Hadley a mainstay on UIndy offensive line

<p><strong>T</strong>he numbers that matter most to University of Indianapolis lineman Clay Hadley are the ones on the scoreboard at the end of a game.</p><p>All the same, the sophomore is quietly assembling some of his own.</p><p>The 12th-ranked Greyhounds’ NCAA Division II playoff game today at Ouachita Baptist in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, is Hadley’s 24th consecutive start at right tackle. It continues a streak of dependability that dates back to his playing days at Center Grove.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]<p>Hadley was a three-year starter at left tackle for the Trojans. He never missed a practice or game, according to coach Eric Moore.</p><p>“It’s a testament to my work ethic and doing all the little things right,” Hadley said. “Getting the technique down, knowing the offense and getting the steps down. People think offensive linemen are just the big guys who take the beating, but there’s a lot more to it.”</p><p>The ’Hounds average 435 yards of offense per game, with 58 percent attributed to a rushing attack led by a pair of 5-foot-9 running backs in sophomore Al McKeller and freshman Toriano Clinton.</p><p>Emphasizing the ground game suits Hadley. He helped the Trojans ride their wing-T attack to a 35-6 record, two trips to the Class 6A state championship game and an undefeated title season in 2015.</p><p>The transition from the left to right side took some minor adjusting, but Hadley quickly adapted after arriving for preseason practices in the summer of 2017. He went from promising prospect to starter the instant Kyle Ball, the projected starting right tackle, tore his ACL in practice.</p><p>Hadley has been as constant as the team’s uniform colors ever since.</p><p>“Clay has been the model citizen. There are certain guys you can count on, and he’s one of them. He’s steady Eddie,” said UIndy coach Bob Bartolomeo, who has led the Greyhounds to five postseason appearances in nine years. “We use his name a lot in staff meetings as in, ‘Why can’t he be like Clay?’</p><p>“He’s improved his game tremendously and is on the ascending track, as they say.”</p><p>Hadley weighed 255 pounds a year ago, which is light by college football standards for an offensive lineman. Despite not having the body mass as some older teammates, he was named to the all-Great Lakes Valley Conference first team and was his team’s co-Most Valuable Offensive Freshman of the Year.</p><p>In the offseason, Hadley combined workouts with food consumption — “I really just had to eat all the time, even when I wasn’t hungry,” he said — to add 25 pounds to his 6-foot frame.</p><p>“The weight really helps so not to get thrown around. This season there’s been a minimum of that,” he said.</p><p>Fourth-ranked Ouachita Baptist enters the game undefeated in 11 games. The Tigers have limited opponents to 10 or fewer points on seven occasions and sacked the quarterback 20 times. Senior defensive back Airric Parker leads the way with 66 tackles.</p><p>“They have a four-man front,” Bartolomeo said. “(Hadley) will have his hands full just like he did last week (a 38-27 first-round playoff victory over No. 19 Fort Hays State).”</p><p>Big hands. Strong hands. Trustworthy hands.</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="If you go" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p><p><strong>NCAA Division II playoffs</strong></p><p><p><strong>Second round</strong></p><p>University of Indianapolis (10-1) at Ouachita Baptist</p><p>Where: Arkadelphia, Arkansas</p><p>When: 2 p.m.</p><p>Webcast: <a href="http://livestream.com/obu/events/8461684">livestream.com/obu/events/8461684</a></p>[sc:pullout-text-end]