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!

Statesmen Trio Earn NFF Hampshire Honor Society Recognition

The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced yesterday the list of players / student athletes recognized as the 2020 Hampshire Honor Society award winners and new members. The NFF list, which is comprised from all divisions, includes student athletes who maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college careers.

The Hobart College football team had three Statesmen added to the list, including:

SR DE Collin Hudgins appeared in 55 games over his Hobart career, earning multiple All-Conference and other awards. He had 104 total tackles, 16 TFL, 7 sacks, 2 FR and 1 FF.

SR FS Andrew Koonz became a mainstay in the defensive secondary in 2018 and had a strong final season for Hobart, leading the team with 5 INTs.

SR TE A.J. Perlino was a big end zone target and strong run blocker for the Statesmen in his career. He finished with 20 receptions for 245 yards and 5 TDs.

Congratulations to these exceptional Statesmen for this NFF Hampshire Honor Society recognition!

Carey Tabbed as Top 20 "OG for 2020"

While I'm not 100% sure of the source, "The CFB Network" has posted a list of who they think are the top offensive guards (aka OG's) in Division III for the upcoming 2020 season. Rising SR OL Dillon Carey made the list and was actually even pictured on it (see below).

Carey has been one of Hobart's better and most consistent OL over the past couple of seasons, appearing in 20 games in his career. Although he missed 3 games last season due to injuries, he should be back and better than ever for his final season. He will be one of the anchors of an experienced OL that will need to protect a new starting QB come the fall.

Congratulations to Dillon and, as always, go 'Bart!

Solvay's Bliss is Happy to Call Hobart Home

Solvay HS SR RB/LB Jaimen Bliss announced yesterday on twitter that he's coming to Hobart College as part of the Class of 2024. Bliss won't need much of a uniform change as far as school colors go, and he joins a long line of former Solvay players who've continued their college careers in Geneva.

One of my classmates Craig Formosa '96 being one of them. Formosa came to Hobart as an OLB but ended up converting to TE. One of the most wicked crack back blocks on a football field I've ever seen live was delivered by Craig to an opposing player (might of been from Hamilton or Saint Lawrence, but it was so long ago it's hard to say).

Bliss brings a good deal of athleticism as a runner and a tackler. He has good field vision and isn't afraid of contact. He has good size at 6'1" 180 lbs. and will likely get even bigger, stronger and faster once on campus and participating in Coach Gray's program. HWS was recently recognized by the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NCSA) as having 12 student athletes achieve All-American status  in Strength & Conditioning, including graduating SR RB and Co-Captain Brian Haeffner.

You can check out Bliss' highlight reel here.

Please join me in welcoming Jaimen and the Bliss family into the Hobart one.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

2020 Season Opener "Flexed" to a Friday Night Lights Game

While we already knew that Hobart College Football team would travel to Alfred University in Week 1 of the 2020 season, it appears as though there's been a slight change in plans.

The 9/5 kickoff has been moved up to Friday, September 4th at 7 PM according to the Saxons' updated schedule. This may create some earlier departures for Statesmen players' friends and families, but it should create an exciting atmosphere at Yunevich Stadium.

Of course, this all depends on the current COVID19 crisis facing the country, which Frank and I addressed in our last postseason update episode last week. I remain confident the season will kickoff as planned, but I'm certainly no expert and really only time will tell.

Here's hoping Kickoff 2020 goes off as planned and we get an exciting FNL game at Alfred.