Two members of the Hobart football team received weekly awards from the Liberty League Monday and two more earned a spot on the league’s weekly honor following the Statesmen’s 39-3 win at St. Lawrence on Saturday. Senior linebacker Jaimen Bliss (Solvay/Syracuse, N.Y.) was named the Defensive Performer of the Week and senior kicker Tobias Wefering (West Islip/West Islip, N.Y.) merited the Special Teams Performer of the Week award. Senior quarterback Johnny Colombi (Castle View/Castle Rock, Colo.) and first-year wide receiver Johnny Harding (McQuaid Jesuit/Rochester, N.Y.) both represented Hobart on the weekly honor roll.
Bliss led Hobart in tackles, helping extend the Statesmen winning streak to five games. He produced eight tackles, including 1.5 for loss and one of three Hobart sacks on the day. Bliss and the Statesmen defense dominated the field, limiting the Saints to a single field goal, just 1-for-10 on third down, a season-low seven first downs and a season-low 24:38 in time of possession.
A starter in all seven games, Bliss leads Hobart with 61 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss. He’s also contributed two sacks, two pass breakups and a forced fumble. In 39 career games, Bliss has 224 tackles, 28.5 for loss, 10.5 sacks, nine pass breakups, two interceptions, four forced fumbles and a blocked kick.
Hobart is third in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 7.9 ppg, eighth in defensive touchdowns, ninth in turnovers gained, 13th in fumbles recovered, 14th in passes intercepted, 20th in red zone defense, 21st in passing yards allowed, 22nd in total defense, 24th in team passing efficiency defense, and 24th in third down conversion percentage defense.
Wefering broke the Hobart record for field goals made in a game, converting all four of his 3-point tries against the Saints. He connected from 29, 25, 41, and 31 yards. Wefering’s 41-yard field goal late in the first half matched his season long. He raised his career FGM total to 29, two shy of the Hobart record. Wefering also added a pair of extra points, making him the game’s leading scorer with 14 points, one point shy of tying the Hobart scoring record by kicking in a game. He ranks fifth in the nation in field goals made per game (1.43).
Colombi returned from injury after missing six quarters to complete 14-of-22 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns against SLU. He led Statesmen to scores on seven of the nine drives he was under center. Colombi threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to cap the first drive of the second half and followed that with a 42-yard TD pass on Hobart’s next possession. His 226 yards passing are the second most allowed by the Saints this season.
Colombi leads the Liberty League in passing efficiency (143.4). He’s completed 56% of his passes for 1,095 yards and 10 touchdowns. Colombi has also rushed for 138 yards and a pair of TDs. In 25 career appearances for the Statesmen, he’s thrown for 3,152 yards and 22 touchdowns. Colombi ranks 10th in Hobart history in career passing yards and 11th in both completions and passing touchdowns.
Harding caught three passes for a game-high 81 yards and a touchdown Saturday. His second catch of the game was a 42-yard touchdown and gave the Statesmen a 28-3 lead midway through the third quarter. Harding’s final catch was a 38-yard gain that flipped the field. He cut off his fly route to get himself into position in front of his defender to make the catch.
Harding is tied with teammate Ahmad Crowell for the Liberty League lead in receiving touchdowns. Harding paces the Statesmen in receptions (27) and receiving yards (406).
Hobart is 6-1 overall and leads the Liberty League with a 3-0 record. The Statesmen will be home Saturday, Oct. 26, welcoming Union (2-4, 1-1) to Boswell Field at Urick Stadium for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
