(Some of the) Empire 8 Will Play in the Spring, the Liberty League....?

Yesterday afternoon we learned that the Empire 8 has and released a 2021 Spring Football regular schedule. Made up of the four private schools in the conference - Alfred, Hartwick, Saint John Fisher and Utica - a round robin schedule of games will begin the weekend of March 12 and run three weeks.

A copy of the announcement can be seen here.

So what about the other NYS conference made up of all private colleges? Well, unfortunately the Liberty League has refrained from making a similar announcement, and based on sources I have, probably won't.

Buffalo State, as a SUNY school, won't even be back on campus until March. In a tweet reporting this news, my ITH co-host Frank Rossi surmised:

We lack clear LL answers. Here are our @D3FBHuddle thoughts:

Impossible: @RPIFootball (no full on-campus presence) & @BuffStateFB (SUNY). JB - add: We also learned yesterday that @SLUFootball is likely in this camp due to lack of resources to run games in the spring.

Unlikely: @UnionCollegeFB & @IthacaBomberFB (based on fall football postures)

Maybe: @HobartFootball & @UofRFootball

It's pretty clear the LL would need at least 4 teams to make a similar schedule work. Even with Dr. Jacobsen's pro-stance on getting HWS fall sports teams a spring season, the lack of available opponents may nix it from happening. 

I don't view either Union or Ithaca being game, so the only scenario I could see is a single game / scrimmage against the UofR as Hobart's only likely option, unfortunately.

Time will tell, but for now the Statesmen will need to keep looking towards the fall.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Recruiting Update - Start of the Class of 2025 Statesmen Signees

Although we had an unfortunate cancellation of the 2020 season, the Hobart College Statesmen Football coaches jobs as recruiters never ends. Earlier this week, the first of what is sure to be another strong recruiting class announced over Twitter that they were committed to coming to Hobart.

Another in a long line of student athletes who've come up to Geneva from "Strong Island", Oceanside HS SR RB/LB Andres Duran tweeted that:

"I am beyond grateful to announce that I will be furthering my academic and athletic career at Hobart College. I am extremely thankful for my coaches, family and friends that helped me along the way." @AndresDurann on 12/14/20

With HWS ED1 decisions delivered last weekend, I'm sure more of these announcements will occur over the coming weeks. Duran will be the second OHS player on the Hobart roster as he'll join Sailors alum and current Hobart JR LB Bryan Aguilar. 

As you can see from his junior season highlights, Andres brings a mix of speed, strength and natural instincts as a RB and LB. He rushed for 694 yards and 9 TDs (8.1 YPR) while adding 10 catches for 70 yards as a receiver. Standing 5' 10" and 195 lbs. Andres is stocky but a strong scraper and tackler with a nose for the football. He had 48 tackles, 2 sacks and 2 FRs as a "Mike" LB for OHS in 2019. He also starred in lacrosse for Sailors.

While time (and the 2021 preseason) will tell where the coaching staff decides to utilize Duran's talents, my initial guess is at LB given this photo op with Coach Fly during his recruiting visit back on November 3rd. 

Overall, Duran seems like a quality get for the Statesmen, as his timeline indicated he was getting interest / looking at several strong programs including Southern CT State (D2), Assumption (D2), Stonehill (D3), Springfield, Cortland and Utica. 

Please join me in being the first to welcome Andres and the extended Duran family to the Statesmen one! 

Thanks as always for reading the blog and go 'Bart! 

Spring Football May Happen, After All...

Another D3FB conference plans to released a "spring" schedule of football games happening at the end of February and running about five weeks. This will be about the ninth (depending how you're counting) conference to publish a spring schedule, given the advent of less expensive and more available testing measures. Others have alluded to publishing schedules at a future date.

Frank and I are tracking them and this is what we have so far:

While the Liberty League has yet to comment, I understand the Empire 8 has plans to make an announcement regarding spring football by or just after January 1, but it will depend on individual schools declaring they are ready and willing to compete. 

While I understand at least one LL school is likely only going to do one scrimmage and that's it, there is - at least for now - more hope / optimism we may get to see some D3FB come February and March.

Thanks, as always, for reading and go 'Bart!

Getting to Know Coach "Fly"

I hope this finds everyone doing well and having enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving. It's hard to believe it's already December! 

As briefly mentioned in a prior post, the Hobart College Statesmen football team welcomed a new assistant coach recently. I reached out to Coach Fleischacker to get to know him better. 

Our "interview" (my questions in bold, his responses in regular text) is below:

Your bio says you attended and got your undergraduate degree at Penn State. Are you a PA native? Where did you grow up and play HS (and/or college) football?

First off, it is awesome to be answering questions from a Hobart Alum that does great things for all players and programs at the Division 3 level by promoting our brand of college football.  I am originally from Cream Ridge, NJ; a small, rural central jersey town.  I grew up on a horse farm with my family; I graduated and played high school football at Allentown (NJ) High School. I was a DB and a kicker.  I went to college at Penn State with aspirations of walking on as a kicker (did not happen), but I was hired as a scouting intern under Bill O’Brien’s staff as a freshman in college.  Once Coach O’Brien took the Head Coaching job with Houston and James Franklin took over, I made it a point to start helping the Graduate Assistants on the defensive side of the ball.  The Defensive Staff quickly took me in as one of their own and I started working specifically with the linebackers for the next two seasons until graduation.

Who were some of the coaches that really inspired you and have you adopted any of their philosophies?

Brent Pry has been the biggest mentor in my career, and I am forever grateful for everything he has taught me and the guidance he continues to offer.  That entire Penn State staff under Coach Franklin instilled in me early-on the importance of strong relationships between the players and coaches and enjoying coming to work everyday while holding everyone in the program to a high standard.  

Nate Woody who gave me my opportunity at Appalachian State taught me one of the greatest lessons in coaching I have ever heard. “If you keep it simple, and your players can execute the defense you’re asking them to at a really high level; well, then you give yourself a good chance.”  That is something that I continue to find to be true in any defensive scheme I have been part of over the past few years.

Lastly, Will Windham, who was one of the Defensive GA’s at Penn State when I was a student assistant, must have told me this one sentence 1,000x during my first season. “Attention to detail.”  He showed me the work ethic it takes to be successful as a college football coach and I’m extremely grateful for everything he has done for my young career. 

