BricksCenter

ROCKY is a 1976 American sports drama film staring Sylvester Stallone that tells the rags to riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an Italian-American boxer who is the ultimate underdog. It reminds us that it really isn't about winning ... it's more about going the distance and putting up a fierce fight against all odds. Of course, in ROCKY II, his perseverance pays off and he WINS the TITLE! (I hope I didn't give too much away there). Still, giving the total effort ... getting back up every time you get knocked down ... doing your BEST no matter what the odds ... are all GREAT lessons that we can learn through sports that can help us in life.

This past week showed our spring athletes GIVE THE TOTAL EFFORT ... GET BACK UP ... DO THEIR BEST ... and find VICTORY in all sorts of ways! BRICKIE PRIDE was in abundant supply and in the end, all of our kids deserved to hold the CHAMPIONSHIP BELT above their heads!!

YO ADRIAN ... it's time for BricksCenter!

Speaking of underdogs who have GIVEN THE TOTAL EFFORT and GOT BACK UP every time they've been knocked down, the Brickie boys volleyball team wrapped up their SECOND EVER regular season and their perseverance paid off!

On Monday, Hobart hosted Hammond Morton for SENIOR NIGHT in a game that was postponed back on Friday, April 19th. Prior to the first serve, seniors Jacob Lewis, AJ Garibay, Jacob Ramirez, Gambo Cruz, Aiden Olague & Mayzellie Rabadan were recognized ... along with their families ... for their commitment & dedication to Hobart volleyball. Once the recognition concluded, our boys were ON A MISSION! Hobart scored the first point of the first set ... led 23-17 late! After a Morton rally to cut the deficit to just 24-23, Coach Price called a TO and our boys responded with the GAME-WINNER to go in front 1-0 with the 25-23 win in set #1! The Bricks fought hard in the 2nd set ... rallied from 4 down to take the lead at 24-23, but Morton scored the next 3 points to win 24-26 and tie it at 1-1. Down 18-23 in the 3rd set, Hobart scored 3 straight to get within striking distance, but once again the Govs were able to close it out 22-25 to take a 2-1 lead on the night. With our backs against the wall, our boys CAME OUT FIRING ... scored the first 7 points and rolled to a 25-10 win to tie it up at 2-2!! In the 5th and deciding set, play went back-and-forth - much like it had all night! Just when it looked like Morton might have gained control with an 11-8 advantage, the Brickies STORMED BACK AND WON 15-13!!! WHAT A GAME!!!

THIS IS THE FIRST VARSITY BOYS VOLLEYBALL VICTORY IN SCHOOL HISTORY!!!

... and it came on the exact day that boys volleyball officially became a "sanctioned sport" by the IHSAA - coincidence? :)

It was an INCREDIBLE game - our boys ... like Rocky ... GAVE THE TOTAL EFFORT and came out on top! WOW!

Wednesday night, the Bricks were back out on the court against Kankakee Valley. In another well-played game by both squads, Hobart was able to steal a set victory, but unfortunately lost the match 3-1. On Thursday, Hobart welcomed Munster for the regular season finale and once again PLAYED WELL ... winning a set #3 after falling behind 2-0 and nearly tying the overall game at 2-2 before falling in the 4th set 24-26 against one of NWI's best teams!

With no IHSAA State Tournament Series this year, the spring season for boys volleyball has come to an end for Hobart. Next year, our boys will compete in a Sectional now that this sport is no longer "emerging"... which is exciting news! CONGRATULATIONS to our boys for earning the first varsity win in school history, for continuing to get up every time they got knocked down, and for doing their very best no matter what the odds!! WE ARE VERY PROUD OF YOU!!

