Bart Goes Big with New Canaan's Erickson

NCAdvertiser.com's Dave Stewart reports that New Canaan High School (CT) SR OL Bobby Erickson will enroll at Hobart.  The 6'5" 310 tackle was a second team CT All Fairfield County East player in the 2012 season, helping the Rams to a 9-3 overall record, including an appearance in the Class L state semifinals.

A link to the article can be found here.

Clearly Erickson is blessed with size and I am sure that Coaches Fisk and DeWall will develop Bobby's strength and blocking / footwork.  Erickson didn't visit Hobart until late in his college search but once he did, Bobby quickly committed to become a Statesman.  In his own words:

“Once I got there, I got there and I stepped on the campus — everyone talks about that feel[ing] you get,” he said. “I belong here, I like it here, and you just know. I got that feeling early on.”

In spite of his size (only two other players are the current roster over 300 lbs), he'll have a good deal of competition given Hobart's depth at the OL position.  The Statesmen boast 13 returning OL players on the current roster, including four starters from last year's historic 12-1 team.

Please join me in welcoming Bobby (a fellow CT kid) to Hobart.  Have a great Memorial Day Weekend.  We'll be back to tracking incoming recruits in early June. 

Go 'Bart!

Another Cragg is Coming to Hobart

The Corry Journal reports that Corry High School (PA) SR RB/DB Matt Cragg will attend Hobart this fall and play football for his uncle and Statesmen Head Coach Mike Cragg.

Matt set several records for the Beavers in the 2012 season.  He scored an impressive 28 TDs and racked up 1,668 rushing yards (151 YPG average).  The 5' 9" 160 lb Cragg will likely play DB and on special teams.

Link to the Journal article can be found here.

Please join me in welcoming Matt to Hobart.  Go Bart!

Your Team Captains for the 2013 Campaign

Happy Monday everyone.  I hope everybody made sure to spend time, call, thank and/or hug their Mom yesterday.

We have more incoming recruit news "comin atcha" later this week but here's an important update from Coach Cragg from yesterday.  In an email addressed to the "Hobart Football Family", Cragg recapped spring practice and the Block H awards before providing the team's choices for team captains for the 2013 season.

From his email:

L-R: Ali Marpet, Mike Green, Steven Webb, Tom Elder, Devin Worthington, Jolyon Davis

"The 2013 team has elected six captains for the upcoming campaign. 

Jolyon Davis, senior free safety – Jolyon was an All-League selection in 2012 and has been the quarterback for our defense for the past two seasons. He is our strongest defensive back and a tireless worker on and off the field. 

Tom Elder, senior inside linebacker – Tom is a passionate vocal leader. He is a three-year letterman and he is coming off his best season as a Statesman with 33 tackles in 2012.

Mike Green, senior center – Mike is a two-year letterman and a returning starter from the 2012 offensive line that led the conference in fewest sacks allowed. He was a Liberty League All Academic selection in 2011 and an Academic All-American in 2012.

Ali Marpet, junior left tackle – Ali is a dedicated worker and one of our strongest offensive linemen. He was a first team All-League selection this past fall and a letterman in both of his first two seasons as a Statesman.

Steven Webb, senior running back – Steven has led our team in rushing over the past three seasons, with a career high in 2012 of 1,242 rushing yards and 12 rushing TDs. He has been a three time first team All Liberty League selection and an All-ECAC selection in 2012.

Devin Worthington, senior outside linebacker – Devin has been a three year starter and a three time first team All-Liberty League selection. He was selected as a member of the D3football.com All-East team in 2010 and 2011, as well as achieving All-American honors this past fall.

We are looking forward to what these guys bring to the table as leaders. They have had the opportunity to learn from a great group of captains and seniors over the past several seasons. It is time for these six captains to add their brick to our foundation and take the next step in our program’s development.

