Hobart Mayor Brian Snedecor said he hopes to provide a positive experience for both conferences so that the America’s Crossroads Bowl can be an annual affair for the city.

“To be able to host this event is just an amazing experience that I believe not only is going to be beneficial to the city of Hobart but to Northwest Indiana and actually the Chicagoland,” Snedecor said. “This is a huge event, and I am truly honored that Hobart can be the host.”

Brickies coach Craig Osika said he knows the game will be of great value to his team. Osika is a 1998 Hobart graduate and starred at Indiana before playing in one NFL game with the Cleveland Browns in 2003.

Osika is grateful that he had the opportunity to play football at the highest level but acknowledged that most athletes won’t have the chance to do what he did. He believes the Division II game could give many players, including his, a more tangible view of their futures.

“When you look at Region football as a whole, yeah we do have some guys that end up playing Division I and going to some major schools,” Osika said. “But the majority of our kids are going to play Division II, Division III, NAIA levels. And for them to be able to actually see that live and understand what they’re getting themselves into prior to making a commitment to go play at those schools, I think, is going to be helpful for them.”

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