#WEBELIEVE

Tuesday evening offered the Brickies a chance at some redemption. One of our girls 3 losses on the year came against Highland back on April 10th and those same Trojans were on the HHS campus for round #2! Hobart wasted no time setting the tone with 2 runs in the first inning of play!! In the 3rd inning, our girls did it again to take a 4-0 lead!! Senior pitcher Morgan Ellenberger was LIGHTS OUT in the circle ... keeping the visiting Trojans off balance all night in the batters box! Highland did finally get on the board in the 5th to cut the deficit to 4-1, but that was as close as they got as senior Ella Hornak came on in relief to close it out & earn the save! This DYNAMIC DUO combined for 5 strikeouts, 0 walks and only surrendered 3 hits in helping the Brickies win their 8th STRAIGHT GAME and stay UNDEFEATED at home this spring!!! At the plate, junior Taylor Lopez went 2-for-2 with 2 RBIs and 2 stolen bases in the win!

On Wednesday, our girls were on the road again (thank you Willie Nelson) at NCC newcomer Hanover Central. The Brickies were able to manufacture a first inning run to take an early 1-0 lead, but the host Wildcats matched it and the two teams remained in a 1-1 tie through 4 and a half innings. In the bottom of the 5th, Hanover got it going and plated 4 runs to move in front 5-1, which ended up the final as our girls were unable to score again. Junior Addisyn Johnson had Hobart's only hit and classmate Ladan Weinman stole 2 bases and scored our only run in the loss.

Thursday was supposed to be a road trip to Andrean, but an early afternoon storm washed out the field at 5959 Broadway. In an attempt to still play, the game was moved to H-town, where the field was ready to go! Unfortunately, a 2.5 hour lightning delay caused a postponement anyway. These two teams will try it again on Tuesday, 5/14, @ Andrean.

On Saturday, the Brickies were at Twin Lakes High School for an invitational! Against Bremen in the morning game, Hobart opened up the scoring with 2 runs in their 3rd at bat and then added 6 more over the next two innings to move in front 8-1!! Our girls cruised from there and closed out an impressive 8-3 VICTORY in game #1 of pool play!! Junior Emili Knestrict was simply FANTASTIC going 4-for-5 at the plate with two 2Bs, 3 RBIs and a HOMERUN!!! Sophomore Riley Weber went 3-for-4 and both Addisyn Johnson & Keirys Click collected 2 hits in the win!

In game #2 of pool play ... the game to determine if the Brickies moved on to the championship round, Hobart squared off with Cascade - ranked #1 in Class 2A and #13 overall in Indiana. The Cadets plated 1 run in their first at bat, but the next 3 innings were a stalemate with neither team able to score. Trailing 1-0 in the 5th, the Bricks were once again unable to get much going offensively, but Cascade was able to break the game open in the bottom half of the frame and ultimately went on to win 7-1. Johnson was the only Brickie to record a hit in the contest against Grace Gray - the Ball State commit from Cascade - who struck out 18 in the win.

Cascade went on the win the Twin Lakes Softball Invite after defeated New Prairie & Hamilton Heights by a combined score of 27-3. Whoa.

Hobart is now 13-5 on the year and an even 4-4 in NCC action! With 2 weeks left in the regular season, let's hope Mother Nature gives us a break and our girls are able to play all 8 of their remaining games to prepare for SECTIONAL PLAY! GO GET 'EM GIRLS!!

#GOBRICKSGO

On Monday, Hobart faced the Lowell Red Devils in a key NCC matchup on the links. Conditions out on the course were less than ideal ... pretty much like they've been all spring. Senior Ben Eberle was ON FIRE in leading the Brickies with a team and season-best score of 40 over 9-holes!! Classmate Parker Glass was next to sign his scorecard with a 45! Senior Tommy Snemis & freshman Gavin Roper rounded out the scoring rounds for Hobart to help our boys come into the clubhouse with a 192 team score. Unfortunately, the Red Devils were a little more comfortable on their home course and completed the round with a 180 to earn the win in conference play.

Tuesday had our boys swinging the wrenches again, but this time it was over at Innsbrook Country Club ... the home course for the Wheeler Bearcats. Instead of playing 4-on-4 and adding up the total team scores, the Brickies & 'Cats went toe-to-toe in match play where each player competes individually against his opponent and whoever wins more holes is declared the winner. Basically, the first player to win 5 of the 9 holes wins. Well ... WE WON MORE HOLES AND WERE DECLARED VICTORIOUS!!! Glass, Eberle and classmate Hunter Kilar all won their matches to help secure the W 3-2!! AWESOME!!