What led you to want to become a student assistant coach during your time at Penn State?

When I went to college, I remember I told my parents and grandparents I was going to get on that field at Beaver Stadium somehow.  Naively, I thought that would be with a helmet on, turned out to be a headset instead.

I was majoring in Accounting and spending 10+ hours of my day as an unpaid student-assistant with the program.  I quickly figured out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life and that was not going to be working with taxes. The thought that I could ‘come to work’ everyday and coach the game of football, game plan against opponents and recruit student-athletes was a dream that now had some light shed on it. 

The life of a young coach requires a lot of movement. What were some of the similarities and differences you saw between PSU, Appalachian State and Mercer? 

I quickly saw the similarities between App State and Penn State from a football culture standpoint.  There were high standards from the outside-community but even higher standards internally.  There was a history of excellence in both programs. That history may have been at different levels (FBS vs. FCS) but we (App State) were in the middle of showing everyone that we could have success at the FBS level after making the transition from the FCS level a few years prior.  They have continued to show that their culture drives the success as the winning has not stopped in Boone, NC. 

We had very different Head Coaches at App State and PSU from a leadership standpoint.  Coach Satterfield (who was also the Offensive Coordinator) really let Coach Woody (Defensive Coordinator) be the Head Coach of the defense.  The dynamic worked extremely well for us as a staff and as a team.  Coach Franklin took more of a CEO approach.  He is one of the best motivators I’ve ever been around and made sure he knew what was going on in every aspect of his program, but he would always allow his coaches to do their job and take care of their own position group.  Both are great football coaches that have each respectively had an enormous amount of success.

It was a completely different situation at Mercer as Coach Bobby Lamb created and built the Mercer Football Program from the ground up over the past 7 years.  Seeing everything that had gone into building Mercer’s program, showed me how long it took those cultures to establish themselves at Penn State and Appalachian State.  Being at a smaller school like Mercer, I realized how much more involved I would be with other aspects of the team such as academics, equipment, and recruiting and operations, since there was less support staff than the previous two stops.  This was something I embraced as an opportunity to continue to grow as a young coach and bring as much value as possible. This turned out to be something that made me closer with my players off the field as we work together more often on issues that could arise off the field.

How would you compare D3FB to upper division FB based on your first-hand experience?

College football is college football.  The fact that we give guys an opportunity to get a world-class degree and compete for championships on a yearly basis is what it is all about in my opinion.  The biggest difference from a program standpoint is the size of the staff.  I would sit in a football staff meeting of 30+ people every morning at Penn State.  It was organized, efficient, and a very productive way to start every day to get the entire program on the same page.  Here at Hobart and even last year at Mercer, it is not even comparable and that is okay!  One of the first things Greg Hadley told me when I got here is that at Hobart we have always done “more with less.” 

At the end of the day, we are putting 11 guys on the field to go against 11 guys from somewhere else.  It is about competing and coming together as a team and as a family.  The values that all the players and coaches learn from the experiences and adversity of a season is the same no matter what level you are playing at.  We tell high school players all the time, find the best fit for you and your family-- academically, athletically, socially, etc.  

Most of us "old guys" remember the days when Hobart FB had a more traditional "Mike, Frank, Will and Sam" LB set up. How has the growth of the spread changed this "old school" set up given using less DL, more DBs/OLB hybrids, packages, etc.?

A spread offense does make you want to get as many athletes as possible out on the field to put us in the best situation we can be to get everything stopped and covered. For us specifically at linebacker (Inside & Outside), we want players that understand their role in the framework of the defense and can execute at a fast & high level.  We spend so much time on teaching techniques and fundamentals that we try to make the process of installing new packages or defenses for certain situations a little easier by using existing techniques in a different spot on the field. 

I firmly believe that a successful defense will always start and stop upfront and having the ability to stop the run no matter what offensive scheme the opponent is running.  I saw three different option-style offenses last season, a handful of spread offenses and a couple more pro-style 21/12 personnel type teams.  We have to be ready for it all. That starts with a strong knowledge of our techniques and fundamentals. 

What drew you to the Hobart job? How do you like living in Geneva?

Prior to being hired here at Hobart, I was coaching linebackers at Muhlenberg in more of a part-time capacity that only ended up lasting about 3 months and was all virtual due to the pandemic.  Nate Milne [Hobart '03] and Kory David [Statesmen DC for the 2015 and 2016 seasons] had both talked to me about their respective times here at Hobart and they have nothing but great things to say about the program, Coach DeWall, the surrounding area and everything in between.  The more research I did and the more people I talked to, I got the sense that this was a place where a high level of importance is put on having success in the classroom and on the field.  The more I talked to Coach DeWall, Coach Hadley, Coach Green and the rest of the staff the more it felt like this program is headed in the right direction and it was definitely something I wanted to come and help be a part of. 

So far, I am loving living in Geneva! You cannot beat living on the lake. I have done some exploring so far around Geneva and the Finger Lakes and have been impressed!  I am definitely looking forward to doing more of it hopefully in the near future as we get through this COVID-winter.

What has this past year - given the uncertainties due to COVID, lack of NCAA guidance on return to play plans, etc. - been like for you as a coach?

It has been challenging on a lot of different fronts. When the pandemic hit, I was in the middle of looking for a new job, which was not the greatest of timing.  But I tell my guys all the time that we have to attack any adversity that comes our way and come out of it stronger on the other end.  Fast forward through the whole process and everything worked out for the best and I landed in a situation that I am truly thankful to be in.

As COVID relates to the on-the-field play, our players did an unbelievable job this fall term of having a positive attitude and a great work ethic through it all.  We were able to get in a lot of great full-padded work on the field and we were able to compete in all three phases of the game and most importantly get reps under our belts. Our staff came up with a great plan to safely get the most out of this term on the field and I think the sacrifices we all had to make as players and coaches to get all of this completed will pay off in the end when we look back on this time.  

This was not the fall any of us had anticipated but all we can do is continue to push forward and wait until we are told we can compete again.  Hobart will be ready. 

Is there anything else you'd like past, current and future Statesmen players, families and alums to know about you that I haven't already asked?

I am incredibly excited to be here.  I’m excited for where this program is going.  I understand the great tradition and standards that come with being a part of the Hobart Statesmen Football Program.  I am ready to give everything I have to this school and the community and I will always do whatever I can to help each of my players become the best version of themselves by the time they graduate from HWS. 

