BricksCenter
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October 21, 2018
21 Sports ... 1 Team ... WE ARE HOBART
Bundle up ... it's time for BricksCenter!
Cross Country
On Saturday at New Prairie High School, our girls - along with the 20 best teams in the NW part of the state - took part in the SEMI-STATE with a chance to keep their season alive and advance to the STATE FINALS as a team for the 1st time in roughly 25 years.
It was cold and windy, but the Lady Brickies were FIERCE competitors and put all they had ON THE LINE for each other and for this school. The top 6 teams advance ... despite a PHENOMENAL effort, our ladies finished a heartbreaking 7th place overall. The Crown Point Bulldogs beat our girls by about 50 places overall and secured the coveted 6th spot ... ending the DREAM SEASON 1 week early. A tough pill to swallow without a doubt, but our girls were OUTSTANDING representatives for our school and this town - they handled the disappointment with grace and sportsmanship. We are VERY PROUD of them!
Senior Holly Shaginaw once again led the way for the Brickies finishing 21st overall with a time of 19:40.3. Freshman Sydney Belk was next in 27th place in 19:54.9 ... senior Christina Shaginaw (46th, 20:20.4), senior Elena Pollizoto (80th, 20:58.1), and freshman Paige Solivais (140th, 22:06.8) completed the Brickies top 5 with sophomore Lilly Butler (163rd, 22:41.7) and freshman Mikayla Fuentes (173rd, 23:16.3) rounding out Hobart's top 7.
It was a TERRIFIC season for our Lady Bricks ... one where we are sad to see 3 seniors move on, but also excited about the future with a sophomore and 3 freshmen competing on the doorstep of the state finals!
REASON TO CELEBRATE ...
Senior Holly Shaginaw qualified for next week's STATE FINALS individually by placing in the top 10 runners not on advancing teams! This is Holly's 2nd STRAIGHT trip to Terre Haute as an individual after qualifying last year and she joins 2014 grad Celena Guerrero as the only girl CC runner in the last 25 years to be a 2X STATE QUALIFIER!!! CONGRATULATIONS HOLLY!!!
Freshman Sydney Belk became the 5th Hobart girls runner EVER to break the 20 minute barrier as she completed the 5k course in 19:54.9!! Sydney was a heartbreaking 2 spots away from being an individual STATE QUALIFIER on Saturday, but she has SO MUCH to be PROUD of this year! The other ladies in the "sub-20 club" are Celena Guerrero, Mindy Whidden, Holly Shaginaw and Christina Shaginaw - WOW ... ELITE COMPANY to be in - GREAT JOB SYD!!!
Boys
As the wind picked up and the temperatures dropped, the 2nd race on Saturday belonged to the boys.
Junior Bryan Cherry and sophomore Bruce Leipart were running as individual qualifiers for the Brickies. In another PHENOMENAL effort, our boys ran their hearts out against the best of the best.
Cherry was TERRIFIC as he raced to 24th place overall with a time of 16:50.7! If you recall, the top 10 individuals who are not on advancing teams earn a spot in the STATE FINALS next week ... Bryan was the heartbreaking 11th individual in that category as the 10th spot went to a runner from Portage who edged Bryan by about 4 seconds. The heartache was tangible, but Bryan was surrounded by supportive teammates and handled the disappointment with grace just like our girls. This was Bryan's 3rd trip to the semi-state ... fortunately for all of us, we get to watch him race again next fall determined to finish his senior season in Terre Haute. GREAT JOB BRYAN - WE ARE VERY PROUD OF YOU!!!
Sophomore Bruce Leipart got knocked down in the middle of the race trying to snake through the woods on the crowded course where every runner is battling for position, but made a REMARKABLE RECOVERY and secured the 73rd overall place in a time of 17:31.4!! It was his 2nd trip in as many years and a GREAT experience to build on as he prepares for more next fall!
FUN FACT
Football
Early on, it seemed our boys were doing exactly what they had hoped to do - control the ball, sustain drives and keep Mishawaka's offense off the field. The Brickies controlled much of the 1st quarter ... having the ball for more than 9 minutes total, but a 69-yard "pick-6" by the Cavemen gave them the early 7-0 lead. Early in the 2nd quarter, the Mishawaka offense struck paydirt with a 39-yard touchdown pass and extended their lead to 14-0.
At this point, the Brickies could've packed it in with things 'not going our way' on a cold and wet Friday night, but our boys did some WORK WORK WORK on the ensuing drive! Hobart methodically moved the ball down the field and senior Sal Valle pounded the ball into the endzone from 2 yards out to cap off a GREAT drive that ate up over 6 minutes of the quarter. A junior Matt Hylek extra point cut the lead to 14-7 and gave the hometown fans renewed hope for a victory! Unfortunately, Mishawaka responded with a drive of their own and scored from 14 yards out in the last minute to go up 21-7 at the break.
The 2nd half started with some excitement as Hobart attempted an on-side kick ... the Brickies recovered and for a moment appeared to steal the momentum back; however, the ball apparently made contact with a Brickie player before it traveled the full 10 yards and Mishawaka retained possession. The Cavemen would score shortly thereafter on a 30-yard run for a 28-7 lead and essentially took any remaining wind out of the Brickies sails. Hobart never quit - BATTLING to the end as BROTHERS and playing with PRIDE in the 35-7 first round exit.
It was a GREAT YEAR for the Brickies - one that included THRILLING late game heroics in victories over Chesterton, LaPorte and Culver Academy! After a Homecoming set-back to Andrean, Hobart rattled off 3 straight wins in Northwest Crossroads Conference action to stay in the hunt for a conference championship until the final week. A tough draw in the sectional against a top ranked team proved to be too much for our boys, but nonetheless we are VERY PROUD of how they COMPETED and represented this town all season with outstanding BRICKIE PRIDE - both individually and collectively.
Congratulations to all of our boys for a job well done this year and to Coach Osika and staff for leading the way! Mark your calendars now - the 2019 season kicks off at home against Chesterton on Friday, August 23rd ... BE THERE!!
PREGAME CONDITIONS - COLD AND WET
2018 SEASON AT A GLANCE
9TH GRADE TEAM FINISHES THE SEASON UNDEFEATED!
CONGRATS TO COACHES WESLEY, BALASH, FODDRILL, EVANS AND BELL ON A GREAT YEAR!
In Other News ...
If you have a youngster who enjoys wrestling, I'd make sure to attend next year - as soon as the date is determined ... "pin" it on your calendars!
Sports Schedule This Week
Girls Swimming Practice Starts
Tuesday
No Events Scheduled
Wednesday
Girls Basketball Scrimmage vs. Hanover Central
Thursday
No Events Scheduled
Friday
No Events Scheduled
Saturday
Holly Shaginaw runs at IHSAA CROSS COUNTRY STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS @ LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, IN