Well sports fans, it's SUPER BOWL SUNDAY ... the unofficial national holiday where the NFL crowns its champion. Fortunately for Hobart fans, the week leading up to today was SUPER for the Brickies!! Some excitement on the basketball court, a wrestling semi-state that saw TWWWOOOOOOOOOOO Brickies advance to the state finals and an incredible performance for one Lady Brickie in Indianapolis on the diving board!

I'm certain that most of us will be glued to the television to see whether the Chiefs or the Eagles will emerge victorious in SUPER BOWL 57.

Right now, let's glue our eyes to a different screen ... it's time for BricksCenter!

On Saturday, 224 wrestlers representing 52 different schools descended upon East Chicago High School and the John Baratto Center for the IHSAA Wrestling SEMI STATE competition! All 9 Brickies in attendance would be put to the test against the best around to see who was left standing with their hand raised. Each weight class had 16 competitors. The top 4 individuals in each class advance to the STATE FINALS next weekend at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. In order to punch their ticket, a wrestler needed to win their first 2 matches on the day. Here we go!

The first round was MAGNIFICENT for the Brickies as 5 of our 9 were VICTORIOUS!! The "ticket round" was INTENSE. The Brickies ... as our boys have done all year ... wrestled with EVERYTHING they had! Hobart would end up with TWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOO VICTORIES in the 2nd round, which means we will have TWWOOOOOOOOOOOO wrestlers REPRESENTING H-TOWN @ STATE next weekend!

Here are their stories ...

At 113 lbs, sophomore Seth Aubin ... a 2022 STATE QUALIFIER ... DOMINATED his first round opponent with a 13-0 major decision to get to the ticket round. To punch his ticket, Seth was VICTORIOUS in an EDGE-OF-YOUR-SEAT THRILLER (just like his Regional Championship last weekend) 1-0 to secure his spot in the STATE FINALS!! He WON AGAIN in the semifinals 5-0 to advance to the title round!! In the championship, he squared off with another sophomore, Gavin Jendreas from Crown Point. After an exhilarating and exhausting day, Seth fell in the finals to finish 2nd, but WHAT AN EFFORT to set himself up for next weekend in INDY!!

At 170 lbs, senior Aidan Costello was like a WRECKING-BALL! After qualifying for state last year, Costello - as he has all post-season so far - looked like a man possessed on Saturday ... winning 7-2 in the 1st round and BY PIN in the 2nd to book his return trip to Indy ... and then WINNING AGAIN in the semifinals 3-0!! In the title match, Jake lost a heartbreaker to Crown Point senior Cody Goodwin 7-5 to finish 2nd. BACK-TO-BACK appearances @ STATE ... GREAT JOB AIDAN!!

Just sophomores, Seth & Aidan are now TWWOOOOOOOOO-time STATE QUALIFIERS!! WOW!!

Overall, Hobart placed 10th on the day as a team. Crown Point won the title in dominating fashion with 255 team points ... over 140 more than the 2nd place team, Mishawaka. Next weekend, the Brickies will take TWOOOOOOOOOO wrestlers to INDIANAPOLIS for the STATE FINALS!! DON'T STOP NOW BOYS!!

#BRICKRODE

Girls

Tuesday @ Mishawaka High School, senior Daeges Morgan made her 2nd consecutive trip to compete in the IHSAA Diving Regional! Daeges was one of just 20 student athletes to qualify coming from 5 different sectionals around the northern part of the state. Each competitor was guaranteed 8 dives ... the top 12 scores advanced to the finals for 3 more dives. In the finals, the top 8 scores advance to the STATE FINALS in Indianapolis. Daeges was simply FANTASTIC on Tuesday night!! Through the first 5 dives, she was in 2nd place!! After 8 dives, she was still in 4th!! If only she could hold on in the final 3 dives .....

... and SHE DID IT!!! DAEGES PLACED 8TH OVERALL TO QUALIFY FOR THE STATE FINALS!!!!

She is the FIRST girl diver to qualify for state since Julie Roskowski in 1989 - WOW!!! Back when Julie qualified, they took 53 divers to the state finals ... Daeges is one of just 32 to qualify in 2023!! Like I said ... FANTASTIC!!!