Latest NCAA "Guidance" Leaves a Lot to be Desired

Last Friday, the NCAA issued its second edition of its “Resocialization of College Sport” document. It is noteworthy for several reasons and I'll copy and paste some of my "In the (D3FB) Huddle" partner and co-host, Frank Rossi's takes on it below:

1) Prior mandates (including opt-out rights, eligibility accommodations, and ban on liability waivers) are stated to “remain in place,” but the requirements are stated to have expired on 10/27/2020. It is unclear which is correct.

2) Myocarditis (inflamed heart tissue) risks are only briefly mentioned as “cardiac & exercise considerations for resumption of exercise...” w/ recommendation for screening being only “a tiered approach” based on symptom severity, not universal despite Big 10 suggestions.

3) A wider embrace of Point-of-Care testing is seen, but due to 2% potential of missing positives & its lower price, higher test frequency is recommended if that route is chosen. Antibody testing is not embraced, and non-rapid PCR testing is still preferred.

4) Retesting of prior-positive individuals may be avoided for 150 days to avoid false positives while immunity continues unless symptoms are encountered after the 90th day.

5) Sports & individuals around those sports are now categorized by “sport transmission risk” (low, intermediate, high) and testing strategy tiers (Tier 1, 2, & 3, 1 being highest exposure with a bigger need for aggressive testing strategy).

6) Tier 1 athletes (including MBB/WBB & FB) should be tested 1x weekly (72 hours before) by PCR testing (3x weekly by rapid PCR testing) if an outdoor sport, or 3x weekly for indoor sports unless universal masking, etc., occurs in program.

7) For sports with multiple weekly games that are either back to back or separated by a day, testing should be regular PCR within 3 days of Game 2, and rapid PCR the day of each game.

Ultimately, it is Frank's opinion (and I agree) that "the NCAA needs to alleviate the confusion concerning the expiration of the original mandates". Unfortunately the above, especially the testing costs will make it extremely difficult for D3 sports to take place for the remainder of the 2020-21 academic year, and could possibly impact the fall 2021 season also.

That said, I'm not optimistic for spring D3FB (conferences such as the HCAC, OAC and ASC may be exceptions), but I do think schools will be able to produce some padded practices and/or single scrimmages at least. Frank expands on the above in a recent radio appearance if you care to tune in and listen to it.

I'll have some more Hobart-related content in the near future. Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart! 

Intra-squad Scrimmage Caught by TWIP

 I was perusing the latest "TWIP" section of the Hobart and William Smith website and came across something we haven't gotten a chance to see so far this fall - the Statesmen playing football on the Boz!

Below it appears as though FY DB Joe McCoy is about to get a PBU on a play intended for SO WR Shahkyle Matthews while FY WR Marcus Lenz looks on. 

While the NCAA hasn't made any changes, other than a blanket eligibility waiver, at the D3 level and we're still in a waiting game, it's at least reassuring to know that practices are happening and Team127 is hard at work. 

I hope to have a feature / interview up in the coming weeks. Thanks for reading and go 'Bart! 

Missing the Boys of Fall

HC Kevin DeWall '00 captured a beautiful moment this morning as the 127th Hobart College football team got some reps in as small, but at least on offense, full squad.

It's hard to believe we're already halfway through October and although it's been proven in several others states high school, college and pro football can and has happened, we will have to continue to wait on the state of New York and the NCAA to figure out if and when D3FB will resume.

I still feel like the potential spring season remains highly in doubt based on financial and legal matters that will dissuade most college presidents and boards from allowing their student athletes to participate.

All that means is we just have to continue hoping the next summer preseason starts as usual and things return, albeit probably to more of a new, normal come August 2021. At least one thing is clear, the Statesmen are diligently preparing for when their next opportunity calls.

In the meantime, let's welcome new LB/ST assistant coach Matt Fleischacker to the team! He has an impressive football background and I'm sure he'll add a lot to the team.

Hopefully we'll see all the coaches on the sidelines and players on the field sooner than later. Honestly, the 127th season of Hobart Football can't come fast enough.

Thanks for checking in and go 'Bart! 

Homecoming Weekend

This weekend marks the annual HWS Homecoming tradition, but it'll be a different one this year. The NCAA and effectively all of D3 shutting down fall sports makes this Homecoming one without any teams returning from the road and playing in front of their fans, friends and families.

Still, HWS is moving on and still hosting a number of events, in person and virtual, this week and into the weekend to celebrate Statesmen, Herons and HWS school spirit. I can't believe it's been a decade since I last attended Homecoming weekend - reuniting with some old friends to play music before the football game (and crashing a make shift easy chair on wheels in the Fall Nationals race).

I had moved from Geneva in the spring of 1998 to take a job with a firm out in Chicago. After being a kid from a rural area and attending a college in a similar setting, this would be my first big city experience. Given that move and then a subsequent one to Los Angeles, it took me over 12 years to make it back to Upstate NY.

The Homecoming (and rock band reunion) weekend made it the perfect excuse to do so and I really enjoyed it (in spite of the 34-14 loss to then #21 Saint John Fisher and the scrapes and contusions from the rally car crash).

In other news, today is the 12-year anniversary / birthday of In the (D3FB) Huddle. We released our Season 13 premiere last Monday. ICYMI you can see it here.

Wishing everyone a very happy and healthy Homecoming weekend. I'll be appearing on WHWS 105.7 FM Friday, 9/25 at 3:25 PM ET to talk a little football with the "Broadstreet Boyz". Tune in if you can. A replay of the interview can be viewed / heard here. 

As always, thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

#NeverForget

 On this 19th anniversary of the attacks of 9-11, I wanted to recognize former Hobart College football player and alumnus Andy Glokin '93 as well as fellow grads Scott Rohner '01 and Michael Simon '83, P '11 who lost their lives that unfortunate day.

I'd also like to recognize the Toyen family, who lost their daughter and sister Amy in the attacks. She was the younger sister of my Avon High School classmate, Heather.

Never Forget.

Forde Earns More Honors, HWS Managing COVID-19 Cases

Although the season was wiped away by the NCAA's rulings on COVID-related precautions/restrictions, D3Football.com went ahead and published a 2020 preseason All-America team. HWSAthletics.com put out a press release on SR OLB Emmett Forde earning yet another first team defensive award late last week.

