Statesmen Go Renegade

The Hobart Statesmen Football team will "go renegade" thanks to colorful new uniforms from Under Armour. Head Coach Mike Cragg gave fans and alumni a "sneak peak" of the sharp, new orange jerseys in his summer update.

Coach also indicated the staff is out in force attending camps across New England, Mid-Atlantic and South Florida. Speaking of recruiting, check back in later this week for more news on incoming players. The coaching staff is putting together quite a class!

Thanks for reading and go (Renegade) 'Bart!

From Hopatcong to Hobart, Rogers Selects Statesmen

It's officially summer and that means we're only two months away from talking about preseason football. In meantime, here's some more news on incoming FY players...

The recruiting trail in New Jersey was a fruitful one for the Hobart College Statesmen this offseason. The latest commitment from the Garden State comes from Sussex County as Hopatcong HS SR DB/WR Stephen Rogers has decided to enroll at Hobart.

Stephen starred on a Chiefs team that finished the 2013 season with a respectible 6-4 overall record in the very competitive Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference. He finished the season with 21 tackles on defense and 325 receiving yards (23 catches or a 14.1 YPC) and three TDs as a receiver. Rogers also racked up 110 yards on kickoff returns (five total).

Rogers is tall (6'2") and runs a 4.5 40 yard dash. This combo of speed and wingspan is evident in his highlight reel. Stephen was selected to the Paul Robeson Classic, a NJHS All Star game that regularly features DI caliber talent. Rogers showed well, doing a great job covering Cedar Grove HS's David Njoku, a receiver who signed with Miami.

Off the gridiron Rogers competes in track, running the 110 HH (15.5) and clearing 6'2", 20'.25 and 40'10.75 in the high, long and triple jump, respectively.

Overall it appears like Rogers has potential to be an impact player as he adapts to the college game. It's certainly been a while since a Hobart CB was over 6', which will help in the playoffs against some of the large, rangy receivers from the midwest.

Please join me in welcoming "Captain America" Stephen Rogers to Hobart!

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Something Funny's Going On In Geneva....

Go Statesmen!

 

Hobart Appears in Two Preseason Polls, SRs Coleman and Marpet Named Preseason All-Americans

Although the 2014 season is still 90-some days away, the Sporting News and Lindys have already released their preseason Division III college football polls.

The Statesmen landed in the Top 20 in both, at #12 in the SNCFB and #17 in the Lindys publications, respectively. While I think the #12 ranking is a bit high given graduations of key players, somewhere between 12 and 17 is probably just right given last season's 10-1 record and the fact Hobart has 14 returning lettermen (not to mention the Class of 2015 has lost only one regular season game during their college careers).

SR DE Tyre Coleman and SR OL Ali Marpet were named to Lindys Preseason First All-DivIII teams. The only other Liberty League Player mentioned was RPI's SR PK Andrew Franks. Franks also earned First Team recognition as a kicker.

Coleman also earned a nod on the SNCFB preseason All-America squad.

While the D3football.com poll won't be released for two+ more months, the above publications are on news stands (and online) now if you want to study up on the upcoming season.

Thanks for reading and Go Bart!

Lakeland's Wallerstein Headed to Hobart

Lakelandfootball.net (Wanaque, NJ) reports that SR QB Adam Wallerstein has commited to attend Hobart College. A link to the article can be found here.

Wallerstein led the Lancers to a 7-3 overall record in 2013 passing for 1,902 yards with 28 passing and three rushing TDs. Wallerstein is good size at 6'3"and 200 lbs and has a strong - in five games he had TD passes over 50 yards - and an accurate - going 93 of 168 attempts or 55.5% - arm. He scored seven touchdowns in a game, an impressive feat chronciled here by NorthJersey.com.

Wallerstein, a co-captain of the Lancers, showed a lot of maturity and leadership after the game when he stated "how the offensive line protected me phenomenally and how my receivers and running backs helped me out throughout the game." Aside from being an excellent QB, Adam is an aspiring writer a skill he's sure to improve on at HWS.

Unless another recruit or transfer comes into camp, Adam will be the sixth QB on the Statesmen roster this fall. Last season Hobart brought in (rising) SO QBs Troy Anthony and Dillon Russo. If you have concerns that the Statesmen are stockpiling QBs, you should note that this is luxury most teams would like to have. Hobart's multiple QBs (e.g., a strong starter with a solid, if not equal backup) running the offense has been a winning formula for the Statesmen for several seasons when you consider:

2010 - Vella and Strang: Vella started all but the Union game which Strang won in 2OT, scoring six TDs
2011 - Strang and Olney: Strang started all but the NCAA playoff game which Olney threw for 200+ yards in a narrow 35-28 loss to then #3 Wesley
2012 - Strang and Olney: Strang started but Olney played a significant role in several games, especially in the NCAA playoffs
2013 - Conlan and Bayly: Conlan started all but Bayly appeared in nine games, passing for two TDs

This depth is a big reason for Hobart's recent run of three straight LL titles and playoff runs.

Please join me in welcoming Adam into the Statesmen Football family.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!