BricksCenter
DaDaDa DaDaDa
August 25, 2019
21 Sports ... 1 Team ... WE ARE HOBART!
Cause when the sun goes down, we'll be groovin'
When the sun goes down, we'll be feelin' all right
When the sun sinks down, over The Brickyard
Everything is better when Fall Sports begin ... yeah
Ok, maybe those weren't the ACTUAL lyrics in the last 2 lines of the chorus, but now that the Fall sports season is up and running (particularly Cross Country), everything IS better - right? It was quite a first week of IHSAA competition in H-town ... lots of chances to cheer on the Brickies!!
Hopefully the weekend chores are done ... it's time for BricksCenter!
#21sports1team
Volleyball
After an encouraging showing at last week's scrimmage against area top 10 Morgan Township, this past week was the REAL THING as Hobart opened the season with 2 regular season games and hosted an invitational! LET'S GO BRICKS!!
The 3-0 VICTORY was a SWEET start to the season and a perfect way to begin the Coach Yanez era in H-town!!
On Thursday, the Lady Brickies once again got the BROOM out and SWEPT the Bowman Academy Eagles 3-0! Hobart DOMINATED from the start and DISMANTLED the outmatched Lady Eagles 25-7,25-10 & 25-6! To finish off set #3, sophomore Hannah Mathis served for what seemed like 1,000 points in a row! Talk about hitting the REPEAT button, here is what happened on 90% of the points in the 3rd set ... Mathis serve, Bowman volleys back ... either junior Sasha Thomas or junior Haley Pint digs ... junior Jessica Fazekas sets ... and senior Addison "THE HAMMER" Metts KILLS ... Hobart fans cheer!!
Saturday, Hobart finished off the 1st week of competition for the 2019 season by hosting the 41st Annual Hobart Volleyball Invitational. The Invite consisted of 8 schools divided into two divisions for pool play. The teams with the best records from each pool played in the championship. Well, the Lady Brickies swam right through their pool with a 3-0 record and advanced to the championship against rival and defending champion Wheeler. This was an INSTANT CLASSIC! The first set was back-and-forth with neither team gaining more than a 3 point advantage throughout ... eventually the Bearcats would win it 25-23. After the teams switched benches, the 2nd set was mostly controlled by the Lady Brickies as they went on to win 25-17! For the tournament, it was only a "Best-of-Three" scenario, so set #3 was for ALL THE MARBLES with the teams tied at 1 set apiece! In set 3, Hobart jumped out to a 7-4 lead and appeared to have the momentum, but Wheeler regrouped, put on the rally caps and came all the way back to win 15-9 to take the championship for the 2nd consecutive year. It was a tough end to a long, hard fought day for the Lady Brickies, but the EFFORT and ENTHUSIASM is there for this group ... WE ARE VERY PROUD of them!!
The Lady Brickies are 5-1 on the season and are EXCITING to watch! They talk, they scrap, they dive on the floor ... and they are having some fun playing hard TOGETHER!
#BRICKIEPRIDE
Football
On Friday night, Hobart welcomed Chesterton to The Brickyard for the season opener. The banner our boys ran through posed a simple question, "Are You Ready For Some Brickie Football?" I believe the American R & B musical group Blackstreet answered it best, NO DIGGITY ... NO DOUBT!!
BE OFFENSIVE ... BE BE OFFENSIVE! Hobart received the opening kickoff and drove the length of the field almost entirely on the ground for a TOUCHDOWN! Senior DJ Lipke took the handoff and followed an AMAZING PUSH from his offensive line for the early 1-yd score and after senior Matt Hylek's extra point, it was 7-0 Hobart!
D-D-D-DEFENSE! After the opening drive fireworks, things slowed down thanks to some outstanding defensive play from both teams that included an interception by senior Matthew Benton late in the 1st quarter. In fact, the score remained 7-0 through the rest of the first half and into the 3rd quarter. Chesterton was finally able to get on the board with an 82-yd touchdown pass, catch & run. The failed 2-pt conversion allowed Hobart to stay on top 7-6. Next, it was Hobart's turn to cash in on a BIG PLAY. This time, it was junior Zach Vode hauling in a pass from classmate Riley Johnston and scampering a total of 64 yards to push the lead back to a 13-6 margin! Vode led all receivers with 6 catches for 105 yards on the night. The intensity grew going into the final quarter and it was the Trojans who struck paydirt on a short pass from a few yards out to take their first lead of the game at 14-13. The Brickies rallied, but were unable to regain the lead in the closing minutes as Chesterton tacked on one more score to reach the final tally of 21-13.