Saturday morning, competition began at 9AM down in Indy at the Indiana University Natatorium @ IUPUI. At STATE, all 32 qualifiers get 5 dives. From there, the top 20 scorers get 3 more ... and then only the top 16 advance to the finals. With this being Daeges's first trip to Indy, would she be able to seize the moment? YESSSSSSSSS!!!

After 5 dives ... 11th place & advanced!

After 8 dives ... 11th place & heading into the finals!!

Daeges was admittedly a little nervous on her very first dive of the day, but absolutely LET IT RIP after that! She was INCREDIBLE - showing the poise of a veteran diver and enjoying every moment of the experience!! Her final 3 dives matched her first 8 - MAGNIFICENT!!

Against the BEST OF THE BEST in this state, Daeges finished all 11 dives, scored 380.35 points, and placed 12th overall!!! She did a GREAT JOB representing herself, our school, and this city on the state's biggest stage!

Overall, Daeges was PHENOMENAL this winter! She set the Hobart Aquatic Center RECORD for 11-dives on her way to winning the Hobart Diving Invite, earned an NCC CHAMPIONSHIP, qualified for the Regional for the 2nd consecutive year, and advanced all the way to the STATE FINALS to place 12th!! Not too shabby for a kid that has only been diving for 2 years ... AMAZING!!

CONGRATULATIONS DAEGES ON ALL YOU'VE ACCOMPLISHED! WE ARE VERY PROUD OF YOU! Congratulations also goes out to Coach Katie Rinas for all you've done to help guide, teach, and mentor Daeges on this journey!

#LICENSETODIVE

#CHAIRMANOFTHEBOARD

Boys

The Brickies will travel to Valparaiso High School for the 2022 IHSAA Swimming & Diving Sectional THIS UPCOMING WEEK! Preliminary swimming takes place Thursday ... Diving prelims are Saturday morning ... and finals will take place Saturday afternoon!

GOOD LUCK GUYS!! WE BELIEVE IN YOU!!

#JUSTKEEPSWIMMING

The Lady Brickies had just one competition scheduled this past week - a Monday night trip to Portage to face off with the Indians and Lowell Red Devils. With senior Haylie Skripac out due to an illness, sophomore Elizabeth Crespo was the only Hobart gymnast competing on Monday ... and she did a GREAT JOB! Crespo was 8th on both the vault and balance beam against two of the better programs in NWI!!

Next Tuesday, Haylie & Elizabeth will celebrate Valentine's Day @ Lowell as they travel to Lowell to take on defending IHSAA State Champion Crown Point and the host Red Devils. GOOD LUCK LADIES!!

#STICKIT

On Tuesday night, the Brickies were ROAD WARRIORS down in Cedar Lake as they squared off with future NCC opponent Hanover Central. The host Wildcats entered the contest with a record of 10-6 and scoring over 50 points per game, but the Hobart D-D-D-DEFENSE CAME TO PLAY!!! The Bricks clamped down on Hanover's motion offense and limited the hosts to just 7 first quarter points! After 8 minutes of play, Hobart led 15-7!! Over the next two quarters, the two teams played even and our boys entered the final period clinging to a 33-25 advantage. Hanover tried to mount a 4th quarter comeback, but each time they tried to claw their way back in it, the Brickies had an answer!! Hobart closed it out at the FT line and came home with an impressive 46-37 VICTORY!!! Junior guard Anthony Hnilo led all scorers with 15 points! Sophomore Felix Lopez also reached double-figures with 12 and senior Vonzell Strayhorne added 9 in the win!

Friday night, Hobart welcomed NCC rival Andrean to The Friendly City! In the first quarter, the Brickies picked up right where they left off on Tuesday with some STELLAR D-D-D-DEFENSE ... holding the 59ers to just 3 points and leading 9-3 after one stop!! The 2nd quarter went back-and-forth, but again it was the Brickies gaining the upper hand and taking a 19-11 advantage into the halftime locker room! Andrean came out firing in the 3rd, outscored our boys 20-12 and tied the game at 31-31 with just 8 minutes remaining. The '9ers eventually built a 7-point cushion at 38-31 before the Bricks mounted an INCREDIBLE COMEBACK fueled by back-to-back 3-pointers from Lopez and a finish at the basket by senior Keith Mullins to TIE THINGS UP @ 39-39 with 40 ticks left!! Andrean would not score on their final possession of regulation and Hnilo missed a desperation heave from half-court as the buzzer sounded .... which meant everyone in attendance got the BONUS PLAN - OVERTIME!!!

