackling bigger purpose for Hardimon in playoffs
STANFORD — The playoffs mean more than just football for Olympia and the surrounding community.
It was a shock to the Olympia football team when star running back Brendon Hardimon told the team at a team meal of his diagnosis of bone cancer.
As Olympia football prepared for their battle with Columbia, Hardimon had been preparing his own battle. He won’t be fighting alone as he has the support of the entire Olympia community.
Olympia-themed T-shirts saying “Tackle Cancer” have been a big contributor in the financial support the Hardimon family has received. The demand has been through the roof, according to shirt designer, Amy Stork.
“I thought maybe we’d get a couple hundred, it’s close to 600 in one week,” Stork said.
But the support hasn’t just come from the Olympia community. Other schools in the area, especially those in the Sangamo Conference, have also poured in.
“Last week, every school in our conference had a donation bucket at their gates,” Stork said. “Other schools in our area have been collecting as well. Families donated hogs and there were raffles for that.”
Hardimon is a dynamic football player for the Spartans and one of the top athletes in the area. Last season, he rushed for over 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns and has also played at receiver, quarterback and defensive back.
In five games this season, Hardimon averaged 9.7 yards per carry, ran for three touchdowns and passed for another.
“Brendon’s a great leader for our team, he’s a great kid,” Olympia head coach Eric Lyons said. “I had no doubt that we would rally behind him.”
“I do it for him, I know all of us do it for him,” Olympia running back Jimmy Lollar said. “He has our back and we have his.”
Hardimon’s leadership also extends beyond the football field.
“I help out with the Wednesday meals when we feed the team, he’s one of the first kids to say thank you,” Stork said. “He’s always been such a nice kid.”
Hosting a playoff game meant a lot to Olympia, and winning for Hardimon meant even more.
The Spartans hosted a 2-7 Columbia team that kept things close in the first half before Olympia ran away in the second stanza to win 56-28 and advance to a Class 3A first round playoff game against Monticello.
After both teams traded touchdowns in a 21-21 start to the game, Olympia found itself in a footrace at home. With a late first half score, and receiving the ball back at half, the Spartans saw their opportunity.
In what felt like a blink of an eye, Olympia was up 42-21 less than five minutes into the third quarter.
“We didn’t care that they were 2-7, we saw what we saw on film,” Lyons said. “I tell the kids every week that the opponent is not Columbia, the opponent is us and we gotta find a way to not beat us.”
Olympia played fast paced football all night, with its slowest touchdown drive being just six plays. Multiple one, two, and three-play touchdown drives for Olympia saw Columbia falling behind, with their touchdown drives that frequently lasted 10 or more plays.
Lollar led the way for Olympia with 159 yards and four touchdowns while Kaden Collins added 89 yards and three touchdowns, scoring on all three of his carries. Quarterback Ty Olson ran for 65 yards and threw for 135 yards and a 69-yard touchdown pass to Rhett Alexander.
But the biggest play of the night came at the very end.
Hardimon came in for the final snaps to ice the playoff victory in front of the home crowd. And his kneel-downs caused the largest crowd pops of the night.
The Spartans hope to see Hardimon back on the field for more victory formations as they continue to battle for their beloved senior.
“It’s not that we want to just win playoff games,” Collins said. “We want to do something special for him: make sure he gets that last knee every game.”
For more on how to support Hardimon and Olympia football, visit the Olympia Spartans Football Facebook page.
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