BricksCenter

Tomorrow is the 131st anniversary of Labor Day being celebrated as a national holiday ... which is pretty awesome. Back in 1894, the US Congress passed an act making the first Monday of September each year a legal holiday dedicated as a national tribute to contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and overall well-being of our country.

Here in H-town, collars are generally more blue than white and we know all too well about how WORK WORK WORK plays a vital role in contributing not only to our personal growth and success, but to that of our entire community as well. In the SCOH, this holds true both in the classroom and on the turf, court, diamond and course! All 23 of our sports know what it means to be a BRICKIE and compete with ENERGY, SACRIFICE & DIRECTION!! These are the exact same characteristics displayed by workers who are honored each Labor Day! WE are 1 TEAM here in The Friendly City ... WE are HO-BART!

I hope everyone gets to enjoy a day off tomorrow - you've earned it. Right now ... it's time for BricksCenter!

Girls

After earning a split during week 1 of the season, our girls were back in action two more times this past week looking to stack some W's!

On Wednesday night, the Brickies hosted Michigan City in our home opener and our girls SHINED BRIGHT on Don Howell Field!! Hobart found the back of the net early and often throughout the first 40 minutes of play and held a commanding 7-0 advantage at the break! WOW!! In the second stanza, the Bricks added two more scores to win by mercy rule 9-0 for the 2nd straight year over the Wolves. Junior Kurah Krucina scored 4 GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAALLLS in the contest and classmates Addy Hendricks & Gabby Robles - along with super sophomores Val Rodriguez, Rylee Christman & Layla Gutierrez - each added one of their own for the final tally. Rodriguez also contributed 2 assists in the win and Hendricks, junior Mackenzie Svitek, and freshman Brooklyn Reichert registered 1.

Saturday morning brought a road trip to future NCC foe Illiana Christian. Whenever the Brickies & Vikings get together, it's ALWAYS a BATTLE! Over the last 4 years, Hobart has won 2, Illiana won 1 and there was 1 tie ... and the overall combined score is 7-7. Well, this one lived up to the hype! For 80 minutes, our girls FOUGHT HARD against the talented hosts and play was just as even this year as it's been since 2021. Unfortunately, Illiana was able to register a goal during those 80 minutes and the Brickies were not ... losing a tough one 1-0.

Hobart is now an even 2-2 on the year with a HUGE NCC contest on Thursday at HOME against the Lowell Red Devils. GO GET 'EM GIRLS!!

Boys

On Tuesday night, Hobart welcomed Hammond Central to The Friendly City for a non-conference matchup. The Brickies got on the board first when senior Cooper Evans sent a smooth pass to junior Cameron Guess who promptly sent it into the GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAALL for a 1-0 lead, which is what the scoreboard showed as the two teams headed to the locker room for halftime. In the second half, the Wolves tied the game with roughly 30 minutes remaining and then moved in front off a corner kick with just 39 ticks left. Our boys fought hard to find the net in the closing seconds, but could not manufacture a score and ultimately fell by a final score of 2-1. It was a heartbreaker for sure, but the experience gained playing in a close game should help our guys moving forward. Sophomore goalie Michael Klaich recorded 8 saves in the loss.

On Saturday, the Brickies were in Porter County to square off against the Morgan Township Cherokees. It was tough sledding all day with Morgan Township packing their defense in front of the goal ... or as Coach Luttell put it, "parking the bus" in the middle :). Still, our boys STAYED THE COURSE ... and after a scoreless first half of play, scored a 2nd half GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAALL when Cam Guess sent a shot into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead! Playing with the lead, our Brickie D-D-D-DEFENSE put the clamps on Morgan Township the rest of the way to maintain the shutout and secure an exciting VICTORY!!!

The Bricks are now 1-3 on the year and will travel to Lowell for a HUGE NCC matchup on Wednesday. DON'T STOP NOW BOYS!!

