Grubbe breaks Red Devils' rushing record in win

HOBART | Brandon Grubbe broke Lowell's rushing record three yards into a 63-yard touchdown run.

It was his 16th carry of the night, and the former record holder, Hobart assistant coach Mike Pickett, was standing on the opposing sidelines.

Grubbe eclipsed Pickett's mark of 4,193 yards that stood for the last 15 years

It was all part of a 191-yard Friday night by Grubbe, in which he scored four touchdowns for the Times No. 1 Red Devils in their 35-0 win over the Brickies.

"I knew how much I needed because my parents reminded me," Grubbe said. "They're more worried about that. I'm more worried about winning the game and coming out and playing. You can break records and lose games, it still doesn't matter."

After the game, the Red Devils' current No. 6 and the former No. 6 posed for a photo, with a few words of congratulations coming from Pickett.

"He told me 'Great job' and that I had a good career and that he hopes I keep going with it," Grubbe said. "That's just great coming from him because he's the all-time great. He's on the Wall of Fame at our school, so it's just great talking to him."

"I didn't know how many he needed, but I knew it would happen sometime this year," said Pickett, who graduated in 1995. "It's amazing that it's 15 years later that it's a big deal but it's time. It's good and he's a good kid."

Grubbe had 175 of his yards and three touchdowns by halftime, carrying the ball 19 times. He's holding the record now at 4,288 yards with three weeks remaining in the regular season.

"We try not to pay attention to (the records), we make our focus the preparation for the game and getting the team ready, we don't put anything on one guy," Lowell coach Kirk Kennedy said. "He didn't seem to be any different on the field. I will say that Mike Pickett is one of our all-time greats and if you're mentioned in the same sentence with that young man then you're quite a football player."

While Grubbe took over early for the Red Devils (6-0, 4-0 Northwest Crossroads Conference), the Lowell defense held the Brickies to three first-half first downs and seven overall.

The Brickies' best chance to score came in the fourth quarter, recovering a fumble on a Lowell punt return. But three plays later Hobart also dropped the ball, on the 4-yard line, the closest the Brickies had come to the goal line all night.

"We can't catch a break," Hobart coach Wally McCormack said. "Sometimes things are going and that's what happens. I was proud of our defense came out and played pretty well in the second half, but our offense just got engulfed."

The Brickies fumbled seven times, six in the second half, losing the ball twice.

"(Lowell) is good, right now they're playing at a different level than we are," McCormack said.

PREP FOOTBALL

No. 1 Lowell 35, Hobart 0

Lowell quarterback Ray Skamay completed three passes, all 15 yards or longer, including one for a 49-yard touchdown.