The Brickies are now 3-4 on the year and 1-2 in NCC play. With 2 invitationals sandwiched around a HUGE NCC bout with Munster, our boys will have a busy week ahead! For some inspiration, we turn to expert golfer Ty Webb from the movie Caddyshack, "There's a force in the universe that makes things happen and all you have to do is get in touch with it. Stop thinking ... let things happen ... and be the ball."

#NANANANANANANANANA

On Monday night, the Brickies were scheduled to travel to Hammond Morton to face the Governors. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans and this one was postponed to Saturday, 5/4.

Wednesday brought the Hammond Central Wolves to The Friendly City for SENIOR NIGHT! Prior to the first pitch, Carlos Santana, Gabe Nunez, Nick Sobczynski, Jevan Andrews & Ryan Gillio were all recognized with their families for their dedication to Brickie baseball. Once the senior night festivities were over, a junior ... pitcher Landon Koritko ... stole the show! Koritko struck out 6 and only allowed 3 base runners while tossing a 5-inning NO HITTER!! UNBELIEVABLE!! Even though he didn't need much help from the Brickie offense to pick up the W, he got PLENTY as our boys pounded out 12 hits and scored 14 runs in just 4 innings! WOW! Santana & Andrews each went 3-for-3 and Gillio finished with a team-high 3 RBIs in the victory!!

A Thursday night home contest against New Prairie was met with a 2.5 hour lighting delay that ultimately caused a cancellation.

On Friday, Hobart was scheduled to play Bishop Noll at home. Overnight storms flooded the fields for both schools, but thanks to some creative scheduling, our boys ended up in Chesterton for the nightcap of a doubleheader! A week ago, our regularly scheduled game against the Trojans was cancelled due to weather ... so Friday night became the reschedule date! Chesterton

Saturday afternoon brought some sunshine and a trip to Hammond to square off with the Morton Governors! After 2 scoreless innings of play, the Brickies EXPLODED for 6 runs in the 3rd ... then added 3 more in the 4th to move in front 9-2! The lead ballooned to 11-2 before the Govs plated 4 in their final at bat, but the end result was an 11-6 BRICKIE VICTORY!!! Junior Drew Burris and freshman Brandon Stafford each contributed 3 RBIs and combined for 5 runs scored to help our boys win their 8th game of the year! Senior Gabe Nunez & sophomore Ethan Murchek each doubled and junior Jayme Hairston stole 2 bases in the win!

Hobart is now 8-9 overall and 3-5 in NCC play. There are two weeks remaining in the regular season and 9 games left on the slate before IHSAA Sectional play begins over at Munster. DON'T STOP NOW BOYS!!!

On Tuesday, the Brickies were down in DeMotte for the final regular season meet of the spring. The opponents were both Kankakee Valley and Highland. It was a B-E-A-UTIFUL night down in The Valley and our Brickies SHINED!! SO MANY PRs!!! Our boys WON 7 events and placed 2nd or 3rd in 11 to outdistance the host Kougars 73-59 and dominate the Trojans 101-28 to remain UNDEFEATED in NCC competition at 6-0!! Junior Willy "The Jet" Shearer was ON A MISSION and won every event he raced (100, 200, 400, 4x400 relay) ... clocking season-best times in all 3 of his individual events! WOW!! Classmate Kael Schlosser was right on his heels in both the 100 & 200 and stayed UNDEFEATED in the long jump on the year with a leap of over 21' and senior Anthony Hnilo cleared a LIFETIME BEST 6'2" in the high jump!! Our girls had some UNBELIEVABLE performances as well, but so did KV & Highland and those added up too many points for the Brickies to overcome. Final scores were KV 86, Hobart 46 and Highland 73, Hobart 59. Still, sophomore sensation Cassie Cohen simply CRUSHED the competition in winning both the 800 & 1600 ... senior Cailey Weber placed first in the 300 hurdles with a SEASON BEST time ... sophomore Aalliah Otero also ran a SEASON BEST in winning the 400 ... and junior Taylor Pope out-threw everyone in the shot put!!

