The 2022 season was a bit of a rollercoaster ride for Hobart College Football fans. A relatively younger team compared to many in the Liberty League, the Statesmen were predicted to finish third in conference and based on the final standings (7-4, 4-2), did exactly that.
That said many Statesmen alums and others thought this team had more potential than that, but injuries, some personnel issues and bad breaks ended up keeping Hobart from going back to the NCAA playoffs for the fifth season in a row.
15 Statesmen earned All-League recognition and Hobart finished the year ranked third in total offense (28.5 PPG) and total defense (14.8 PPG allowed). A good deal for the Statesmen's success (and lack thereof) was based on the legs of JR RBs Tim Denham, Jr. and Rayshawn Boswell. Unfortunately their numbers dropped precipitously this season due to health issues, as Denham and Boswell only averaged 71.2 and 45.9 YPG respectively but scored a combined 17 rushing TDs.
Statesmen Standouts
The passing game was hit and miss, but SO WR Rane Daramola emerged as a new receiving threat, catching 18 passes for over 400 yards and a team-high 4 TDs. Honestly Daramola's 58-yard game winning TD catch against Union with 2:10 remaining was probably the biggest play and highlight of the 2022 season for Hobart.
On the defensive side of things, SO LB Anthony Romano had a fantastic season, leading the Statesmen with 88 total tackles, while adding 10.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 2 INTs (including the pick six in the ECAC Bowl game at W&J). Classmate SO LB Peterson Monexant also had a strong year, finishing the season with 66 stops, 11 TFL, 4 sacks and an INT.
On special teams, both FY PK Vicente Lyon and SO PK Tobias Wefering had solid seasons. Lyon finished third in the LL in net punting average. Wefering will need to improve on accuracy as he went 6-12 on FGs with a long of 39.
Looking Back
Based on the Senior Day photos, it looks like Hobart will lose at least 12 players to graduation. Some names who were missing (and/or were recognized last year) included QB David Krewson and DB Jay McCoy. McCoy was second on the team in tackles (82) this season. Krewson finished his Hobart career with 3,568 passing yards and 23 passing, 7 rushing and 1 receiving TD.
Also finishing up their careers as 5th YR SRs included WR Alex LaBella and DE Kyle Spano. LaBella had 53 receptions for 662 yards and 4 TDs over his playing career. Spano had a total of 58 tackles, including 11.5 TFL, 6.5 sacks, 2 FF, and 1 FR.
The players who were recognized on Senior Day included the following:
SR DB Blake Hansen - an outstanding safety for Hobart who was the MVP of last year's ECAC Bowl win. He has a year of eligibility left but appears to have played his final season. He will be tough to replace in the defensive secondary.
SR QBs Kieran Hamilton & Joseph Pelletier - both appeared in a handful of games over the years. I had the pleasure of meeting Joe at Halsey's the night before the Rochester game.
JR LS Jordan O'Connor - a true specialist for Hobart, serving as the long-snapper on punts, FG, etc.
JR DL Jack Daley - a converted LB, Daley rotated in on the DL over the past two seasons.
SR LB Vito Visconti - big and tough ILB that rotated in Hobart's very deep and athletic LB corps.
SR DL Naj Johnson - huge interior DL who was a valued run-stuffer and pass rusher. Struggled with injuries over his career but was an impact player when healthy.
SR OL Kieran Paskewitz, Ben Frank & Cade Frucci - a core group of Hobart's starting OL in 2021 and 2022. Paskewitz earned All-Region honors in 2021 and was consistently ranked as the Statesmen's top OL. Frank was a huge run blocker who often got flagged for being a little too aggressive at times, but it was clear the coaches didn't mind, because he started at LT for an extended run. Frucci switched from guard to tackle this season and was a key anchor to the Hobart run and pass game.
SR TE Mike Zaccone - two-time team captain, Zaccone didn't get a lot of opportunities in the passing game but finished his career with a couple of TDs and was a big reason why the Statesmen's rushing attack was always the strength of the offense.
SR TE Cade Cecere - my "neighbor" here in Orlando, Cade was converted from OL to TE and like Zaccone, was a strong run blocker.
Looking Ahead
There will be some holes to fill on both sides of the ball, but 2023 should be another season of potentially good things in store for Hobart Football. Sure, the Statesmen will need to get some new starters on the OL and see if SO QB Johnny Columbi is the man of the future in running the offense. I know there are two FY QBs on the roster (including Tabor Engle from my hometown of Avon, CT), so this will be a position battle of interest in the off-season. On the flip side, Hobart brings back a large amount of defensive and special teams' talent, not to mention the one-two punch of Boswell and Denham, Jr.
The 2023 schedule could present some changes given the addition of the Landmark Conference to D3FB and the fact they made an alliance with the Empire 8. This puts LL teams at a scheduling disadvantage, but it could also mean we as fans may get to see Hobart square off against teams from other parts of the nation we normally wouldn't otherwise (except for maybe in the playoffs or a bowl game).
Otherwise, I'll post as recruiting or other relevant news pops up. Wishing everyone a very happy Thanksgiving and holiday season.
Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!
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