Something New for 2021

Lost in the midst of COVID and the attempt by many schools to weather a challenging spring 2021 season (with and without FB), has led many to forget an important change is coming to D3 this fall.

The longstanding four region alignment - East, North, South and West - will dissolve into a new format. So what does this mean for the Hobart Football team?

Photo courtesy of Dorothy Hoffman / Parents and Fans of Hobart Football Facebook Group

I guess the best answer for now is "it depends". To clarify, the Statesmen (and the other Liberty League schools) will not be "an East" team, but rather categorized under "Region 2" which includes the following:

- Empire 8 / E8: Currently at 7 teams (we'll have to wait and see if Hartwick makes it through the summer or not)

- Liberty League / LL: Also w/ 7 teams, including associate member Buffalo State for D3FB 

- New Jersey Athletic Conf. / NJAC - Now at 7 given the loss / closing of Wesley College

- Centennial Conference / CC: Previously a "South Region" conference, the CC will now match up with the 3 mostly NY/NJ conferences in the regional / NCAA playoff rankings. The CC has the largest membership with 10 schools in it and is home to the 2019 National Semifinalist Muhlenberg College, coached by Hobart alum, Nate Milne '03.

So in November things will look different as far as regional rankings and brackets will go. Hobart's main goal however will be the same - winning the LL and NCAA AQ - to land one of the coveted 6-9 team playoff rankings (more on this at a later date) in Region 2.

You can see more on how this is being set up via this link here. You will note that D3FB is only part of the equation as all sports are being affected.

One important change, D3FB wise, I've heard is given the depth and breadth of the conferences in Region 6, it's likely the American Southwest (ASC) will be moved into Region 3, but that isn't "official" just yet.

As stated above, more to come on this as it evolves later in the 2021 (fall) season. In the meantime, I'll hope to get some more recruiting or other news up as I come across it.

As always, thanks for reading and go 'Bart! 

Statesmen To Scrimmage Cortland (Apparently)

While I knew this was a possibility, I honestly expected at least a little head's up from the school but lately HWS's handling of things during the COVID era leaves a lot to be desired to say the least.

Hobart's most recent opponent - the Cortland State Red Dragons - will come up to Geneva today for a "controlled" scrimmage. I know because Cortland - not Hobart - tweeted about it earlier this morning:

I'm not sure if it's Dr. Jacobsen's inept leadership or her having to just follow the NYS guidelines which are way out of touch? The "no spectator rule" is in effect for this event so I guess maybe that's why nothing came from HWS on it? Inexcusable either way, to be honest.

Regardless, in the big picture, whether or not the adults in question handled this appropriately isn't my main concern - it's that the kids - especially any seniors - get a chance to play after 500+ days of having to sit idle.

Hopefully the scrimmage is a big success and the Hobart coaching staff gets a chance to see some young players in action to better the team come the fall. I have heard that Coach DeWall '00 has assembled a schedule with some strong opponents; we'll just have to wait and see when it comes out, hopefully later in the summer.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

We're Onto (the Fall of) 2021

After more than few attempts, it appears as though some kind of spring game or scrimmage for the Hobart College Statesmen football team won't come to fruition. Honestly HWS just needs to start allowing families and friends to outdoor home games for the remainder of the spring season while they still can. Their policy / stance on that is ridiculous and has no merit based on scientific facts we know and have known for months, if not a year.

That said, we can slowly start to look to the fall and hope for a return to "normal" (whatever that is these days) by the time preseason camp resumes in August. While it will be some time until the Statesmen's 2021 schedule is released (I'll have a breakdown on that once it's public), it is apparently already set and that's good news for Hobart players and fans alike.

Courtesy of @HobartFootball's Instagram feed

For now I'll look for updates over the summer months - official announcements on the Class of 2025, for example - or other D3FB news as it comes up.

Thanks for reading and wishing congratulations to the Class of 2021 on their upcoming graduation from HWS!

Go 'Bart! 

2021 D3FB Spring "Season" is Wrapping Up

The Alfred University Saxons and Utica College Pioneers were the envy of the vast majority of East Region D3FB as they played their first games in over 400+ days during the last two weeks of March. 

The Pioneers used a stout defense to collect 3 INTs, including a SO DL Jordan Weaver 75-yard "pick six" for the opening score of the first game. The Pioneers would go on to win, 30-17.

Alfred would score the same amount of points less than a week later, needing an exciting goal-line stand to outlast Utica, 17-10, in the final seconds.

If you've been following Frank Rossi and my "In the D3FB Huddle" show, you know the last 9 weeks have featured games across the country, including:

ASC - Texas and Louisiana

SAA - Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Arkansas (and Texas again)

NWC - Washington and Oregon

USAC - North Carolina (as well as TN and AR again)

ODAC - Virginia (and NC again)

NJAC - New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland (as well as VA again)

HCAC / OAC / NCAC - Ohio and Indiana (mostly)

PAC - Pennsylvania (albeit western)

MIAA - Michigan (and a couple of neighboring states)

CCIW - Illinois, Wisconsin, South Dakota

NACC - WI, IN, IL again

Empire 8 - Upstate NY (about 100 miles east of HWS)

MWC - mostly IL & WI

UMAC - mostly Minnesota

ARC - mostly Iowa, but also NE and IL

Coming up - 

SCIAC - supposedly there is game scheduled between Cal Lutheran and Redlands (CA) for Sunday, April 11. I've actually went to a couple of Cal Lu games back when I lived near that part of Los Angeles. although now they have a revamped stadium (so nice it's been used as a preseason camp site by the LA Rams). 

MAC / CC - Stevenson had plans to play Wesley this weekend but this game was postponed. Next weekend the Mustangs are scheduled to play CC-member Susquehanna but that is also TBD.

CCC - Nichols is slated to travel to Springfield, MA on April 16 to face WNE.

I think you get the point.

While each week we have seen anywhere from 3-5 cancellations or postponements, for the vast majority of these colleges/communities, the spring season hasn't had or created any issues. 

Needless to say, the schools in leagues like the LL, NEWMAC, MAC, ECFC, CCC, NESCAC and others are doing a grave disserve to their student athletes. Certainly it was a positive development to see spring sports renewed, but that was setting a low bar, in my opinion.

I know under the right circumstances the Hobart coaching staff would welcome the possibility, and they likely would have the institutional support to make something happen, if either Utica or Alfred came calling. Utica HC Blaise Faggiano was quoted as saying they were "still looking for games" in April leading up to the initial Alfred game on a Syracuse-area sports radio show.

With spring games scheduled out until about May 8 there's still a little time left, although an NCAA rule would likely force the weekend of April 24 to be the cut-off, given the associated end of classes at HWS.

Hopefully a number of factors will fall into place to allow the Statesmen the chance to compete, in some fashion at least - even a scrimmage or two would be helpful to evaluate players at certain positions. 

Either way, we should know one way or another fairly soon. 

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!