Spring ball was full of growth and development for this team. We will have several new faces on the field in the fall and those guys gained invaluable experience over the past five weeks. Defensively, we worked on a few new schemes and the team got acclimated to working with Coach Nick Grange. Offensively, our young quarterbacks had the opportunity to compete against one of the premier defenses in the country on a daily basis. Many lessons were learned and our offense started to form its identity for the 2013 season.

It has been an exciting year and I could not be more thankful for the support of our fans, alumni, parents, and the HWS community. We look forward to what 2013 holds and we are blessed for what 2012 has brought us. August is only a few months away and football will be back on The Boz!

With every step we take, we put our opponents further in our rearview mirror!!!

GO BART!"

Congratulations to these student leaders.  Go 'Bart!

LaSalle Speedster Smith Selects Hobart

LaSalle Institute's (Troy, NY) SR WR/DB Gabriel "Gabe" Smith is coming to Hobart.  The three year starter made headlines throughout the 2012 season for his big play ability in the Capital District. The Cadets struggled to a 3-5 record in NYS Section 2AA (also, somewhat ironically referred to as the Liberty League) but had some memorable moments last fall.

One big win in particular involved a comeback over rival Troy High that was sparked by Smith returning an interception for 73 yards on defense and then catching what proved to be the winning TD a few plays later on offense late in the second half.  A recap of the win (including a video interview with Smith) is covered here:

Troy Record Article on LaSalle's 14-7 win over Troy

Smith has good size at 5' 11" 175 lbs and comes across as an articulate and confident young man.  The Statesmen have a large number of WR's coming back to camp but it's unclear whether or not a true "deep threat" resides in that group other than rising SR WR Yosh Karbowniczak.

Smith's highlight reel can be found here.

I have to say I always like to see the Statesmen getting players from RPI and Union's backyard and Smith looks like he's got potential.  With no #2 currently on Hobart's roster, my guess is we'll see Smith in that number come September.

Please join me in welcoming Gabe to the Statesmen Football family.  Go Bart!

FL's Kirsche to Kick for Hobart

Jen Blanco of YourObserver.com reports that Out of Door Academy's (Lakewood Ranch, FL) SR PK Sean Kirsche is heading north to compete for a spot on the Hobart Football team as a kicker.  This is the second signing of a kicker by the Statesmen including Ethan Miller of VA (see post from 4/15/13).

Kirsche is 5' 9" and 155 lbs but sports a big leg and has trained at several kicking camps including Kohl's Pro Kicking Camp.  Kirsche's recruiting profile and highlight reel can be accessed here.

Kirsche was named to the Class 2A All State 2nd team at ODA last season.  His younger brother, Bryan, earned first team honors as a punter. 

Sean's personal statement on the NCSA recruiting website states: 

"After completing a 2011 season with 38 of 44 PAT attempts, 30+ yard field goals and one 25 yard field goal, I began this year with making all 3 of 3 PAT attempts and one 50 yard field goal off the ground with 1.3 seconds left on the clock. I am ready to continue to break all my high school records. I have attended multiple kicking camps over this past summer, which has helped me hone my kick offs from the 2 yard line to now sending them in for touchbacks. My personal best field goal during practice is a 64 yarder off the ground. As I gain strength through conditioning, I will beat my personal records this year. I attend Out-of- Door Academy, a Cum Laude School in Sarasota, Florida. I look forward to studying International Business in college."

Please join me in welcoming Sean to Hobart.  Go 'Bart!

Klindera Pursues Pro Football in Germany

Last season SR ILB and Co-Captain Andrew Klindera lead the team with 109 total tackles (fifth best in the Statesmen's 119 single season history) and finished with over 200 during his Hobart career.  Klindera ranks second all-time in Hobart history for unassisted tackles in a single season with 56.  Given his leadership, drive and skill he wasn't looking to close the book on his football career just yet.

Klindera has traveled great lengths to continue playing football and told us what it's like to be a professional athlete in the German Football League (GFL) just outside Munich, Germany. 