The D3football.com All American honors completes an impressive preseason trifecta for Forde who was also named to the Street & Smith and Lindy's AA teams

(photo courtesy of HWSAthletics.com & Kevin Colton)

Meanwhile, classes have resumed up in Geneva and so far the Colleges have only had a handful of COVID positive tests with no other issues (e.g., hospitalizations) reported. A very detailed and thorough account of the measures being taken was sent to the broader HWS community by still relatively new Provost and Dean of the Faculty Mary Coffey and Robb Flowers, VP for Campus Life.

What I found to be the best part of this communication was the statement that, "While we know no one wants to hear that we have positive cases, we have anticipated that this would happen and prepared for their management."

Of course cases were bound to happen, albeit these are almost all, if not 100%. likely to be asymptomatic in nature, it's reassuring that the administration's plan is working and mitigating any potential risk to the broader community. 

Hopefully the fall semester will continue without any disruption, and as other states / regions show football can be done relatively safely, the NCAA and D3 can revisit a possible spring season. While I am optimistic by nature, there are still a couple of serious hurdles the NCAA will need to update / address for D3 schools to try and recoup a lost fall season. Time will tell with that. 

In the meantime, thanks for reading and as always, go 'Bart!

 

Where'd the Time Go? CA Celebrates Its 11th Anniversary

 Today, "Comin' Atcha" celebrates it's "official" 11th year / 12th season anniversary, albeit sadly, with no fall season to look forward to covering.

In the next couple of days I'll plan on putting together a "what if" 2020 preseason preview, like I have from past seasons - like this one, from all the way back in 2009. We'll also break down the Class of 2024, which has been added to the roster, along with what appears to be a few new transfers / adds to the team, in general.

Thanks to you Hobart College Football fans, friends and alums for the 280K views to date! While we probably won't hit 300K any time soon without a fall season, it's been a fun ride so far and better days are ahead.

Thanks again as always for reading it - more stuff will be "Comin' Atcha" soon.

Go 'Bart!

Liability Concerns Officially End the Fall (and probably Spring) Season, per the NCAA

As many of you already know, the D3 (and D2) fall championships were cancelled last week after a number of new (D1-focused) requirements were released by the NCAA. These requirements are hitting even harder now, as FBS conferences like the PAC-12 and Big 10 have also postponed fall sports.

Based on the liability waiver and medical / insurance related costs associated with the NCAA's requirements, which places an inordinate amount of financial and legal risk on small (and large) colleges, I know have a hard time believing there will be a spring football season.

Maybe padded practices or a scrimmage here and there will be able to be held, but anything else seems like a long shot given the updated NCAA stance. Unless there's a vaccine or a 180 by the folks in Indy, you can probably kiss the 20-21 sports season(s) goodbye, sadly.

Frank and I went into this in detail in our last In the D3FB Huddle episode, which included an interview with Brockport AD Erick Hart. He was tempered in his answer over spring football happening, indicating that they may play one scrimmage against a neighboring school like St. John Fisher.

In the meantime, all we can do is wait and see what, if anything, happens in the coming weeks / months. School is starting back up soon - don't forget your masks - so that's the first step.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

So Now What?

With the official cancellation of the 2020 fall season by the Liberty League back on July 22nd, the Hobart College Statesmen will have its first break from football since 1945.

While it's possible a spring season could be in the offing, I have a number of concerns which were outlined in our last In the D3FB Huddle show. We have another one coming out today (I think), were we cover off why the American Rivers Conference (ARC) is trying to still have a season and what teams are still holding out hope they can do the same.

Time will tell what colleges and universities are able (or not) to do once everyone returns to campus in the coming weeks. For now we can only wonder "what if" and live with the heartbreak that for now, D3FB will have to wait.

It's Over

The NCAA guidance released this week recommending schools test 72 hours in advance of games, among other protocols, was the tipping point that effectively ended the fall 2020 sports season. Today basically all of New England, conferences and schools alike, cancelled on the 2020 season.

Starting this Monday we'll see a large number of similar announcements in schools outside the East, which will eventually lead to the NCAA effectively saying fall sports championships will not be held, save for the low impact / risk sports listed in their last memo.

For Hobart, this means a possible spring football season, along with the rest of D3FB. The issue there is what does that actually look like? There are numerous risks, even worse and more likely than contracting the virus in my opinion, to playing two full contact football seasons within an 7-8 month time period.

The complications of moving fall sports to spring raises a lot of other questions, not limited to what sports get priority scheduling wise? How are locker rooms going to be shared? Are there enough athletic training and equipment staff?

This is just the tip of the iceberg. We'll have more on In the D3FB Huddle early next week on this topic.

I'm just very disappointed we couldn't do better for our student athletes and coaches.

Go 'Bart....

Non-Conference Games Take a Hit

As we reported last night live on In the D3FB Huddle two more conferences have decided to cancel their fall seasons. The biggest impact to the Hobart College Football season was the 9:30 PM announcement by the Empire 8, which most of us assumed would fill at least one or two of the Statesmen's OOC games this fall.

This morning the MASCAC (primarily made up of state schools) followed suit and cancelled their season as well. With three other eastern conferences - the CCC, NEWMAC and NJAC - still to decide, things are looking more grim.

The one sliver of hope was the fact that Hobart's Week 4 (now basically home and season opener) opponent, Keystone College, does still intend to play this fall.

As of now, the Statesmen's schedule is as follows:

Week 4 - 9/26/20 vs. Keystone
Week 7 - 10/17/20 vs. Ithaca (who hasn't made a formal announcement regarding fall sports)
Week 9 - 10/31/20 @ St. Lawrence
Week 10 - 11/7/20 @ Buff State (who is a SUNY like most of the E8, they haven't made a formal announcement either)
Week 11 - 11/14/20 vs. Rochester

With only 5 confirmed games and two opponents that are TBD, the Statesmen and the LL will have some challenging decisions to make over the coming weeks. The NCAA remains silent regarding any guidance other than blanket eligibility waivers and while some conferences, like the MASCAC, have alluded to spring football, that's far from guaranteed.

I texted with one coach about whether or not schedules could or would be completely rearranged, for example, move a game in November up to October, and he said " everything is on the table at this point."