It was such a HARD FOUGHT game ... our boys battled their butts off ... unfortunately, like volleyball in the Invite championship, victory was just beyond our reach and it was a tough ending to an otherwise beautiful fall night. This is a relatively young team ... one that will learn, grow, and show improvement EVERY WEEK trying to #play15 ... and that's the goal. To GET BETTER and to BE BETTER. It is going to be a lot of fun watching this group develop ... I like our BOYS OF FALL!
#PLAY15
Boys Tennis
With no scrimmage last week due to a cancellation, our boys didn't get a chance to shake the nerves out before it became REAL ... but by the looks of it, no chance was needed as this group of Brickies is POISED to MAKE SOME NOISE this fall!
On Thursday, Hobart welcomed neighborhood rival River Forest south of Ridge Road for "The Battle of Hobart Township". Still competing without a #3 singles player, the Brickies SERVED notice that this is OUR TOWNship and picked up the VICTORY by winning all 4 of the other matches to secure the 4-1 win!! In fact, Hobart didn't even lose a set the entire night! Kara and Jancich again looked smooth in singles play ... and the doubles teams of juniors Chad Tomaga & Nick Kolopanis (#1) and sophomore Ethan Cover & junior Carter Mohr (#2) were FANTASTIC winning a combined 24-4! We LOVE it when they play like this :)
#LOVESERVED
Soccer
Sticking with the Kenny Chesney theme this week ... girls and boys soccer showed us some GOOD STUFF!
Monday, the Lady Brickies opened the 2019 campaign at home against 2X state finalist Wheeler ... and by the way, those 2X were the last 2 years. The Bearcats have been one of the premier teams in NWI and have OWNED Hobart the last few years. Well folks, that would not be the case this year. The Lady Brickies got behind 2-0 early, but a goal by senior Liesl Martin closed the gap and gave the home crowd some renewed hope! As the 2nd half played out, Wheeler was able to extend their lead to 4-1 .. seemingly closing the door on any chance of a Brickie Miracle. Oh wait ... was that a goal by senior Lauren Romeo late in the 2nd half? ... and then another? (Harry Caray voice) HOLY COW! All of a sudden it was 4-3 and the Lady Brickies were threatening to knock off one of the area's best teams! Unfortunately, the clock ran out before Hobart could notch one more in the net and Wheeler narrowly avoided the upset bid. In defeat, it was an AMAZING EFFORT by the Lady Brickies ... one that no doubt should give them confidence that we can play with ANYONE!
On Saturday, LaPorte was both the opponent and the location as Hobart traveled east for a morning tilt with the Lady Slicers. In a very physical game, the Lady Brickies stood tall and pushed back everytime LaPorte tried to get away from them. In the end, it wasn't enough as LaPorte handed Hobart it's 2nd loss of the season by the final score of 6-3. Who tallied the goals for Hobart? Well, that would be senior Grace Nestich. That's right ... THIS GIRLS WAS ON FIRE (Thank you Alicia Keys) and was able to capitalize in the net when her teammates delivered the ball!
The Lady Brickies opened with 2 of the toughest teams they'll face all season and CHALLENGED until the final buzzer sounded. If these girls keep working hard, it's going to be an exciting season!
Boys
On Monday, the boys played the nightcap of the varsity double-header (soccer pun intended) against the Wheeler Bearcats. After looking sharp in the jamboree last weekend, this was our first chance to see OUR BOYS SHINE when it was for real ... and as Rhianna might say, THEY SHINED BRIGHT LIKE A DIAMOND! Senior Shaun Mirr scored the Brickies first goal of the year from about 15 yards out on the right side to give Hobart an early 1-0 lead. Junior Avione Lane got in on the action a short while later with a goal of his own to make it a 2-0! Before the half ended, Mirr added another goal and the Hobart cushion was 3-0 going into halftime!! The Brickies ran circles around the Bearcats for most of the night and showed GREAT TEAMWORK by finding the open man and moving the ball well. Senior Goalie Kevin Udave was SOLID in protecting the net and Hobart scored a shut-out VICTORY to open the season!