The 59ers opened the extra session with a 3 ... Hobart responded with a basket by Mullins to make it 42-41, but unfortunately that's as close as our boys would be the rest of the way. Andrean scored again on their next possession and made FTs down the stretch to win 50-43. A tough pill to swallow for sure, but each loss is a lesson for the young Brickies and this one will help us down the road. Mullins led the way for Hobart with a 16 point - 12 rebound performance. Lopez & Strayhorne also reached double figures with 10 points each in the loss.

Hobart is now 7-10 overall and 1-3 in NCC play. Next week is BIG for the Brickies with 3 games in 5 days. LET'S GO BOYS!!!

#RISETOTHEOCCASION

It was an EXCITING week @ HHS for seniors signing their letter of intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at the NEXT LEVEL! If you recall, a few weeks back, senior pole vaulter Cody Johnston signed at the University of Illiinois. This week, a few more Brickies signed on the dotted line!

Noah Miller will be continuing his career at Marian University! The Knights compete at the NAIA level and are members of the Crossroads League. Over the last few years, Noah was an ANCHOR on the Brickie D-D-D-DEFENSE, a 2-time First-Team All NCC selection, and a member of the 2020 IHSAA Class 4A State Finalist team!

Gavin Miller will be continuing his career at the University of Indianapolis! The Greyhounds compete at the NCAA Division II level and are members of the GLVC (Great Lakes Valley Conference). Much like his teammate Noah, Gavin has also played an integral role for the Brickie D-D-D-DEFENSE, been a 2-time Second-Team All NCC selection and a member of the 2020 IHSAA Class 4A State Finalist team! In the spring of 2022, Gavin also competed for Hobart at the IHSAA Track & Field STATE FINALS in the long jump and placed 13th overall!!

These guys have been great ambassadors of Brickie athletics and will no doubt continue to represent us well at the NEXT LEVEL!! CONGRATULATIONS GUYS! WE ARE VERY PROUD OF YOU!!

Stay tuned for more updates ... the Brickies have quite a few student athletes making future plans to keep playing!

#ALLMYLIFE

The 11th Annual SILENT NIGHT game will take place on Tuesday, February 21st when the Brickies host the Whiting Oilers!! Hobart is 5-5 all-time in Silent Night games ... Silent Night 2020 was cancelled due to COVID.

Here are some Silent Night QUICK FACTS:

- Students dressed in costume, pajamas or LOTS of Purple & Gold get in for $1

- Once varsity warm-ups begin, Brickie fans are seated & SILENT

- Hobart crowd GOES WILD when the Brickies score their 8th point

- Yohan's Army stands the rest of the game to cheer on the Brickies

- Students sing Silent Night in unison to end the game

#ALLISCALM

Our Blythe's Team Sports store has everything to keep you warm (and cool) while watching your Brickies compete this spring!

Shop for new Brickie fan gear at www.hobart.k12.in.us/spiritwear and enter code BTS25 (in all caps) for a 25% DISCOUNT ON ALL ITEMS.

The store will close on 2/26, and orders will be delivered in mid-March.

Orders may be shipped to your home or delivered to the HHS Athletic Office for pickup.

Thank you for supporting your Brickies!

#BRICKIEPRIDE

Monday

Track & Field - First Official Practice

Tuesday - HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Gymnastics @ Lowell

Boys Basketball @ Calumet

Wednesday

No Events Scheduled

Thursday

Boys Swimming @ IHSAA SECTIONAL PRELIMS (Hosted by Valparaiso High School)

Friday

Wrestling @ IHSAA STATE FINALS 1st Round (Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis)

Boys Basketball @ Highland *

Saturday

Wrestling @ IHSAA STATE FINALS (Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis)

Boys Swimming & Diving @ IHSAA SECTIONAL FINALS (Hosted by Valparaiso High School)

Boys Basketball @ Merrillville

* = NCC Opponent