Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, and poet who had great influence on intellectual thinking during his lifetime. One of my favorite Emerson quotes goes like this:

“Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”

Enthusiasm was overflowing this week in the Land of the Brickies as Hobart celebrated Homecoming 2024!! It was a truly AMAZING WEEK in The Friendly City ... THANK YOU to all those who played a role in making it memorable! That enthusiasm wasn't just bottled up in the hallways and at the pep rally, the Brickies were also bursting at the seams with it in competition - on the court, course, and field ... and our kids SHINED!

Another great Emerson quote states, “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” ... right now I think it's time to be the person who decides to read BricksCenter!

On a B-E-A-UTIFUL Friday night at The Brickyard, the Brickies hosted archrival Andrean in a HUGE Northwest Crossroads Conference showdown! You could tell that emotions were high on both sides of the field as each team battled to stay undefeated in NCC play. D-D-D-DEFENSE was the name of the game in the first quarter as the stanza ended with the scoreboard still showing zeros. The Bricks got on the board late in the 2nd quarter when sophomore QB Aleks Tatum hit senior wideout Aidan Leonard for a 30-yard score!! Near the end of the 3rd quarter, Hobart extended their lead to 14-0 when sophomore Aiden Kasch scampered into the endzone from 15 yards out and senior placekicker Zander Lankford sent the point after through the uprights!!

Just when you thought our boys were in control with a 14-point advantage, the 59ers came alive. Andrean scored 21 unanswered points over a span of roughly 8-minutes to move in front 21-14.

With just over 5 minutes left and the Brickies needing a TD, our boys showed phenomenal composure, regrouped, and mounted an IMPRESSIVE 80-yard drive that resulted in a Max Pickett TOUCHDOWN with under a minute remaining to tie the game and send it into OVERTIME!!!

In high school, overtime means each team gets the ball at the 10-yard line with 4 downs to score. Andrean got the ball first in the extra session and scored on a 25-yard FG to regain the lead at 24-21. Now it was Hobart's turn. After the Bricks moved the ball to the 5-yard line, senior running back Willy "The Jet" Shearer took a 3rd down handoff and busted through the Andrean defense into the endzone for the GAME WINNING TOUCHDOWN!!! BRICKIES WIN!! BRICKIES WIN!!! BRICKIES WIN!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!

WHAT A GAME!!! FINAL SCORE: Hobart 27, Andrean 24

For the game, Tatum completed 16-of-28 passes for 219 yds and 1 touchdown ... Shearer finished with 16 carries for 68 yards, 2 receptions for 83 yards and scored 1 touchdown ... both Leonard and classmate Connor Stafford each had 4 catches for a combined 74 yards - lots of GREAT stat lines for the Brickies offense! On the D-D-D-DEFENSIVE side of the ball, sophomore Bryce Tolliver had 1 interception and classmate Stephen Miller matched him with one of his own ... senior Jaelen Williams had a team-high 7 tackles ... and both Kasch & senior Dillon Hackett each had a sack in the win!

The Brickies are now 3-2 on the year and 3-0 in NCC play! Next up is another rivalry game ... @ the Lowell Inferno on Friday. DON'T STOP NOW BOYS!!!

#PLAY15

Girls

The Brickies celebrated SENIOR NIGHT on Tuesday with a rivalry game against Andrean. Prior to the start, seniors Annabelle Mauries, Natalie Crowley, Natalie Hostetler, Addy Williams, Alicia Salamanca, Piper Ellenberger, Laila Perschau, Makenna Rotz & Gabby Reyes were all recognized with their families for their dedication & commitment to our program over the years. When play began, it took the Brickies a little while to shake off the emotions and focus in on the task at hand ...but when they did, it was AMAZING!! Sophomore Addy Hendricks got the party started with a GOOOOOOOOOOAAAALLL midway through the first half and Ellenberger added another a few minutes before the break for a 2-0 Hobart lead! In the 2nd stanza, sophomore Kurah Krucina scored a HAT TRICK (3) of GOOOOOOOOOAAALLLS, Piper added her 2nd of the game and a shot by Annabelle found the back of the net as well!! Final score: Hobart 7, Andrean 0 - WOW!!! WHAT A NIGHT TO BE A BRICKIE!!!

On Saturday morning, Hobart welcomed Hammond Central to Don Howell Field @ The Brickyard for a non-conference matchup. After a slow start on another warm Saturday morning that required 2 stoppages due to warm temps on the turf, the Brickies got it going and WON a competitive game by a 5-1 score!! Hendricks finished with a HAT TRICK of 3 GOOOOOOOOOAAAALLLS and both Ellenberger & Krucina sent one into the back of the net in the win!

Our girls are now 8-2-1 overall on the year ... WOW!! Two more games dot the landscape this upcoming week ... a home contest vs. Kankakee Valley and a road trip to Wheeler. YOU'VE GOT THIS GIRLS!! WE BELIEVE!!!!