#WEAREONE

On Wednesday, the Brickies were back in Pure Michigan competing at the New Buffalo Invitational! This course went over the river & through the woods, but our kids still SHINED! On the girls side, senior Cassie Cohen was the OVERALL CHAMPION with a time of 20:26.1 - a SEASON BEST!! Sophomore Lilliana Lopez (5th) and seniors Aalliah Otero (10th), Audrey Turley (13th) & Millie Massey (14th) all notched TOP 15 PERFORMANCES and sophomore Khloe Reyes was right on their heels in 17th to help our Brickies WIN THE TEAM TITLE with 43 points!!! WOW - this was the first time Hobart has raced in New Buff and our girls brought home some HARDWARE for the trophy case!!

For the boys, senior Lu Cohen & junior Nolan Shaginaw each placed among the top 20 finishers!! Junior Jerry Theodorakos was next into the chute in 22nd overall and senior newcomer Mason Thorpe came in 26th! Overall, the Bricks placed 3rd out of 10 schools racing in the team competition.

Hobart will host the 85th ... that's right, I said 85 ... Annual Hobart Invite on Tuesday. This will be the 4th consecutive Hobart Invite to be run at the Hobart High School campus on 10th St!! You know what's really cool? The first Hobart Invite in 1940 was a 2-mile race. The 85th installment of this Indiana classic will also be a 2-mile race :). Should be an exciting day! LET'S GO BRICKS!!!

#PRIDEANDTRADITION

Friday night, the Hobart Brickies and Portage Indians met on the gridiron for the first time since 2004. These two were arch rivals in the Duneland Athletic Conference since it's inception in 1970. When the Brickies left for the Lake Athletic Conference in 2003, Hobart & Portage played 2 more years before calling it quits. The last time H-town defeated the Indians was way back in 1997 when legendary Hall of Fame coach Don Howell was still prowling the sidelines for the Bricks.

Needless to say, our boys were ready for the rematch :).

Hobart received the opening kickoff and methodically drove down the field for a TOUCHDOWN when senior tailback Max Pickett walked in from a yard out behind a GREAT push from our offensive line! After a successful 2-pt conversion, it was 8-0 Brickies less than 3 minutes in!! The early score was just the start of a CRAZY first quarter of play that saw these two proud teams trade touchdowns ... Portage on 2 long plays (61yds & 50yds) and Hobart on 2 long drives - our second TD came on a 17-yd pass from junior QB Alex Tatum to junior Aiden Kasch. Through 12 minutes of play, it was 15-14 good guys.

Fortunately for the Hobart faithful, that's as close as the host Indians would get as our boys scored 37 unanswered points over the next 2.5 quarters and with 8 minutes remaining in the game, the scoreboard showed a 52-14 Brickie lead!!! WOW!!!

Here's a quick rundown of the Hobart scores:

24-yard pass from Tatum to classmate Stephen Miller (21-14)

22-yard FG from junior placekicker Peter Janda (24-14)

8-yard run by Tatum (31-14)

3-yard run by Kasch (38-14)

48-yard pass from Tatum to junior Bryce Tolliver (45-14)

11-yard run by Kasch (52-14)

Not only was the Brickie offense clicking on all cylinders and scoring at will ... the Brickie D-D-D-DEFENSE completely shut down the Portage offense after those two long plays early in the game! Here are a few highlights from the Hobart Defense:

Interception by sophomore Terry Earvin

Interception by Miller

Fumble recovery by senior Josh Diaz

Fumble recovery by sophomore Fernando Robles

Interception by junior Nathan Sobczynski

WHAT A PERFORMANCE BY THE BRICKIES!!! Portage was able to score a late touchdown to close the final margin to 52-21, but the end result was a BRICKIE VICTORY!!!! WE ARE HO-BART!!!

Some statistics in the ROMP over Portage ...