For now, it'll be up to HWS AD Deb Steward to get on the phone along with Associate AD Brian Miller and Coach DeWall '00 to find some other potential opponents in order to save the 2020 season.

It's not officially over yet - there are still roughly 200 D3FB teams still either having declared they will attempt to play or waiting to, so anything's possible. Good news out of London about a potential vaccine coming by September could assuage what's become a fear-ridden media and public.

Thanks as always for reading. I'll try to provide more updates as they come.

Go 'Bart!

Dutchmen Fire the Cannons on 2020 Fall Season

The 2019 Liberty League champions, the Union College Dutchmen, won't be defending their LL crown this fall according to an announcement released today at noon ET that they are cancelling fall sports competition. What stands out is the fact that Union does plan to reopen their campus to all students, but still won't allow sports.

This unfortunate news shoots another hole into the Hobart College Football schedule, eliminating the Week 5 conference opener that was scheduled to be in Geneva on October 3rd. This was going to be the game of the season in my opinion - a rematch of last year's 23-7 loss where the Statesmen basically gave the game away thanks to three INTs, including a 54-yd pick six. This will be the first time since the 1981 season this rivalry game won't be played. The Statesmen are 49-52-2 all time against Union.

This also drops the LL to having only four conference games. Obviously the Statesmen can get over the five game minimum NCAA playoff qualifier / requirement given the two OOC games the LL said would happen, but this change could, if not should, necessitate them expanding that to three OOC games.

Given the significant  geographic / regional overlap between the LL and Empire 8 conferences, I think that would be feasible. As I've previously discussed, Hobart could fill a few of the cancelled OOC games from Weeks 1-3 in October. With openings now on the 3rd, 10th and 24th, there are a number of possibilities there.

Hartwick has an open date on 10/3, Alfred on 10/10 and the Week 2 SUNY-Morrisville game could be moved to 10/24 when the Mustangs also have an open date.

Unfortunately Union's taking it's ball and staying home this fall....

For now all we can do is continue to speculate on how the 2020 season comes to fruition, or dies on the vine. 

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

PS - I'll be doing a live twitter interview tonight with a CFB recruiting consultant named Brandan Cahill at 8 PM ET @D3Huddle for anyone who wants to tune in. 

Liberty League Fall Sports Plan Officially Released

Liberty League Conference Commissioner Tracy King provided an update today on the LL's plans to hold fall sports competitions. The statement reaffirmed news we already knew but it's certainly reassuring in a climate where more and more colleges and universities seem to be giving up rather than pressing on.

So far what this confirms is that the Hobart College Statesmen could still play a seven game regular season. One of the previously scheduled LL games, Week 6 vs. RPI was cancelled, but in theory could be replaced by either a conference reshuffling or an OOC opponent (e.g., Alfred who has an open date on 10/10).

Only time will tell how all this holds or doesn't - the preseason will certainly be very different practice wise with guidance stating players will be split into small groups for two weeks, then larger (up to 50) for two weeks before full team practices can occur.

What makes things a little problematic is if we see one more LL D3FB member, say Union, who hasn't made any official announcements on their back-to-school or athletics plans, end up cancelling fall sports also. I know the Dutchmen and other schools will be holding meetings this week, so hopefully we'll have more information soon.

If Union goes the way of the NESCAC, the "Little Ivies" conference they associate themselves with in certain ways and circles, that would drop the LL football options to only five teams / four conference games. The NCAA indicates teams would need at least five games to qualify for whatever postseason happens (also still very much TBD). In this scenario, I'd hope the Empire 8 and LL could coordinate a possible extra OOC game, given the geographic proximity, but we'll have to wait and see if that even ends up being part of the conversation.

A lot of speculation when there's not a lot of good information is how it goes sometimes.

In the meantime, thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Some Good News, For A Change

Assuming things progress in a positive direction, the 127th season of Hobart College Football will kickoff on 9/26/20.

HWS released more detailed (Draft) Fall 2020 Opening and Athletics "Return to Practice and Competition" plans that outlines how the Colleges will start attempting to move forward in a new,  pandemic effected, normal.

The guidance, particularly around sports included this statement:

"[T]he final decision on fall semester athletics schedules remains tentative until we finalize plans with our partner schools in the Liberty League and other conferences. At this time, the Liberty League will implement a scheduling format consisting of league competition plus two nonconference contests with competition beginning September 26, 2020. For single-site Liberty League Championship sports, the scheduling format will focus on League competition. We remain optimistic and are moving ahead with the full intention to welcome our student athletes to campus in August"

There are obviously (many) caveats in the above (and we've already had one LL team decide to pull out of the fall season), so much could change between now and August, not to mention September. For now, the first practice of the 2020 season (assuming positive things happen) is set for 8/17/20. HWS has developed a five-phased approach which teams will need to meet in order to be able to compete.

Overall the COVID-19 numbers have been good in Central NYS, so hopefully that trend continues and isn't exacerbated by college kids returning to the area.

While there are a lot of details provided, there are still many to be figured out. From the statement above, it's possible the 2020 football schedule could morph in many ways. There were four OOC opponents on the original slate between Weeks 1-4. Week 4 is supposed to be the Homecoming / Parents and Family Weekend game vs. Keystone (PA), but will that game be changed for a different (i.e., an in-state) opponent? Could one of the OOC games happen in Week 6 given RPI cancelling?

I, and many others, don't really know at the moment and so those questions will be ones we'll have to wait on.

The good news is, for now, we have a season to look forward to experiencing. I'm sure the coaches remain hard at work preparing, as are the Statesmen players themselves.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

RPI Cancels Fall Athletics Season

The hopes for a football season for the Hobart College Statesmen suffered a setback as this morning long-time Liberty League rival RPI announced their campus reopening plan would not include fall sports. This effectively drops the Hobart Football season to nine games with the Week 6 game on 10/10/20 in Troy, NY being cancelled.

Turn out the lights on this year's Hobart vs. RPI game 

Whether or not that game gets rescheduled with another opponent really isn't on the table at this point. The fear of negative PR associated with having fall / contact sports is picking up steam and for the first time this year, I am losing confidence that college presidents and ADs will look for solutions (even though I do know for a fact there are schools and programs that are still pushing ahead in other parts of the country) vs. just succumbing to what's mostly a fear-based cycle on this topic.

