I don't know about you, but so far this spring, all I keep hearing in my head is the Eurythmics singing, "Here comes the rain again". I'm expecting a slew of May Flowers since April has given us plenty of showers! It's been crazy! The adventure of spring sports is REAL here in H-town, but the Brickies are staying the course and WORK WORK WORKing hard to be their best! This week ... in spite of the snow, rain, ice and even sunshine ... Hobart was in action all over the place! Baseball had a doubleheader, Softball had a game moved to PNW at the last minute, Boys Golf played by winter rules, Girls Tennis attempted to compete on wet courts, and Track & Field saw HISTORY on Saturday! WHAT A WEEK!!

Hopefully motivational speaker Matt Foley can give us some help ... it's time for BricksCenter!

What a week for the Lady Brickies. Five games in five days ... two teams atop the NCC standings ... two more teams that are ranked in the state AP polls ... quite a grind to say the least. Not to mention the week started with snow, rained every other day and ended with 80 degrees & sunny - it's safe to say Hobart had to overcome a little bit of everything over the last 6 days to play. By week's end, our girls were SHINING!

On Tuesday, the Lady Brickies were at Munster. It was cold, it was windy ... it was a GREAT GAME! Hobart struck first with 2 runs in the first 2 innings ... the Lady Stangs responded with 2 in the 3rd to tie it up. Each squad added a run in the 4th & 5th to keep things all tied up at 3. Hobart scored again in the 7th to go up 4-3, but Munster had another answer and sent the game to extra innings with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Unfortunately, in the 8th, it was Munster who managed to score and the Lady Bricks lost a tough one 5-4. Sophomore Keirys Click and freshman Taylor Lopez each registered 2 hits for Hobart. Click, junior Alyssa Janik and freshman Emili Knestrict all had RBIs in the loss.

Wednesday, Hebron visited The Friendly City for a non-conference game. The Lady Hawks brought one of the area's best pitchers and a an undefeated record (7-0) with them. Hobart got hits from Janik, seniors Sydney Belk & Lindsey Schallenkamp, and Knestrict, but could not get any runners across home plate and lost another tough one to a good team 3-0. Sophomore Ella Hornak struck out 9 batters in the circle.

On Thursday, the Lady Brickies were scheduled to host NCC-leader Lowell, but rains on Wednesday night caused some very poor field conditions. So ... the game was moved to PNW to allow our girls to play on the nicest night of the week! Unfortunately, the Lady Red Devils brought their "A" game and shut down the Hobart attack ... ultimately winning 11-1 in 5 innings. One of the highlights was Hornak, who belted a triple off the top of the left-field wall that bounced back onto the field as opposed to over the fence for a homerun.

Friday included a trip to DeMotte to square off against the Kougars of KV - ranked #11 in the Class 3A pool. After falling behind 2-0 early, our girls responded with 4 runs in the 2nd inning to take the lead! KV answered with 4 of their own in the 3rd and went on to win the NCC contest 7-4. Belk went 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs and a stolen base in the loss.

On Saturday, the Lady Brickies were scheduled to play a doubleheader, but once again - thunderstorms on Friday night caused some poor field conditions. Unfortunately, the 10am game against Morgan Twp was postponed, but thanks to some fantastic help from our coaching staff, parents and even members of the baseball staff ... and of course some much needed sunshine ... the field was ready to go for a 1pm match-up against Class 2A #12-ranked Boone Grove. This was a FANTASTIC game! Each team was able to put up a run through the 1st 6 innings and the score was knotted at 1-1 going into the 7th. The Lady Brickie D-D-D-DEFENSE held the Wolves without a score and the Hobart offense did the rest - scoring a run in walk-off fashion to earn a very hard fought 2-1 VICTORY!!! Belk had 2 hits and Knestrict & classmate Indy Parkerson each had 1 to help our girls to a much needed win.

The Lady Brickies are now 4-8 on the year and 1-3 in NCC play. Of Hobart's 12 games, 5 have been against state-ranked foes and 3 of the 8 losses have been by just 1 run. Our girls are close to a break-through ... maybe Saturday's clutch WIN will be the trigger? LET'S GO LADIES!!!!

#WEBELIEVE

Through the season's 1st 3 weeks, the Brickies record was without a blemish at 8-0 overall. Week 4 raised the "challenge bar" as our boys faced the 2021 Regional Champion Munster Mustangs in an unusual doubleheader and then battled the weather and some tough DAC opponents as the week ended.

On Monday, Hobart was scheduled to host Munster, but the morning snow and icy rain that followed that evening caused a postponement. So ... the Brickies & Mustangs had a Two-For-Tuesday at Munster thanks to a turf field & lights over on Columbia Drive. In the 1st game, Brickie senior Ivan Balboa was MAGNIFICENT on the mound in holding the Mustang offense to a single run through 7 innings. Unfortunately, the Brickies faced an equally impressive pitcher from Munster and the teams headed into extra innings tied at 1. Hobart threatened to take the lead in the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings with runners in scoring position, but couldn't plate the go-ahead run and the Mustangs took advantage when they got it ... scoring on a game-winning single in the bottom half of the 8th.