Tatum - 10/12 passing for 216 yds & 3 TDs + 7 carries for 38 yds

Pickett - 27 carries for 102 yds & 1 TD

Kasch - 3 carries for 31 yds & 2 TDs + 3 catches for 47 yds & 1 TD

Miller - 2 catches for 68 yds & 1 TD + 1 INT

Tolliver - 3 catches for 82 yds & 1 TD + 1 INT

Sophomore Miles White - 11 total tackles

On a cool night in Portage, the first BATTLE FOR COUNTY LINE on the gridiron in over 20 years was more of a coronation than a competition! Our boys were FANTASTIC!!! ... and now, it's on to week #3!
Hobart is currently 2-0 on the year and will begin Northwest Crossroads Conference play on Friday at home against Munster. It should be another GREAT NIGHT to be a Brickie as we will also welcome new members to our Hobart Athletic Hall of Fame with the induction of our 1990 Class 4A Football STATE RUNNER-UP team!! BE THERE!!

#DOUBTUS

After going 3-1 last Saturday at our own Hobart Invite, our girls were back at it this week with 3 games in 3 days!

On Tuesday, the Munster Mustangs galloped into to town for a HUGE NCC matchup. In the first set, play was INTENSE as the Brickies came out swinging! Each team made plays trying to gain control and in a win-by-two game, they needed extra points to finish! Unfortunately, it was the 'Stangs who ended up on top 27-25. Set #2 was no different as our girls continued to BATTLE HARD against the talented visitors ... falling 25-22. In the 3rd set, Munster jumped out to a big lead, but the Brickies KEPT PLAYING and rallied to get within striking distance before losing another tough one 25-20. 3 sets ... total points were Munster 77, Hobart 67. What a match. A tough loss at home for our girls, but one that should help build confidence that we can compete with anyone we play. Junior Alissa Hope finished with a game-high 10 kills and classmate Cadence Costello added 6. Hope & senior Riley Weber each recorded 3 blocks ... seniors Maddi Lams had 16 digs as the libero and classmate Kalli Butcher added 10 along with a team-high 16 assists in the loss.

Wednesday night welcomed a non-conference contest against neighborhood rival River Forest. The Brickies wasted no time in setting the tone ... DOMINATING the Ingots in the first set to win 25-12! Over the next 2 sets, Hobart rotated players early and often to get everyone a chance to compete and won 25-13 & 25-17 to earn their 4th VICTORY of the year!

On Thursday, the wheels on the school bus went 'round & 'round down I-65 to Lowell for another big game in the Northwest Crossroads Conference. In another close game throughout, the host Red Devils won the first two sets by a close margin (25-22, 25-19) only to see the Bricks RALLY in the 3rd set to keep the match going with a 25-23 win! In the 4th set, Lowell and Hobart each made a case to seize momentum, but play was even until late when the Devils gained an edge and held on for a 25-20 win to close out a 3-1 victory.

The Lady Brickies are now 4-5 on the year and 0-2 in NCC play. Our girls are gaining experience and staying competitive against some good teams ... this upcoming week will be BIG! Merrillville and Andrean will certainly put us to the test - GOOD LUCK LADIES!!

#SERVED

After a light week #1 of competition with just one match against Portage (which we WON), the Brickies had to eat their Wheaties this week with three matches in three consecutive days!

On Tuesday night, our boys were in action @ Lake Station and looked STRONG against a potential future IHSAA Sectional opponent ... winning in STRAIGHT SETS at EVERY POSITION!! Seniors Gabe Gutierrez (#1) & Cash Salunga (#2) along with sophomore Maverick Becerra (#3) cruised in singles play ... only dropping 2 total games and winning by a combined score of 36-2! WOW! In doubles play, the #1 team of juniors Angel Gomez & Mason Mitchell also served & received to perfection ... winning 6-0, 6-0! The host Eagles did not field a #2 dubs team, so it was a 5-0 Hobart VICTORY!

Former NCC foe Griffith visited H-town on Wednesday afternoon. After 90 minutes of play, the visiting Panthers left town with their tail between their legs after our boys CRUSHED them 5-0!!! Gutierrez & Salunga once again won in straight sets in singles play, but didn't even surrender a game as each won 6-0, 6-0!! UNBELIEVABLE!! In doubles play, Gomez & Mitchell won their match 6-1, 6-3 and the tandem of senior Jayden Standish & junior Teddy Ho caged their opponent without dropping a game in another 6-0, 6-0 win! The Panthers had to forfeit at #3 singles, so the final result was another 5-0 BRICKIE VICTORY!!

