Two dominant signal callers in Reed Robinson and Aleks Tatum are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The New Prairie Cougars will challenge the Hobart Brickies at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 914 yards in their previous games.
New Prairie will roll into the contest after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any points last Friday, then bounced right back against South Bend Washington on Friday. The Cougars came out on top against the Panthers by a score of 44-35. The matchup marked the Cougars' most dominant win of the season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Hobart). They breezed past Highland to the tune of 74-0 on Friday. Given the Brickies' advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana football rankings (they are ranked 52nd, while the Trojans are ranked 237th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
New Prairie better keep an eye on Max Pickett. He was instrumental in Hobart's win, rushing for 140 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries. Pickett's longest rush was for an impressive 55 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Another big playmaker for Hobart was Nathan Sobczynski, who returned a punt for a touchdown.
Hobart was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 372 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since the start of last season.
Special teams was a major factor in the game for Hobart, racking up 14 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Sobczynski, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
New Prairie is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a massive bump to their 3-6 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 30.8 points over those games. As for Hobart, their record now sits at 7-2.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. New Prairie has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 257.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Hobart struggles in that department as they've been averaging 201.8 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
New Prairie won a game that couldn't have been any closer in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, slipping by Hobart 15-14. Will the Cougars repeat their success, or do the Brickies have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
