Football Game Preview: Hobart Brickies vs. New Prairie Cougars

Two dominant signal callers in Aleks Tatum and Reed Robinson are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Hobart Brickies will look to defend their home field on Friday against the New Prairie Cougars at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

As a matter of fact, Hobart put up the most points they have all season on Friday. They blew past Highland 74-0. The victory was nothing new for the Brickies as they're now sitting on three straight.

Max Pickett produced another solid effort rushing for 140 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries. His longest rush was for an impressive 55 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Aiden Kasch was another key player, rushing for 54 yards and one score.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Hobart was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 372 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.

Hobart didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Ryder Slaton and Jonathan Espinoza. Slaton got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for New Prairie, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They came out on top against South Bend Washington by a score of 44-35 on Friday. The win continues a trend for the Cougars in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now won six in a row.

New Prairie's victory bumped their record up to 3-6. As for Hobart, their win bumped their record up to 7-2.

Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Hobart has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 201.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like New Prairie struggles in that department as they've been averaging 257.2 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.

Hobart and New Prairie were neck-and-neck in their previous matchup back in November of 2024, but Hobart came up empty-handed after a 15-14 loss. Can the Brickies avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.