The obvious next question is whether or not Union College - who the Statesmen are slated to play in Week 5 or 10/3/20 - will follow suit? They are RPI's primary and geographic rival, and given their former ties to the NESCAC - which has already seen Bowdoin and Williams bail on fall sports (although interestingly enough Bates released a statement today that was more open to the possibility of some form of fall season or even a spring one happening) - they could easily be the next LL program to throw in the towel.

As an aside, Union is one of a handful of East Region schools that have not submitted reopening plans for students yet - they have released one to and for the return of their faculty and staff.

Hobart's Week 3 opponent, Rowan University, has announced plans to reopen in the fall also, but with their NJAC rival TCNJ announcing they won't be fielding fall sports, there could be a domino effect in that conference as well.

By comparison, the mostly PA-based MAC is looking for ways to make fall sports a reality vs. just giving up. 

Only time will tell on whether or not a D3FB season for the Statesmen happens or we see the first hiatus from football since the 1943-45 seasons which were cancelled due to World War II.

Hang in there Statesmen and go 'Bart!

Scardale's Mancini Selects Statesmen

Scarsdale10583.com recently reported on Scarsdale High's annual "Maroon & White" athletics awards ceremony having to go virtual given COVID-19 concerns. Included in the article was a list of SHS student athletes who plan to pursue sports in college.

One of those athletes on the list was SR DL/OG Dean Mancini, who plans to attend and play football at Hobart College. 

Based on his highlight reel, Mancini (6' 230 lbs.) is a tenacious pass rusher and sound tackler with quick feet (runs a 4.85 FYD). He's pretty strong too based on the fact he can bench over 300 lbs.

Please join me in welcoming Dean and the extended Mancini family to the Hobart one!

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Another McCoy is Coming to Hobart

Last week the Burlington Free Press (VT) named Burr & Burton Academy SR QB Joey McCoy their "Boys Athlete of the Year."

If that name rings a bell, it's probably because Joey is the younger brother of JR FS Jay McCoy. Joey helped his (and his dad's) team win the VT Division 1 state football title last year among other athletic awards as a hockey and baseball player.

You can read about Joey and his dad's state championship win and other athletic achievements here. His highlight reel shows Joey is a true offensive weapon - able to pass, run and score (a lot of points!) - and a pretty great defender to boot! 

You don't usually see a QB with a #34, and Joey will have wait to claim that number at Hobart

While all of this is impressive, the most important part of the article (to me, anyway), was seeing Joey has committed to play at Hobart with Jay. While Joey will have to wait until his big brother graduates to get his #34 jersey, he's a welcome addition to the Class of 2024, as a QB or just an all around athletic player.

Credit Coach Tom McCoy (and family) for winning the state title and, more importantly, creating an impressive pipeline of football talent from VT to Geneva. 

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Forde, Boswell & Hobart Get Some Top 25 Preseason Love from Lindy's

The D3FB preseason awards keep coming in for SR OLB Emmett Forde and the Hobart College Football team. This time it's from Lindy's Sports Magazine (aka Lindy's), who've picked the Statesmen as the #20 ranked team in Division III heading into the 2020 season.

Forde earned First Team honors on their All-D3 Defensive team, which is equivalent to the All-American team recognition he also received from Street & Smith.

Rising SO RB Rayshawn Boswell also made the Offensive All-D3 team as a return specialist (RET).

To be fair, Lindy's is the least qualified publication to make these rankings (they notably left out Wheaton, who was undefeated, including a head-to-head victory over eventual National Champions North Central College, until a fluke penalty and missed PAT saw them lose to Saint John's in the national quarterfinals. Long-time East Region powerhouse Wesley is also conspicuously absent, but they may not make it back to the field given financial struggles. Two SCIAC teams, not to mention Framingham State at 19 are among several other issues I have with this poll), but I do feel there are reasons that Hobart could be (but maybe not necessarily should be) considered a preseason Top 25 team.

The Statesmen return the vast majority of starters from the 2019 season's 9-2 squad, including key special teams performers. While Union is likely still the LL favorite, they lose some key defensive starters that makes the October 3rd rematch a virtual toss up. The biggest issue I have in placing Hobart in a preseason Top 25 is the question mark at the QB position. While I'm sure the coaches have a replacement in mind, with the lack of spring practice it's hard to say who will step into this role by September? The Statesmen will also need to fill a handful of key defensive roles, like DE, OLB and CB, given the graduations of Collin Hudgins, David McCarthy and Jayson Prince '19.

That said, I'd keep Hobart as "receiving votes" in my Top 25 ballot (if I had one). They certainly have the talent, but need to prove themselves - to the fans and more importantly, to each other - once the season gets underway. A good start would be a win over Alfred in 82 days from today.

That said there's away's to go before the season is officially under way. So far so good on the reopening front and we should know the HWS formal plan come July. The NCAA is leaning towards the season happening from all accounts, but there is some "fine print" that makes me concerned. We will have to see if this comes into play, or goes away, by August.

That's all I have for this edition. Thanks as always for reading (and to Gary Mathieson '74 for the photos) and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Shooting for August 11th to Report to Preseason Camp (Hopefully)

Word has been shared that Hobart College Statesmen Football HC Kevin DeWall '00 has notified players in an email that "As of now, we are preparing for the August 11 arrival date" to open the 2020 season.

This news is couched by the fact that things could change, pending input from the NCAA and college itself. HWS previously announced they plan to open for in person classes on August 24th, so it makes sense - barring any changes - that camp would open on time as well.

Instances of COVID-19 in Central NY remain very low, so hopefully that will continue and the fall athletic season - at least for the Statesmen (and Herons) - continues as scheduled.

Today, Week 1 opponent Alfred University announced they are also reopening on August 24th, so it stands that the season opener scheduled for Friday night, September 4th at 7 PM does as well.

I will provide updates as they come in, but this is welcome news.

(Update as of 6/11 - the NCAA has approved fall preseasons to start as early as 8/10 based on a press release from earlier today.)

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Forde Earns Preseason All American Honors from Street & Smith

You know football season is getting close when magazines like Street & Smith start to publish (way too early) Top 25 lists.

Keith McMillan of D3football.com once again was tapped to write the preseason preview article  and has (not surprisingly) picked defending national champions North Central College (NCC) as his preseason #1.

Delaware Valley University was the highest ranked East Region team and Liberty League rivals Union College came in at #14 on his poll.