Boys

On Monday night, the Brickie futbol team hosted former NCC rival Griffith on Don Howell Field @ The Brickyard ... and it was ALL BRICKIES!!! Just 90 seconds into the game, senior Gavin Guess sent a laser into the net on a free kick from 25 yards out to give Hobart a 1-0 lead! A few minutes later, it was Guess scoring his 2nd GOOOOOOOOOOAAALLL of the night on a PK to put our boys ahead 2-0! About 10 minutes into the 2nd half of action, sophomore Cam Guess hit paydirt with a GOOOOOOOOOAAALL of his own and a 3-0 advantage! That's right ... it was a combined HAT TRICK for the Guess brothers ... and they weren't done yet! Cam scored again later in the half to give the Bricks a 4-0 cushion that they would hold until the clock struck zero!!
Final score: Hobart 4, Griffith 0 ...WHAT A NIGHT for the Guess boys and the Brickies!!

Wednesday night brought a trip to 5959 Broadway to square off with Andrean. In a physical contest, the Brickies scored two GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAALLLS in the first half and added another in the second half to earn a HARD FOUGHT 3-1 VICTORY!!! Scoring for Hobart were Gavin Guess and juniors Gabe Rodriguez & Cooper Evans to help our boys win their 3rd straight game!! Freshman Goalie Michael Klaich was LIGHTS OUT in protecting the net as well!!

On Saturday, the Bricks were on the road in another time zone to face the Elkhart Lions. In another physical game, the host Lions controlled the tempo, scored two first half goals and took a 2-0 lead into the locker room. Unfortunately, the Elkhart offense roared in the second half to the tune of 6 more goals and earned an 8-0 win.

Hobart is now 4-6-1 overall and will play twice this upcoming week ... @ KV on Wednesday and vs Kouts at The Brickyard on Saturday afternoon. GOOD LUCK GUYS!!

#WEAREONE

NEW PRAIRIE ... the largest invitational in the northern part of Indiana. The T-shirts for sale simply say "The Invite". :)

This was a chance for our kids to get a glimpse of how we measure up against some of the very best. The experience will be extremely beneficial when the IHSAA Tournament Series begins in a few weeks. The course at New Prairie High School is also the site of the IHSAA REGIONAL, which is exactly where the Brickies hope to be racing again in late October!

Girls

The Lady Brickies finished 14th overall out of 25 schools who were represented in the Class AAA race composed of all of the largest enrollment schools in attendance. This is 3 places better than our girls finished last year ... and it's because THEY SHINED SO BRIGHT!!!!! Junior Cassie Cohen paced Hobart finishing 16th with a time of 19:56 - her first time breaking the 20-minute barrier this year!! Classmates Audrey Turley (94th - 23:27) & Aalliah Otero (96th - 23:37) and freshman Lilliana Lopez (100th - 24:04) all placed in the top 100 overall finishers and sophomore Amanda Guthrie (102nd - 24:15) was 20 places better than she finished a year ago!! Sophomore Grace Meagher (103rd) and junior Millie Massey (114th) rounded out the varsity line-up! A GREAT PERFORMANCE BY OUR GIRLS!!!

In the reserve race, Hobart placed 5th out of 29 schools represented! WOW!!

Boys

The Brickie boyz placed 12th out of 23 schools competing in the Class AAA race ... 3 places better than in 2023! Senior Kolin Gladney (45th - 17:42) led the attack with a LIFETIME BEST performance on the New Prairie Course! Senior Felix Lopez (67th - 18:09) was next across the line ... junior Lu Cohen (70th - 18:14) also ran a LIFETIME BEST and was Hobart's 3rd finisher, classmate Durgon Click (85th) and seniors Nick Meagher (99th) & Alphonse Parker (103rd) rounded out the Brickie varsity squad!! WHAT A RACE BY OUR GUYS!!

It was a HOT ONE out there on one of the toughest courses in the entire state and the Brickies still SHINED! FANTASTIC!!!

In two weeks, Hobart will run in the NCC Championship at Kankakee Valley ... and then onto the IHSAA Sectionals. Coach A has trademarked the post season as "OCTOBERFAST" - definitely an exciting time for running!!

#GRATEFULLYDEDICATEDXC

After playing 4 games at the Chesterton Invite last Saturday, there was no rest for the weary as the Brickies were right back at it on Monday & Tuesday before getting a day of rest.

Monday, Hobart traveled about as far North as you can get without driving into Lake Michigan to face the Whiting Oilers in a non-conference matchup. In the 1st set, BOTH teams BATTLED as play was back-and-forth throughout. With the game on the line, it was the hosts who made one more play and earned an edge-of-your-seat 25-23 win. In the 2nd set, play was even MORE INTENSE and this time it was the BRICKIES who came out on top 27-25! WOW!! In the 3rd set ... with the game all tied up at 1-1, Whiting found some rhythm at the net and moved in front 2-1 with a 25-16 win. The 3rd set victory seemed to give the Oilers all the momentum and they rode it to seal the overall victory by winning the 4th set 25-13. Our girls played WELL against the 14-6 Oilers, just couldn't quite get over the hump on the road ...possibly due to some fatigue after the long weekend.