How did you go about looking into playing professional football and what lead you to Munich?

I found this opportunity through a few friends who led me to a website called www.europlayers.com. The website puts players in touch with European coaches and teams from many different levels [overseas]. The levels of play go from division 1 until 6 and then to “Super Leagues” which are the highest levels in Europe. You find that the levels are really dictated by the American [more than] the local talent.

When will you know if/when you make the team? How are tryouts structured?

As an American, you are considered an "import" here. Once you sign with a team, you are on the team. The tryout part is just hoping to find a team that is looking for a player like me. Every team has different needs and with thousands of players to choose from it’s a pretty tight selection process. Like I said before, our head coach scouts players for a living so they knew what I was capable of and I am lucky that it fit their needs.

What GFL team are you on?

I play for the Fursty Razorbacks [see www.fursty-razorbacks.de]. The town, Fürstenfeldbruck, was given the nickname “Fursty” by American soldiers during World War 2 that struggled pronouncing the name over the radio. The history in the town is remarkable, and is home to a large German airbase that is not active any more but saw a lot of action during the War. The Razorbacks have been around since 1985 and were some of the first western Germans to cross over the eastern border in the ‘80’s when they played an exhibition game in the Soviet occupied zone outside of Berlin.

We're basically playing for a Southern German (Bavarian) Championship. We play in a six team conference based in Bavaria. The teams are called the München Rangers, Regansburg Phoenix, Straubing Spiders, Feldkirchen Lions and, our big rival, the Ingolstadt Dukes. The Razorbacks finished 9-1 last year and won the Conference title. This year we will look to repeat and move into the GFL 2. The conferences are set up like soccer leagues, so you play every team twice with the tie breaker being the amount of points scored during the games. [At] the end of the season [the best four teams have a] playoff to determine who will move up to the next level / league. [Even though they won the playoff last season] the Razorbacks decided not to move up so they could continue to build the program. We played and beat the best team from the GFL 2 this weekend [which why the Razorbacks are considered] one of the best teams in Germany.

Chagrin Falls, OH and Geneva, NY are considered small towns - how are you adjusting to living in a large, not to mention European, city?

Munich is a huge city, and I believe the 3rd largest in Germany, but when you’re downtown it feels very small. It’s a slower pace down here than in Berlin and the other German cities. As the people here like to remind me, "When you're in Munich you’re not in Germany, you’re in Bavaria." Furstenfeldbruck, which is 20 minutes outside of Munich, is a city of about 30,000 and feels very similar to Geneva and Chagrin. Bavarian people are very nice and welcoming so I haven't experienced a huge amount of culture shock. Being at Hobart definitely helped me feel more comfortable with international cultures.

How is pro/German FB different from DIII? What are the similarities?

First I would say that a football team is a football team no matter where you are. [Second] the locker room and practice fields have all the same humor, just in a different language sometimes. Playing at Hobart and in the Liberty League definitely prepared me well for this [level of football], the coaching [at Hobart] more so than anything else. The nice thing [about my new team] is we play a very similar defense to what we ran at Hobart so that’s been a nice, easy transition. The coaching staff here is by far one of the best in Germany. Our head coach, Larry Dixon, has coached all over Division I including being on Lou Holtz's staff’s at Arkansas and Notre Dame. He [also] coached with the Dallas Cowboys during the 80's and 90's and currently serves as an NFL scout. Working with him has been a great learning experience [for me] and he has been very complimentary of the Hobart staff and how they prepared me [to play pro football].

What other kinds of schools / players have come over to Munich to play in the GFL?

Currently I am here with one other American. He is from California University in PA which is a powerhouse Division II school. He had interest from teams in [the CFL], the arena league and was also invited to a pro day workout for the NFL. We played a team this past weekend that had players from North Carolina, UMass-Amherst, and Wake Forest, so the talent level for the American players here is very high. In the past the Fursty Razorbacks have had players from all over the US, even [sending] one to the University of Arizona who is now a future NFL prospect.