On Wednesday, Hobart traveled to former NCC rival Griffith for a mid-week showdown. This one was INTENSE! Griffith has had the upper hand against the Brickies for a number of years, but this BAND OF BROTHERS in PURPLE & GOLD stood tall and battled the Panthers for 80 minutes and finished the game in a 1-1 tie! (Adam Sandler voice) Not too shabby against one of the area's top 10 teams.
Saturday, the Brickies were back home again at the Brickyard for a late morning tilt with Illiana Christian. These two teams were meeting for the first time during the regular season in school history ... pretty exciting! Early on, Hobart was the aggressor as our boys ATTACKED the net HARD and had a few shots barely miss their mark. Then the momentum shifted over to the Vikings as they were able to get a couple goals off corner-kick headers to eventually build a 4-0 lead midway through the 2nd half. Just when it seemed all hope for victory was lost, junior Daniel Flores Jr. spun between two defenders, side-stepped the goalie and drilled a goal into the back of the net! (Marv Alberts voice) It was a SPECTACULAR MOVE! The goal closed the gap to 4-1 and all of sudden the Brickies had life! Unfortunately, Illiana was able to regain control of the the ball and the clock as they closed out the game with a 5th goal and left town with a 5-1 victory.
The boys are 1-1-1 so far on the young season. These kids can play ... now the GOAL is to find consistency ... and that comes from good old fashioned WORK WORK WORK! WE GOT THIS!
#WEAREONE
Girls Golf
The next NCC dual meet for Hobart is Monday at home against the Lowell Red Devils.
#TAPTAPTAPAROO
Cross Country
For the girls, sophomore Sydney Belk picked up where she left off at last year's IHSAA semi-state and led the charge with a 4th place overall finish! Senior Hailey Kerlin backed her up with a 14th place and joined Syd on the medal stand - a career best for Hailey! A lot of new faces rounded out the top 7 for the Lady Brickies ... some rookies with lots of potential (sophomores Ja'Diah Belk, Dominique Clemons, Amarea Donald, Emma Ramirez). Once this group gets healthy and can run at full strength, they are going to be a force to be reckoned with!
On the boys side, senior 3X semi-state qualifier Bryan Cherry was on the shelf with a lower leg issue, so junior Bruce Leipart stepped in as the front runner and was PHENOMENAL! Bruce ran a lifetime best to place 3rd overall in a time of 17:25!! Sophomore Joe Meagher joined Leipart in the top 20, sneaking in for a 19th place finish. Freshman newcomer Ryan Wein looked good for his high school debut ... junior Darrin Johnson was solid in the 1st race of his career and sophomores Kaidin Click and Jacob Marcayda ...along with freshman Tommy Williamson ... completed the top 7 for Hobart. This is also a group that will be fun to watch develop as the season progresses ... lots of potential to improve and grow!!
#PRIDE&TRADITION
Purple & Gold Panic
For more info, contact the Hobart Athletic Department - we are here to serve!!
#PGP
Sports Schedule for This Week
Girls Golf vs. Lowell *
Girls Soccer vs. Hammond
Volleyball vs. River Forest
Tuesday
Girls Cross Country @ Valparaiso Jamboree
Boys Cross Country @ Valparaiso Jamboree
Volleyball @ Wheeler
Boys Soccer @ Hammond Clark
Wednesday
Boys Tennis vs. Hammond Academy
Girls Soccer vs. Michigan City
Thursday
Boys Tennis vs. Kankakee Valley *
Volleyball vs. Highland * (Yohan's Army EVENT)
9th Football vs. Chesterton
Friday
Girls Golf vs. Hanover Central & Portage
Football @ Merrillville
Saturday
JV Football vs. Merrillville
JV Volleyball @ Chesterton Trny
* = NCC Opponent