After an emotional loss in game 1, our boys struggled to get much going in game 2. Munster, on the other hand, was riding high after their walk-off game 1 victory and rode that momentum to a convincing 12-2 win in the nightcap. Sophomore Jevan Andrews had 3 stolen bases and freshman Connor Stafford recorded a 2-run double in the loss.

On Friday night, the Bricks were scheduled to play at 2022 IHSAA Sectional host Valparaiso. After making the trip and getting the game underway, heavy thunderstorms and lightning in the area caused another postponement. At the time of the cancellation, Hobart led 1-0 in the bottom of the 2nd inning. A reschedule date has yet to be determined.

Saturday, an originally scheduled game for 11am was bumped back to noon to allow Mother Nature ... and the Brickie coaching staff ... a chance to get the field ready after Friday night's storms. Portage was the opponent on Saturday and the Indians came out swinging ... taking an 8-4 lead into the bottom of the 7th. Our boys never quit ... rallying for 2 runs to cut the Portage advantage in half before the Indians were able to finally put the game away. Hobart pounded out 12 hits by 8 different players on Saturday including doubles by Andrews, freshman Noah Ehrlich, sophomore Thomas Martin, and junior Kyle Feterick.

The Brickies are now 8-3 on the year and 2-2 in conference play. Hobart will be busy next week with 5 games in 5 days ... staring with a Monday night game against NCC leader Highland at The SteelYard - Home of the RailCats! DON'T STOP NOW BOYS!!

#FIELDOFDREAMS

The Lady Brickies tennis team had 3 matches schedule this past week, but two were cancelled due to weather. Still, the one that our girls played was AWESOME!

On Tuesday, Hobart traveled south to Lowell to square off with the Red Devils in NCC action. At #1 singles, senior Emma Novak completely dismantled her opponent and won convincingly 6-0, 6-0. At #2 doubles, the dynamic duo of senior Piper Logan & junior Maddy Baltrushaitis also won in straight sets, but needed a tie-breaker in the 1st set to secure the W. The Lady Brickies battled HARD at #2 singles & #1 doubles, but ultimately came up short ... which made the overall score 2-2 and #3 singles the deciding match-up. Freshman Gracie Krejci and her opponent went into a 3rd set after splitting the 1st two. In a back-and-forth final set, Gracie gained an advantage and WON 6-4 to give our girls the VICTORY 3-2!! WHAT A MATCH!!

Wednesday, the Lady Brickies were waiting to get on the bus when Merrillville called to cancel the match due to wet courts. Friday, our girls actually made it over to Boone Grove before lightning and rain forced another cancellation.

With the win in their lone contest of the week, Hobart is now 1-2 in dual matches and 3-3 overall ... including 1-0 in NCC play!! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK WORK WORK LADIES!!

#LOVETENNIS

Last week, the Brickies swung the wrenches well and finished 3rd at the Brickie Scramble. Over the last 6 days, our boys got to swing them a few more times as they opened up NCC play against rival Andrean and finished the week facing Illiana Christian.

On Monday, Hobart was scheduled to face Andrean, but due to inclement weather conditions, the match was moved to Tuesday. In the cold, Hobart & the '9ers played through. Sophomore Parker Glass led the Bricks with a 50 and senior Ethan Cover was right on his heels with a 52. Unfortunately, Andrean was hitting fairways & greens regularly and won the match 170-211.

Wednesday brought a trip to Palmira Golf & Country Club and a non-conference dual match against Illiana Christian. Those of you who've played Palmira know it's loooooooonngg and challenging ... still, our boys played TOUGH! Cover took top honors for Hobart with a 48 and sophomore Ben Eberle was next with a season-best 49!! Overall, the Brickies were just 3 strokes off of Tuesday's team score (214), but the Vikings game was strong on their home course and they shot a blistering 181 in the wind & cold to earn the win.

Hobart is currently 0-2 on the young season and 0-1 in NCC play. The Brickies are scheduled for 4 more rounds this upcoming week ... hopefully staying consistent and showing improvement each time out!! BE THE BALL GUYS!!

#NANANANANANANANA

The Brickie tracksters got after it this past week with road meets on both Tuesday and Saturday. Granted, the temps were polar opposites at each ... freezing cold on Tuesday and sunburn hot on Saturday ... but our kids BATTLED HARD and by week's end, we got to witness HISTORY!!

On Tuesday, both the boys & girls traveled to Munster to race the 'Stangs. The defending NCC champ Mustangs were impressive and notched 1st place in 26 out of 32 total events. Final scoring showed Munster with a 106.5-21.5 win over our girls and an 88-43 victory over the boys. Claiming 1st for the Brickies were junior Cody Johnston in the pole vault, senior Elizjah Wilson in the shot put ... sophomore Anthony Hnilo & junior Gavin Miller-Lane tied for 1st in the high jump, junior Hunter Juris in the discus, and sophomore Cailey Weber in both the 100m & 300m hurdles! In fact, Weber and junior hurdler Haylie Skripac went 1-2 in both hurdle events!