How did playing at a top DIII program like Hobart prepare you for football at this next level?

Again, playing at Hobart was a great thing. The coaching and intensity of our program has made this a very smooth transition, and the football knowledge that Coach Cragg and the rest of the staff taught me is amazing. We hold ourselves to a very high standard at Hobart which is why we have been so successful.

What do you hope to take away from this amazing experience (other than another / more football championships)?

For me this is really more about spreading the game and having [a great life] experience in another country. The youth programs in “Fursty” are a huge focus, and I have the opportunity to work with players from the age of 9 through 19. After the age of 19, the senior level or pro level starts [here in Germany]. Our youth programs have won numerous national championships and are well represented on the respective German national teams. I have only been here for a little over three weeks and I've really been immersed in the local culture. I think this is unique [especially when compared] to the traditional study abroad program because I'm really getting to see what day to day life is like in Germany, while forming actual relationships with the people who live here. The football piece is a huge bonus and obviously has been my ticket to the experience. Football in the States is a life changer for many people and I would love to be a start to developing that type of culture here in Germany.

I'd like to thank Andrew for taking the time to tell us about the great experience he's having playing pro football overseas.  Until next time, stay "Fursty" my friends.

Go 'Bart (and Go 'Backs)!!

Holston's Miller Gets a Kick Out of Hobart

Holston HS (Damascus, VA) SR PK Ethan Miller (@E_R_MILLER) tweeted that he intends to compete for kicking duties at Hobart this fall.  Miller will be one of two Virginia natives on the team (the other being rising SO FB Christopher Holoman of Asburn, VA), barring other recruits coming up to Geneva from the Commonwealth.

Statesmen fans may recall that Head Coach Mike Cragg brought in three kicking specialists in last fall's FY class given a great deal of struggles in the kicking game in the 2011 season (which definitely cost them a win over RPI and arguably could have helped them beat Wesley in the playoffs that season as well).  Rising SO's Josh Neuss and James Hull are the presumptive starters at punter/kickoffs and PAT/FGs, respectively, but Miller could get an opportunity pending tryouts in preseason camp.  Rising SR WR Yosh Karbonwiczak has also punted for the Statesmen for several years but perhaps can now focus exclusively on receiving duties (which the Statesmen will need given the graduation of deep threat WR Junior Woodard '13) in 2013.

Neuss booted 21 punts for 39.05 YPP average, dropping seven inside the opponents 20 yard line.  He hit two punts over 50 yards.  Neuss kicked off 66 times for the Statesmen, averaging nearly 50 yards per kickoff.

Hull went three of six in FG attempts (one was blocked) with a long of 27 yards.  Hull connected on 58 PAT attempts which put him third on the team in scoring behind the RB tandem of SR RB Bobby Dougherty (114 points) and JR RB Steven Webb (78 points).  Hull also attempted 14 kickoffs with a respectable 47.8 YPK average.

Miller was a first team All-Conference and second team All-Region player his SR season at Holston, his third as the starting PK.  Ethan was chosen to represent the East Region at Football Universities Top Gun camp in Williamsburg, VA and attended the University of Tennesse Kicking Camp prior to his SR season.  Miller has also worked with Chris Sailor, a private kicking coach based out of Los Angeles, CA.

At 6' 2" 170 lbs and initially having Division 1 / SEC school aspirations, it looks and sounds like Miller could be an impact player for Hobart.  Ethan is interested in architecture which is probably why he finally landed at Hobart vs. larger schools.

A highlight reel of Miller's kicking prowess is listed below:

http://www.ncsasports.org/football-recruiting/va/damascus/holston-high-school/ethan-miller1

Please welcome Ethan as part of the Class of 2017 and the Statesmen Football family.

Go 'Bart!