Bishop Ireton's Duckett Commits to Hobart

SR DB/WR from Bishop Ireton HS (VA) Tyler Duckett has announced he will attend Hobart College. His message to friends and family was:

Blessed to say I’m committing to continue my academic and football career at Hobart college thankful for all my coaches and trainers. Thankful for my teammates and Blessed for the opportunity to play these past 4 years.

His highlight reel shows his a hard hitting deep safety and a solid receiver. Standing 6'1 195 lbs he has good size and has good vision to find holes to cut towards the end zone.

Please join me in welcoming Tyler and the Duckett family to the Hobart one!

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Caldwell's Pierce Commits to Statesmen

James Caldwell HS (NJ) SR TE/HB Charlie Pierce announced on his twitter feed that he has committed to attend and play football at Hobart College:

Thank you for the love and support over the last 18 years as a chief. Although these are moments I will cherish forever, it is time to move forward. With that being said, I am 100% committed to playing football @ Hobart College. Go Statesmen!

Based on his highlight reel Pierce is a versatile athlete who can split out wide, block downfield and make acrobatic catches. At 6' 2" 245 lbs he is a big and strong receiver and runner who's hard to bring down. He will fit in well with the Colleges community service focus, as he is a volunteers at the Caldwell Fire Department and local non-profit organizations.

Please join me in welcoming Charlie and the Pierce family to the Statesmen one!

Thanks again for reading and go 'Bart!

What a Great Day to be a Statesman!

#HWSADoD = A Big Success!

The HWS Athletics Day of Donors, which ran from February 27th at 8 AM until the 28th, was a big success. Over 3,500 alums, families and friends donated almost $166,000 in just 24 hours (which may be a record - I don't recall seeing this much activity in prior years, but that could be wrong. Update - it's a record).

The Hobart College Statesmen football team ended up with 219 donors - well over 100 more than their goal. While the football team ended up in seventh place overall as far as donors go, they had the second highest dollar amount raised of any HWS team with over $16,000. They finished 3rd overall in the donor category for Hobart teams, earning a $2,000 bonus.

You can see the final leader board and results here.

Asst Coach Art Garvey '13 apparently will have to jump into the cold waters of Seneca Lake to make good on a pledge he made. Hopefully there's video that will follow - there is and it's awesome. Speaking of video, Ali Marpet '15 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers showed his Hobart Football and HWS spirit, cutting a few short "commercials" to encourage other alums to donate and support the cause. The coaching staff produced a pretty hilarious video also.

All in all, it was a great day to be a Statesman.

Bombers Release 2019 Schedule

In other news, about 30 miles south of Geneva, on the shores of the Cayuga, the Ithaca College Bombers finally released their 2019 regular season schedule.

While we already knew some of this information, especially the big Week 7 showdown with the Statesmen, the rest of the schedule was confirmed with a couple of surprises. With a full slate of LL games back, the Bombers only kept a couple former Empire 8 opponents on their schedule - Alfred and SJFC. We knew that the Week 11 MetLife Stadium / Cortaca match-up as well as the Week 1, 9 and 10 games against St. Vincent, Union and RPI were happening, but now we have a clearer picture.

What stands out to me is, other than Alfred (who finished 2018 7-4, 4-3), Ithaca doesn't play a program with a winning record in 2018 until the Hobart game. This means it's highly likely the Bombers will be undefeated or a one-loss team going into that key Week 7 tilt. A Week 2 bye will help them prep for Alfred, but they will have to grind out the rest of the season from Week 3 on.

What also stands out is that unlike Hobart, Union and RPI, the Bombers only have four home games this season. The one advantage they do have however, is they have three in a four week stretch between Weeks 6-9 which is helpful.

Ithaca's LL schedule is also more back heavy, facing SLU, Buff State and UofR while having some space between the Hobart and RPI contests. That Week 10 RPI game will likely be assumed to be for the LL title, but I'm hoping the Statesmen will have something to say about that three weeks prior.

Spring Practice

The Statesmen will start practicing for the 2019 season this weekend. I'm guessing with temperatures still in the 30's, the team will get a lot of use of the new bubble facility. While spring practice is non-contact, it's a great way to develop mentally and get into good habits and technique prior to preseason full-contact camp. I'll see what, if any, news comes out of these sessions.

