Zack Hodges

Zack Hodges’ last football game for Independence High came on the September day in 2008 when he buried his mother.

Hodges, his coaches and several dozen of his teammates attended the afternoon funeral for Barbara Wright, who died at 48 after a massive stroke. Then Hodges played alongside them that night against West Charlotte, making three and a half tackles in the 49-3 win.

“Me and my mom, we gave up a lot for this,” he said then.

Football had always been a source of strength and escape for Hodges, who had faced previous tragedy.

Hodges’ father, a professional boxer, died when he was 1. His grandfather, who became a positive influence, passed away when Hodges was 14. And for a few stretches when Hodges was a teenager, he and his mother had nowhere to live in Charlotte.

But none of those obstacles hit as hard as his mother’s death, which left him without the person he loved, facing an uncertain future with no immediate family to turn to.

Now, six years later, he’s looking forward to the NFL draft after a successful football career at Harvard. He’s projected as a mid- to late-round prospect and said he’ll think of his mom when he hears his named called. Hodges said getting drafted will be just another step in his journey.

“There is no finish line. That’s what I learned with all the experiences me and my mom went through,” Hodges said. “My mom gave me everything. All the ups and downs that me and my mom went through, there was no finish line.

“It’ll be a great moment. I expect it to be. ... But I don’t want to take away from that moment and make it the summation of it all. Because it’s part of the whole story, the whole journey.”