Former Lawrence County running back Ahmad Hardy had a decorated career carrying the ball for the Cougars as he was named The 2023 Daily Leader All-Area MVP to cap his career in Monticello.

On Thursday in Monroe, Hardy was impressive in his college debut for the University of Louisiana-Monroe. Hardy led the Warhawks with 103 yards on the ground in a 30-14 win over Jackson State.

With first year head coach Bryan Vincent bringing in transfers up and down the roster to improve the talent in Monroe, the true freshman Hardy battled in pre-season camp to earn the carries he received on Thursday.

“Coach V told us to keep the same mentality,” said Hardy in a release from the school. “I fought for my spot just like everyone fought for their spot. I just had to do my job and learn from my mistakes. We kept going and got the job done to get the win.”

The game was delayed by stormy weather for two hours. When play did start, Hardy broke off a 39-yard run on the first ULM snap.

It was a rushing touchdown from Hardy at the conclusion of the second quarter that put ULM up 14-7 at halftime.

JSU tied the game at 14-14 in the third quarter, but the Warhawks went back up again just four minutes later and salted the win away in the fourth quarter with 10 more points.

ULM also got a strong effort from two Copiah-Lincoln alums on the defensive side of the ball in Billy Pullen and Kevontay Wells. Pullen, a linebacker, finished with four tackles and tallied one sack for a nine-yard loss. Wells, a defensive lineman, finished with four tackles and was credited with 1.5 tackles for a loss.