Overall, it was truly a GREAT NIGHT for the Brickies!

Here are some other results from Tuesday:

100m Hurdles - senior Cailey Weber - 2nd, senior Shaunice Haymon - 6th

100m Dash - sophomore Aalliah Otero - 3rd, sophomore Zaria Gildon - 6th

1600m Run - sophomore Cassie Cohen - 1st, freshman Amanda Guthrie - 5th, junior Annabelle Mauries - 7th

400m Dash - Otero - 1st, freshman Marin Ray - 5th, junior Olivia Alexander - 6th

300m Hurdles - Weber - 1st, junior Brooke Cawthon - 6th

800m Run - Cohen - 1st, sophomore Audrey Turley - 6th, sophomore Mariana Carmona - 8th

200m Dash - Otero - 2nd, senior Dominique Zepeda - 7th

3200m Run - Guthrie - 4th, sophomore Emilia Massey - 7th, senior Addy Black - 8th

1600m Relay - Otero, Ray, Weber & Gildon - 3rd

Pole Vault - sophomore Joanna Cantu - 4th, freshman Hannah Cherven - 5th

Long Jump - Cawthon - 6th, senior Ella Freimuth - 8th

High Jump - Freimuth - 5th, Cawthon - 8th

Shot Put - junior Taylor Pope - 1st, sophomore Breanna Zon - 4th

Discus - Pope - 2nd, Zon - 3rd

Boys

3200m Relay - sophomore Durgon Click and seniors Ryan Mattel, Quentin Stengel & Carson Bell

110m Hurdles - freshman Bryce Tolliver - 2nd, senior Cirian Spencer - 3rd

100m Dash - senior Willy Shearer - 1st, junior Kael Schlosser - 3rd

1600m Run - junior Kolin Gladney - 2nd, junior Felix Lopez - 3rd, senior Vinny Gutierrez - 5th

400m Dash - Shearer - 1st, senior Carson Bell - 2nd, sophomore Steven Allande - 7th

300m Hurdles - Spencer - 2nd, senior Calvin Shaginaw - 3rd

800m Run - senior Owen Stankich - 2nd, Stengel - 3rd

200m Dash - Shearer - 1st, Schlosser - 5th

3200m Run - Lopez - 3rd, Gladney - 4th

Long Jump - Schlosser - 1st, freshman Nathan Sobczynski - 2nd, Shaginaw - 3rd

High Jump - senior Anthony Hnilo - 1st, junior Deacon Caesar - 3rd

Pole Vault - Sobczynski - 2nd

Shot Put - junior Patrick O'Connor - 4th, junior Luke Juris - 5th

Discus - Juris - 3rd, O'Connor - 5th

The Hobart boys finished the regular season UNDEFEATED in NCC action at 6-0 while our girls were a solid 3-3. On Tuesday, the Brickies will be at Hanover Central High School for the Northwest Crossroads Conference CHAMPIONSHIP MEET! LET'S GOOOOOOO!!!!

#PRIDEANDTRADITION

On Monday night, the Brickies were up near Lake Michigan to face the Whiting Oilers. After the long bus ride, Hobart & Whiting were locked in a FIERCE BATTLE on the courts! Play was INTENSE at all 5 varsity positions and our girls WON at both #1 & #2 doubles in 3-set marathons!! Juniors Addison Williams & Isis Fleming (#1 doubles) defeated their opponent 7-6, 2-6, 6-4 and senior Madalyn Riggle & sophomore Emily Cicillian fell behind initially, but responded to win the next 2 sets to beat their counterpart 4-6. 6-4, 6-4!! Unfortunately, the Oilers took victories at all 3 singles spots in tough matches to win 3-2.