A shot of the article / preseason poll can be seen below (via twitter @IWUHoopscom):

Part of the article included preseason All American teams for offense, defense and ST. Earning a spot on that list was SR OLB and Co-Captain Emmett Forde.

Congratulations to Emmett on the first of what will likely be several more preseason accolades!

HWS Hoping to Reopen For Fall Semester

And just like that, it's June 1st. 

The events of the past several days have given us as a nation some pause, to say the least. I know our family has had a lot of discussions about over the weekend. Seeing the Los Angeles neighborhood I lived in back in 1999-2006 literally on fire and being destroyed in riots was certainly disappointing, but I also understand why this is happening [an op-ed in today's LA Times by former UCLA and Lakers great Kareem Adbul-Jabbar is worth reading if you haven't seen it]. Unfortunately one of my long-time sayings (which I may have picked up from someone or somewhere else is), "the problem with the news is it's rarely ever good...."

Speaking of good news, however, this is a big month for CFB / D3FB fans as we should begin to hear about potential plans and next steps towards getting back to sports in the fall. Last Friday, the NCAA released some initial guidelines in anticipation of states reopening and athletic teams resuming activities, starting with voluntary workouts, as early as June 8.

D3 took things a step further allowing "the minimum number of contests required for sports sponsorship and championship selection in Division III [to be] reduced by 33% in all sports for the 2020-21 academic year." This does not mean that schedules will be cut, it just allows teams in states that could have more challenging requirements/issues to qualify for the postseason without having to play a complete schedule, in the event that's not possible.

Last Thursday morning, HWS President Joyce Jacobsen notified the Statesmen and Herons community that:

"We hope to resume faculty laboratory research as early as mid-June and to begin bringing some staff back to campus in July, with the remainder of faculty, staff and students arriving in August. We intend to follow a schedule for the fall that tightens the semester without decreasing intellectual contact between faculty and students. The goal is to limit travel to and from campus once students have returned, and to have most students back home by Thanksgiving in case there is a late-fall resurgence of COVID-19. We therefore expect Fall 2020 semester classes to begin as scheduled on Monday Aug. 24 and residential instruction to occur through Tuesday Nov. 24, after which Thanksgiving break will begin."

Things are looking better for the 2020 season.

This is similar, if not identical, to the approach (as I mentioned in my last post) that Syracuse University plans to take as well.

For the Hobart College Football family the obvious question this announcement begs is "does this mean preseason camp starts on time?" There are a number of hurdles to overcome to determine that, including the NYS government, NCAA and Liberty League. With less than 100 days until the 9/4/20 season opener at Alfred, the Statesmen would normally be planning on opening camp in mid-August (checking in around 8/12 or 13 with first practices starting around 8/14).

Obviously with a pandemic underway, we are looking at a "new normal" that will be predicated on CDC and related data. Fortunately Central New York has been barely impacted by the virus, and as luck or circumstance would have it, this year's football schedule is really regional in nature. The Statesmen will play 9 of their 10 games in NYS, basically within about an 180 mile radius of Geneva. The longest road trip will be down to Rowan in Week 3, which is about a 300 mile ride.

While the Profs campus isn't that far away from NYC (a little over 100 miles) - one of the worst areas of virus infections in the nation - only 15 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been identified in their community as of 5/26/20, so Rowan President Dr. Houshmand has confirmed they also plan to reopen in the fall. 

That said, Dr. Jacobsen did couch the above with the following:

"This plan remains just that – a plan – until we submit our full reopening document to the State of New York in mid-June. Once we have State approval, we will share full details on everything from academic and residential life to screening, testing, isolating and tracing protocols."

So while this message is a reason for optimism, we still need to wait and see how things unfold over the coming weeks. At the end of the day, the fact that cases of COVID seem to be stabilizing across most states, and that the fatality rate (as calculated by the CDC) is approximately .05% for individuals under 49 years old (meaning the rate for people in the 18-22 yo range is probably like .01% - and likely better for college athletes), we should be in good shape.

I remain confident that the 2020 season will kick off as planned, but time will tell.

Thanks to all you readers / fans / friends out there for taking the blog over 275,000 views.

Go 'Bart!

COVID Causes Cuts at the Colleges (and Elsewhere)

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy Memorial Day. Thanks to the brave soldiers and all who've made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure our safety and lives of liberty.

Back on May 19 Hobart Football HC Kevin DeWall '00 notified the extended Statesmen family of some staff changes, which we learned from last week's Finger Lakes Times article, is because HWS is facing a significant budget deficit due to impacts from the COVID-19 epidemic.

The end result is that "Aaron Backhaus ’00 and Art Garvey ’13 will no longer be serving as full-time coaches for our program. John Manley and Walt Bennett ’05 will not be returning as part-time assistants."

In his address, Coach DeWall further stated:

"We are very grateful for the service and commitment of these four men. Words cannot accurately describe my appreciation for their years of investment into our football family. All are great men who deeply care for our student-athletes, their development, and overall well-being. Aaron, Walt, and Art were all great student-athletes during their careers at Hobart, serving as captains and important members of past championship teams. Coach Manley brought significant perspective as our most experienced coach on staff. Their impact has been substantial, and their departures will leave large voids. As I work trying to fill these positions, we will plan to assemble the best staff we can moving forward."

HWS is certainly not the only college or university having to make cuts. Liberty League foes RPI and Rochester have taken similar measures over the past several weeks. While HWS has not yet released any plans regarding the fall semester, neighbors such as Syracuse University do intend to have students back on campus. All of this is preliminary, however, as plans could change depending on how things progress (or regress).

I remain hopeful that HWS will determine a plan and communicate the same in the near future. In the meantime, we just have to wait and see.

Ithaca Plants Their Reopening Flag (and the Elephant in the Room)

The questions surrounding the 2020 D3FB season continue to swirl about and unfortunately there are no concrete answers. Ultimately the Statesmen Football coaching staff are likely not going to worry about things out of their control, and will remain focused on preparation for the upcoming season, especially once they receive direction from the NCAA and the HWS administration.

Conference rival and nearby Ithaca College announced today that they plan to reopen on Monday, October 5 for in-person, on campus classes. While I do believe this to be very premature by the IC administration, I also wouldn't be surprised if more colleges, HWS included, follow suit. HWS has formed it's own "reopening committee" and will likely take factors such as Ithaca's approach into consideration. 

