Midland Lee football coach Clint Hartman likes his team’s chances in its upcoming tug-of-war against Haltom in the 2018 Football Conference 6A Division 2 Tournament.
“We know something’s got to give,” Hartman told Texas Scorecard. “They like to run the ball and we’ve been good at stopping the run all season. I feel like if we take care of all things Midland Lee, everything will be fine.”
With the Rebels (9-2) having held opponents under 20 points in five of 11 games this season and allowed just one rusher to eclipse 100 yards, Hartman has cause for optimism.
Lee’s defense is anchored by junior safety Carl Taylor, who has a team-leading eight interceptions, and senior linebacker Isaiah Harvey, who boastfully lays claim to being the team’s fastest sprinter.
“He’s an extremely explosive and guy and quite frankly not many people run past him out there,” Hartman added of his 6-foot, 190-pound star who has been clocked in the 100-yard dash at 10.82.
“They come in with two guys who’ve rushed for over 1,000 yards this season, so we’ll need everything those two guys and all our other guys can give us to slow them down,” Hartman added.
In all, Harvey registered 52 tackles for the Rebels this season, while, in addition to his work on defense, Taylor also has two punt returns and two kickoff returns for touchdowns.
“They both are naturally-gifted guys who also work hard and do all they can to be better,” said Hartman, noting that others have started to take notice.
In the case of Harvey, UTEP has offered him a preferred walk-on post and, by Hartman’s estimate, Taylor has at least 20 scholarship offers, including overtures from Texas A&M and Texas Tech.
“They’ve got bright futures, but right now all any of us are focused on is doing what we need to do this week,” Hartman added.