Tuesday, the wheels on the bus were going 'round & 'round again ... this time for the town of Griffith for another non-conference match. As tough as Monday's matches were at Whiting, the Brickies caged up the Panthers pretty quickly on this night as all 5 varsity spots WON in STRAIGHT SETS for the 5-0 VICTORY!!! Junior Natalie Crowley (#1 singles), senior Melanie Paterson (#2 singles) and sophomore Leilani Huber (#3 singles) won by a combined score of 36-5 ... HOLY COW THAT'S AWESOME!! Williams & Fleming dispatched their opponent @ #1 doubles 6-0, 6-1 and Riggle & Cicillian won 6-3, 6-1 to complete the sweep!! WHAT A NIGHT TO BE A BRICKIE!!

On Thursday afternoon, Hobart was scheduled to host NCC rival Andrean, but a pop-up storm at 3pm combined with a 2.5 hour lightning delay caused a postponement. This one is rescheduled for Wednesday, 5/8.

The Brickies are now 5-5 on the year after earning a split for the week. With one more week remaining in the regular season, Hobart has 4 matches left. IHSAA Sectional play begins right here in H-town on Wednesday, 5/15 ... WE GOT THIS GIRLS!!

#SERVINGNOTICE

On Thursday, Hobart was on the road at Lake Central for a regular season meet against the host Indians, Merrillville and Crown Point. No scores were kept, but the Brickies were FANTASTIC!!

Here are some other results from Thursday's meet:

Mixed 100m Dash - senior Mason Jackson-Solomon - 1st in Heat #1, senior Andrew Navarro - 2nd in Heat #1, senior James Landrum - 2nd in Heat #2, senior Aiden Burke - 1st in Heat #3, senior Brianna Candiano - 2nd in Heat #5, senior Margo Paige - 1st in Heat #6, sophomore Colton Galliher - 1st in Heat #8, junior Micah Jennette - 2nd in Heat #8, freshman Layla Henley - 1st in Heat #10, freshman Brooke Hawkins - 2nd in Heat #10

Mixed 400m Dash - senior Trent Brown - 1st in Heat #1, Landrum - 1st in Heat #2, junior Malcolm Manual - 1st in Heat #3

Girls 4x100m Relay - Page, Hawkins, senior Cara Lawrence & sophomore Olivia McIntire - 2nd

Boys 4x100m Relay - Jackson-Solomon, Galliher, Manuel & senior Braden Paulson - 2nd

Long Jump - Brown - 1st, junior Jackson Butler - 9th

Shot Put - senior Aiden Olague - 1st, senior Marcus Fernandez - 2nd

With each week, the Brickies continue to show improvement and our kids appear to be focused on two things: having fun and winning a 2nd consecutive IHSAA sectional! Hobart will be back at it on Thursday over at Gary West Side! GO GET 'EM!!

#CHAMPIONSTOGETHER

Boys Golf @ Boone Grove Invite

Girls Tennis vs. Lowell *

Baseball @ Highland * (Doubleheader)

Softball vs. Munster * (V & JV)

JV Baseball vs. Highland *

Tuesday

Girls Track & Field @ NCC CHAMPIONSHIP * (Hosted by Hanover Central)

Boys Track & Field @ NCC CHAMPIONSHIP * (Hosted by Hanover Central)

Softball vs. Andrean *

Boys Golf vs. Munster *

Girls Tennis vs. Kankakee Valley *

JV Baseball @ Highland *

Wednesday

Girls Tennis vs. Andrean *

Softball @ Lowell *

Baseball vs. Morgan Township

JV Softball vs. Lowell *

9th Baseball @ Munster *

Thursday

Unified Track @ Gary West Side

Softball vs. Illiana Christian

Girls Track @ NCC JV Meet (Hosted by Highland)

Boys Track @ NCC JV Meet (Hosted by Highland)

JV Softball @ Crown Point

Friday

Baseball @ Wheeler

JV Baseball vs. Munster *

Saturday

Boys Golf @ KV Invite

* = NCC Opponent