On Tuesday, Hanover Central visited The Friendly City in a BIG NCC matchup! As close as the Whiting game was for 2 sets, this one was EXCITING EDGE-OF-YOUR-SEAT ACTION from start to finish! Unfortunately, the visiting Wildcats found a way to win at the end of each set ... 26-24, 25-21, 25-21 and left town with a 3-0 victory. What a game ... our girls played their hearts out against one of the top teams in the Northwest Crossroads Conference.

Thursday night saw another BIG NCC matchup ... this time it was at rival Lowell. In their 3rd straight back-and-forth matchup, the Brickies gave it their all, but the Red Devils were firing on all cylinders and sent our girls home with a 3-0 defeat (17-25, 20-25, 18-25).

Hobart is currently 9-12 on the year. The Bricks will be at home this week with contests against Munster (Tuesday) & Wheeler (Wednesday). WE BELIEVE IN YOU!!!

#CANYOUDIGIT

On Monday afternoon, our boys made the trek over to Griffith to face the Panthers in a non-conference match. The hosts did not field a #2 dubs team, so Hobart held a 1-0 lead when play began thanks to the forfeit. Temps were warm, but the Brickies were cooler than the other side of the pillow as they CRUISED to straight set wins at #1 (senior Levi Snyder) & #2 (junior Gabe Gutierrez) singles and #1 (sophomores Cash Ellenberger & Mason Mitchell) doubles! At #3 singles, junior Jayden Standish dropped the first set, but rallied to win the 2nd and the tiebreaker to give Hobart the 5-0 SWEEP!!!

Wednesday, Hobart hosted Porter County neighbor Wheeler. Snyder was OUTSTANDING in winning a 3-set marathon at #1 singles (6-2, 2-6, 6-4) ... junior Cash Salunga controlled his match at #3 singles to win in straight sets (6-1, 6-2) ...and the #2 doubles team of sophomore Angel Gomez & freshman Maverick Becerra matched Salunga with a straight set win (6-1, 6-1) of their own to help the Brickies secure the 3-2 VICTORY!!

On Thursday afternoon, Andrean visited The Friendly City for SENIOR NIGHT! Prior to play beginning, seniors Levi Snyder, Evan Fuller & Lorenzo Rojas were recognized - along with their families - for their commitment & dedication to Hobart Brickie tennis during the course of their high school careers. Once play began, our boys SHINED!! BOTH of our doubles teams .. Ellenberger & Mitchell @ #1 and Becerra & Gomez @ #2 ... won handily in straight sets to get the Bricks within one win of clinching the victory. Andrean won at both #2 & #3 singles to tie things up at 2-2. For the winning point, Levi Snyder - a SENIOR on his SENIOR NIGHT - BATTLED HARD and WON @ #1 singles (6-2, 7-5) to deliver the VICTORY!!! OH YA!!! Final Score: Hobart 3, Andrean 2

WHAT A WEEK FOR BRICKIE TENNIS!! Our boys earned a SWEEP going 3-0 for the week and improving our overall record to 9-4 ...WOW! The Brickies have just one week remaining in the regular season before hosting the IHSAA Sectional starting on October 1st! GO GET 'EM GUYS!! BRICKIEUP!!

#SERVINGNOTICE

For their final match of the regular season, our girls were on the road against Boone Grove on Monday night at Lakes of the Four Seasons Country Club. Junior Lily Ullrich once again was the top scorer for the Brickies ... sophomore Makenzie Johnston was next into the clubhouse and senior Hanna Balaszek, junior Alexis Rashau & freshman Belle Zabrecky rounded out the varsity lineup on the night. As much as the Bricks have show some serious improvement over the last few weeks, the host Wolves were able to navigate the course in 11 fewer strokes to earn the non-conference win.

Hobart will compete in the IHSAA Sectional over at the Valparaiso Country Club on Monday looking for straight drives, few puts, and a chance to advance! GOOD LUCK LADIES!! NANANANANANANA :)

#GRIPITANDRIPIT

Homecoming 2024 has come and gone, but it was AWESOME!! THANK YOU to Mr. Johansen, Ms. Price, Mr. Horjus & Ms. Torres ... along with EVERYONE else who played a role!

Powder Puff, Staff vs. Students Volleyball, a CRAZY game of soccer in inflatable suits ... not to mention an AMAZING parade through town and an EXCITING varsity football game on Friday night ... all added up to a memorable week!!

CONGRATULATIONS to the Class of 2025 for their DOMINANT VICTORY to earn the Spirit Brick and to all of our Homecoming Royalty who were recognized at the game!!

#WEAREHOBART

Girls Golf @ IHSAA SECTIONAL (Valparaiso Country Club)

Boys Tennis vs. Merrillville

Tuesday

Volleyball vs. Munster *

Boys Tennis @ Morton

Girls Soccer vs. Kankakee Valley *

Wednesday

Boys Soccer @ Kankakee Valley *

Volleyball vs. Wheeler

Thursday

Volleyball @ Andrean *

Boys Tennis @ Crown Point

9th Football vs. Lowell *

Friday

Football @ Lowell *

Saturday

Boys Cross Country @ Highland Invite

Girls Cross Country @ Highland Invite

Boys Soccer vs. Kouts

Girls Soccer @ Wheeler

JV Football vs. Lowell *

* = NCC Opponent