Regardless, the NCAA will be making key decisions in the next 6-8 weeks, starting with the Board of Governors and D1 providing guidance in the next few weeks. From what we can gather, the confidence in there being a D3FB season is high, but the powers that be feel it's too early to make any final decisions. There are a multitude of variables at play, ranging from what the wide variety of school and conference decisions will be, different parts of the country being on different reopening time tables and criteria, are fans (and how many would be) allowed, etc. among many other scenarios.

So before the end of June, if not sooner, the NCAA is going to have to decide if they'll mandate a shorter or modified season (e.g., starting in October, with preseason practice in September) in D3; and/or if they'll just determine what playoff criteria will look like and when they'd aim to start the playoffs (e.g., if the regular season goes into December with the playoffs and Stagg Bowl occurring after and into January or a shortened / modified season would require updated playoff selection criteria - the latter is the more interesting scenario to me based on the question how would the Committee look at a conference champion that's played 7-9 games vs. ones that only play 5 or 6?).

Anyway, for the short term, all we can do is speculate. Hopefully we'll have some information on the remaining commits to the Class of 2024 (I captured about 14-15 of them so far this off-season) in the near future.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Chatham's Cunco Signs with Statesmen

Tap Into Chatham, an online local news source, reported yesterday that Chatham HS (NJ) SR DB/KR Charles Cunco has decided to attend Hobart College and play football. May 1st was decision day for seniors across the nation to officially decide (and place a deposit) on where they plan to go to college.

Cunco's highlight reel shows he has solid coverage skills and closing speed. He is also a sound tackler. At 5'10" 167 lbs. Cunco is on the smaller side, but he plays much bigger from the film I saw. I trust Coach Gray will bulk him up in no time while maintaining his impressive 4.6 speed.

Please join me in welcoming Charles and the extended Cunco family to the Hobart Football one!

Thanks as always for reading the blog and go 'Bart!

Former Hobart OC Loving Life in NEPA

Longtime former Hobart QB coach and Offensive Coordinator Jon Drach and his wife Janelle were recently interviewed by DiscoverNEPA.com - an online magazine covering Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Coach Drach is going into his third season of the HC of the Wilkes University Colonels, turning around an 0-10 program to one that earned an 8-3 record in 2019. Former Statesmen Tom Elder '13 and Kelvin Cruz '12 are also on staff as the DC/LBs and TE/FB coaches, respectively. Jack Phohl '17 worked as a WR coach for a couple of seasons before heading back home to the Syracuse area to pursue a career outside of coaching (anyone that has any sports mgmt/business/operations contacts please let Jack know).

Just like every other program in the nation, the Colonels (and their cross-town rivals Kings College), are managing the off-season in the COVID-19 pandemic the best they can. 

While I'll get back to featuring Hobart-related news in the near future, it's always good to see former Genevans and extended Statesmen families doing well, especially during these times.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Pingree's Manuel Picks Statesmen

The Salem News recently profiled Pingree School (South Hamilton, MA) graduating SR WR / DB Zach Manuel who's quoted in the article saying he plans to enroll at Hobart and play cornerback for the Statesmen.

A link to the profile can be seen here.

Zach is a tall (6'2") and rangy player who needs to work a little on his coverage technique, but he has a nose for the football and is a decent tackler. He clearly has speed based on his success on the track as well as football field.

Please join me in welcoming Zach and the extended Manuel family to the Hobart Football one! The Class of 2024 continues to shape up nicely and I'm sure last night's Zoom call with Ali Marpet '15 will help convert a few more recruits to the Statesmen.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Class of 2020 Shines in Online Block H Award "Ceremony"

Yesterday Hobart College Football HC Kevin DeWall '00 was the virtual MC for the annual Block H Award ceremonies which, given the current COVID-19 related national shut down, were held online for the first time.

The broadcast was really well done and you can catch a replay of it here. There is also a very sharp recap from the Communications Department you can view also to see a list of the winners.

It's a bittersweet finale for the Class of 2020, which like the rest of the country, will forego a formal graduation ceremony. That said next up is likely the release of incoming Class of 2024, some of whom we've already seen in posts from earlier this year on this blog.

Here's to hoping our country figures out a way to make sure the 2020 season opener in Alfred remains intact. Until then, thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

2020 Schedule Release (and Reaction)

HC Kevin DeWall '00 posted the 2020 Hobart College Football schedule and it's pretty much as predicted from a month ago. The Week 2 home opener was confirmed as being SUNY-Morrisville and the remaining out-of and in-conference games fell into place. It's a great opportunity that both Union and Ithaca will be home games in 2020.

The one "surprise" I suppose was the addition of newly formed Keystone College Giants (this is not where the beer of the same name is from - that's Colorado), which added the sport of football in the spring of 2018 and has been preparing to open for their first active regular season game in over 70 years. Keystone is located in the town of La Plume, which is 11 miles northwest of Scranton.

The Giants are led by HC Justin Higgins and have been added to the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC). Higgins knows the Statesmen pretty well given coaching stints at Utica and Morrisville State.

While certainly not world-beaters, Keystone ensures Hobart of a 10-game regular season, and more importantly, a Homecoming & Parent's Weekend opponent. The latter is an extra benefit because of the fact pretty much the entire team should see the field and it'll be a much easier "tune up" for conference play than Montclair State was a week before a huge game against Union last season.

While some D3 pundits may turn their noses up at this particular match-up, you can't blame the coaches for finding an opponent given limited options, especially when you consider last season and this fall teams like RPI and Union had and will have games against pushovers like Westfield State and Anna Maria, two New England teams that had a combined 4-16 record in 2019. Even "blue bloods" like Ithaca played a punchless St. Vincent squad last season that ended up going 3-7. The Bombers have a much tougher opener in 2020 however, as they will go up against John Carroll of the OAC, a rival of Mount Union. Lopsided match-ups happen in CFB all the time, even at the D3 level.

Overall I'm very happy for the Statesmen that the schedule came through as planned and am hopefully looking forward to seeing games in the fall. A lot has to happen between now and then, however, given the present uncertainty. While I haven't been impressed with the new HWS leadership's handling of the current situation, I am going to remain hopeful fall classes resume as planned and everyone is healthy and safe.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!