Thanks again for reading - it's been a really busy February - and go 'Bart!

St. John's Hanley is Heading to Hobart

Massachusetts Division 1 State Champion OLB James Hanley has announced on his Twitter feed that he has committed to attend and play football at Hobart College. Hanley was a big part of St. John's Prep (MA) 2018 championship run and having one of their best defensive seasons in history (which is saying a lot because SJP is one of the best programs in NE and has been since even back when I was in HS).

Looking at Hanley's highlight reel what comes across to me James is a hitter. At 6' 200 lbs. I could see Hanley in a SS role as a college player and his motor and aggressiveness could get him into the lineup quickly, depending on how preseason camp goes. Either way, Coach Backhaus '00 is going to love having a complete player like Hanley on defense as he is effective in pass coverage, stout against the run and is an effective blitzer.

Please join me in welcoming James and the Hanley extended family to the Hobart Statesmen one!

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Powers Picks Statesmen

Yesterday several Western NY news outlets, including the Niagara Gazette and Buffalo News, reported on the commitment by SR OL/DL Joe Powers of Lewiston-Porter HS to attend Hobart College. The All-WNY lineman was being looked at by several DII and Patriot League schools, so this is a great get for HC Kevin DeWall '00 and the Statesmen coaching staff.

In an announcement via his Twitter feed, Powers stated:

"I'm very happy and proud to announce that I will be continuing my academic and football career at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. I am grateful to my family for helping me with this decision and supporting me no matter what happens. I am also thankful for my friends and others for all the support through my high school career. And finally, a huge thank you to Coach Bradshaw for pushing me to extend my limits and teaching me to never be satisfied with how things are and to strive to be great. I wouldn't have the opportunities I have without everyone else's help. Very excited to put on the purple and orange!"

Hobart Football fans will be grateful too after viewing his highlight reel. Powers lives up to his name with a relentless motor, athleticism and technique. Please join me in welcoming Joe and the extended Powers family to the Hobart Statesmen one!

Thanks again for reading - will post more recruiting news soon as it's in full swing during this time of year.

Go 'Bart!

Two More Sign with Statesmen

Ben Frank, a SR DL / OL out of Cuba-Rushford HS (NY) and SR RT Chris Wright of St. Anthony's (NY) have committed to attending Hobart College as part of the Class of 2023.

Frank is edge rusher who used his size in HS (6'5" 225 lbs) to also dominate on the OL. While he'll need to bulk up for college ball, he shows good instincts in his highlight reel. I could also see Frank get looked at as a TE.

Wright was the SR Captain of the Friars, a team that went 7-2 overall, and each loss was only by a single point. Wright has a strong burst and can really finish his blocks. His pass protection is strong and should we well suited for the type of offense Coach DeWall '00 likes to run. You can see more in his highlight reel.

Welcome to both Ben, Chris and the extended Frank and Wright families to the Hobart one!

Go 'Bart!

From Holderness to Hobart, Pelletier Picks Statesmen

SR QB of the Holderness School, Joseph Pelletier, officially committed to attend Hobart College earlier this week via his Twitter feed.

In the message Pelletier stated that he was "excited to officially announce that I will be continuing my academic and athletic career at Hobart College! I want to thank my friends, family, @CoachAGarvey @Coach_DeWall and @HoldBullsFBall for this opportunity! #rollstatemen #rollbulls"

The 6'4" 210 lbs southpaw helped the Bulls to a 6-1 record for the games he appeared in. He passed for 15 and rushed for 10 TDs. Originally from Portland, ME, Pelletier attended Derry HS before going to the Holderness School (Plymouth, NH) after his SO year. A star on the gridiron and hardwood for both schools, Pelletier is a simply a solid all-around athlete who can make plays.

His highlight reel shows good vision, and the arm strength to get the ball deep downfield. Should the pocket break down, or if he reads an opening at the LOS, he can tuck the ball and make plays with his feet. While it should be noted he played in an 8-man league (i.e., only three OL blocking, 3 WRs and 1 RB) and will face bigger and faster competition in college, Pelletier has the right tools to run the RPO offense that is becoming more common place in today's game.

Congratulations to Joe and welcome to the Pelletier family into the Hobart one! As a guy with some family ties to Holderness, I'll definitely be keeping an eye on Joe and his Statesmen career.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!