On Thursday, our boys were on the road headed south to DeMotte to square off against the Kankakee Valley Kougars. EVERY time these two squads get together, it is CLOSE and Thursday was no different. Competing at #2 singles, Salunga needed an extra game to win set #1 7-6 and then capitalized on the momentum to win the 2nd set 6-2! Unfortunately, his win was the only one the Brickies would get as KV held the upper hand at all other varsity positions. Becerra fought HARD at #3 singles ... taking his opponent to a 3rd set tiebreaker after needing extra points in each of the first 2 sets (6-7, 11-9), but ultimately fell 2-1 @ #3 singles. Matches played @ #1 singles and both doubles were close as well, but the hosts won the battle 4-1 in a matchup that was much closer than the final (4-1) might indicate.

After two weeks of competition, Hobart is now 3-1 on the year and 0-1 in NCC play. The Brickies will have HUGE NCC matches on Tuesday (Lowell) & Thursday (Hanover Central) this upcoming week before heading to New Prairie for an Invitational on Saturday. GOOD LUCK BOYS!!

#ACES

Tuesday at River Pointe, the Brickies hosted the Bishop Noll Warriors for a non-conference golf match. If you recall, these two teams tied for 1st place at the Hobart Invite back on August 5th, but the Warriors took home the title based on the tiebreaker criteria. Needless to say, we knew this would be close ... and it was! Unfortunately, it was BNI once again coming out on top with a 225-230 win. For the Lady Bricks, senior Lily Ullrich was the top scorer with a 52 and freshman Corrine Oswald (57), sophomore Belle Zabrecky (58) & junior Makenzie Johnston (63) rounded out the varsity lineup.

On Wednesday afternoon, it was NCC rival Lowell who visited River Pointe Country Club. Conference matches always carry a little more weight than others and our Lady Brickies were ready to roll! Off to our best start in years at 2-1 in NCC play, our girls WERE ON FIRE and WON AGAIN with a 228-246 VICTORY!!! Ullrich (56), Oswald (56) & Johnston (57) were once again among the top scorers for Hobart and junior Marisa Salamanca earned the 4th varsity spot with a 59 to help the Bricks improve to 3-1 in conference play! LET'S GOOOOOO!!!

Friday afternoon, our girls went toe-to-toe with Hanover Central for sole possession of 2nd place in the NCC regular season standings ... both teams entered the contest with 3-1 records! Playing at Palmira in St John, Hobart posted a team score of 237 with Oswald, Ullrich, Salamanca & senior Olivia Postma rounding out the varsity scorers. Unfortunately, the Wildcats - playing on their home course - edged out the Bricks with a 232 for the win. It was a tough loss, but with the NCC Tournament Championship still to be played, our girls will look to flip the script at Scherwood in two weeks!

Hobart is currently 5-4 on the year and 3-2 NCC play. Three more rounds dot the scheduling landscape this upcoming week. LET'S GOOOOOOOO! YOU CAN DO THIS LADIES!!

#NANANANANANANANA

Happy Labor Day - No Events Scheduled

Tuesday

Girls Cross Country @ Hobart Invite

Boys Cross Country @ Hobart Invite

Boys Tennis vs. Lowell *

Girls Golf vs. Munster *

Wednesday

Girls Volleyball @ Merrillville

Boys Soccer @ Lowell *

Girls Golf vs. Wheeler/Calumet

Thursday

Girls Soccer vs. Lowell *

Boys Tennis @ Hanover Central *

Girls Volleyball @ Andrean *

9th Football @ Munster *

Friday

Football vs. Munster * (HOF Induction - 1990 Class 4A Football State Runner-Up Team)

Girls Golf @ Illiana Christian

Saturday

Boys Soccer @ Plymouth

Boys Tennis @ New Prairie Invite

JV Football @ Munster *

HOBART MOOSE BINGO TO SUPPORT BRICKIE ATHLETICS (Doors open @ 5, Play begins @ 7)

* = NCC Opponent