Catching a football from a different quarterback, running routes on a new field and making new friends were not the things that bothered Delane Hart about switching schools three times in three years. It was the early mornings.
“It was a smooth transition,” said Hart, a wide receiver at Martin Luther King High School. “I just have to wake up a little earlier and travel a little further. The people here have treated me good and I knew most of the players already from playing at Germantown. So, it wasn’t hard.”
Changing schools or teams can prove difficult to a young person. But Hart has excelled through each of the moves. Despite only playing as a full-time receiver for two years, the 6’3” senior now holds the record for career receiving yards in the Public League with 1,597 yards on 81 catches.
Hart started his high school career at Dobbins Career and Technical Education High School, where he played quarterback during his freshman and sophomore years. But academic struggles at Dobbins forced Hart to transfer to Germantown High School, where he began playing for coach Ed Dunn. Hart moved to wide receiver and finished with 778 receiving yards, good enough for third all-time for single season yards in the public league.
“He’s a big, strong receiver who can go up with anybody,” said Dunn. “He has great ball skills and a strong desire to win. Even with his size, he’s a excellent route runner and his hands are tremendous.”
When Germantown closed at the end of his junior year, Hart and several of his teammates followed Dunn to MLK after Dunn accepted the head coaching position.
But changing jerseys and even traveling a bit further in the morning didn’t slow Hart down. With two regular season games left in the 2013 season, Hart already has 738 yards and time to put more distance between him and second place on the all-time list.
“He was able to have a fresh slate and since he has been at Germantown and King,” said Dunn. “He has been an excellent student and he has bloomed and blossomed here as a player.”
Colleges have taken notice of his success and Hart holds scholarship offers from Eastern Michigan, Delaware, Stony Brook, Old Dominion, Buffalo and Tulane.
“Hopefully that number will grow once schools see his senior tape,” Dunn said.
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