In Geneva, NY the 2015 team checked in for preseason camp and the start of what fans and alums hope will be another historic season.
A few hundred miles to the northwest, Ali Marpet '15 had his NFL debut in a preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings. Although the Bucs came up short on the scoreboard, 26-16, Tampa Bay showed promise and Ali played pretty much the entire 2nd and 3rd quarters, even getting a "shout out" from broadcaster Chris Meyers.
Ali made key blocks on both of Tampa Bay's rushing TDs and otherwise held his own against the Vikings DL.
In case you missed it, I posted a few photos on @ITHuddLLe like this one:
Otherwise work by the Hobart Coaching staff will begin in earnest this morning.
A few interesting things to consider across D3FB and the LL:
MIT HC Chad Martinovich (Hobart '94 & @ChadMartinovich) has his team getting ready for two "Engineer Bowls" with WPI and RPI on their OOC schedule. The MIT Engineers won the NEFC title last season so how they fare against the LL Engineering schools will be an interesting gauge on how competitive the LL will be in 2015.
Former OC and now Endicott College HC Kevin DeWall '00 also has scheduled a LL double header, travelling to Hobart and Saint Lawrence in Weeks 2 & 3. These games, plus a tough Week 1 match up vs. perennial NEFC power Framingham State means Coach is receiving a "baptism by fire" to open the 2015 season!
Speaking of the Saints, Saint Lawrence opens on Friday, Sept 4 against newly minted Empire 8 school Morrisville State. Some think the Mustangs could surprise some teams in the E8, even make a playoff run this season based on an athletic QB and solid roster, so this is a huge opener for both schools.
Another opener Hobart fans should and will track is the Ithaca-Union game on September 5th. The Statesmen have a big rematch with the Bombers in Week 3 of the regular season so make sure to keep an eye on the box score of this one.
Union can only go up from their 2014 campaign and with SO QB Dante Cioffi taking over as a full time starter along with the return of GS WR Kyle Reynolds (who led the LL in receiving), there is more optimism in Schenectady than in prior seasons. As a LL fan, I'd really like to see them get a couple of OOC wins to start the season.
Other Week 1 games of interest include Rowan vs. #12 Widener and #19 St. John Fischer at #23 Thomas More.
Lastly, I'll put in a plug for D3football.com's annual preseason online magazine, Kickoff. It's an inexpensive and great way to get all the news, special features, rankings and stories on the upcoming 2015 season. You can sign up here. I ordered mine last week and understand it'll be published on August 25th.
Thanks for reading and next week I'll post my preseason Hobart preview. Go 'Bart!
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