Here are some results from Tuesday:

Girls

100m Hurdles - sophomore Cailey Weber - 1st, junior Haylie Skripac - 2nd

100m Dash - senior Dominique Clemons - 3rd, senior Ja'Diah Belk - 4th

1600m Run - sophomore Kylee King - 4th, sophomore Addy Black - 5th

400m Relay - Belk, Clemons, junior Sarah Romeo and sophomore Alyssa Adams - 2nd

400m Dash - sophomore Elisia Otero - 3rd, Romeo - 5th

300m Hurdles - Weber - 1st, Skripac - 2nd

800m Run - sophomore Morgan James - 6th

200m Dash - Clemons - 2nd, Otero - 4th

3200m Run - Black - 4th

1600m Relay - sophomore Ella Freimuth, Otero, Romeo & Weber - 2nd

Long Jump - freshman Brooke Cawthon - 5th, freshman Kilee Hite - 6th

High Jump - junior Daeges Morgan - 3rd, Freimuth & Hite - 5th

Shot Put - freshman Taylor Pope - 4th, senior Anna Wood - 6th

Discus - Wood - 4th, Pope - 5th

Boys

3200m Relay - junior Ryan Wein, sophomores Vinny Gutierrez & Quentin Stengel and freshman Nick Meagher - 2nd

100m Hurdles - senior Jaden Camacho - 2nd, junior Gavin Miller-Lane - 4th

100m Dash - senior Geo Koktsidis - 3rd

1600m Run - senior Joe Meagher - 3rd, sophomore Owen Stankich - 6th

400m Relay - Koktsidis, sophomores Anthony Hnilo & Tylan Diggs, and freshman Will Shearer - 2nd

400m Dash - sophomore Ryan Mattel - 2nd

300m Hurdles - Camacho - 2nd, senior Dakota Vanderberg - 3rd

800m Run - freshman Felix Lopez - 5th, Gutierrez - 6th

200m Dash - Shearer - 3rd, Koktsidis - 5th

1600m Relay - Shearer, Lopez, Koktsidis & Mattel - 1st

Long Jump - senior Pedro Villar - 4th, Miller-Lane - 5th

High Jump - Miller-Lane & Hnilo - 1st

Pole Vault - junior Cody Johnston - 1st

Shot Put - senior Elizjah Wilson - 1st, junior Diego Verduzco - 2nd

Discus - junior Hunter Juris - 1st, Verduzco - 2nd, junior Grant Kappes - 3rd

On Saturday, the Brickies were at LaPorte for the Dick Deardurff Classic. The coed invite included Boone Grove, John Glenn, Lowell, Michigan City, New Prairie, Rochester, Wheeler and of course the host Slicers. As bright as the sun was shining at the LaPorte High School Track Complex, our Bricks SHINED BRIGHTER!! Weber was DOMINANT in taking 1st in both hurdle events for the girls ... Morgan cleared a lifetime-best in the high jump to claim 2nd overall ... Miller-Lane won the long jump for the boys with a leap of over 20 feet ... and Johnston did the unthinkable in the pole vault. On his 3rd & final attempt, Cody - with the entire audience clapping & watching - SOARED over 16'9.5" to set a NEW SCHOOL RECORD in the event! Then ... 5 minutes later ... he successfully cleared 17' on his 1st attempt!! That's right ... I SAID 17 FEET!!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!! Cody now stands alone atop the leader board in Hobart High School Pole Vault history ... which is arguably the best (I say the best) collective group in the entire state! His vault of 17' is also the highest so far in Indiana this spring by 2-feet. The previous record at HHS was held by Andy Stack and was set at 16'9" back in 1985. INCREDIBLE!!!!

No team scores were kept, but as you can see - OUR BRICKS SHINED!!!

Both the girls & boys are now 1-1 on the season in conference action. This week brings Highland to The Friendly City on Tuesday night and has our Brickies heading to Delphi on Saturday for the Norm Ebrite Relays! WE ARE HOBART!!

#RUNNINDOWNADREAM

Monday

Baseball vs. Highland * @ The SteelYard/RailCats Stadium

Softball vs. Merrillville (V & JV)

Girls Tennis vs. KV *

Tuesday

Girls Track & Field vs. Highland *

Boys Track & Field vs. Highland *

Girls Tennis vs. Highland *

Boys Golf @ Portage

Softball @ Highland * (V & JV)

Baseball @ Highland *

JV Baseball vs. Highland *

9th Baseball vs. Lake Central

Wednesday

Softball vs. KV * (V & JV)

Baseball vs. Illiana Christian

Girls Tennis vs. ECC

Boys Golf vs. Highland *

JV Baseball @ Highland *

9th Baseball @ LC

Thursday

Unified Track & Field @ Crown Point

Girls Tennis vs. Munster *

Baseball @ Boone Grove

Softball vs. Griffith

JV Softball vs. Morton

Friday

Boys Golf vs. Morgan Twp

Baseball @ Chesterton (V & JV)

Saturday

Girls Track & Field @ Norm Ebrite Relays (Delphi High School)

Boys Track & Field @ Norm Ebrite Relays (Delphi High School)

Softball @ Bishop Noll

Boys Golf @ KV Invite

Girls Tennis @ New Prairie Invite

* = NCC Opponent