On December 4, City of Hobart hosted America’s Crossroads Bowl, one of three NCAA Division II bowl games hosted throughout the nation. This bowl was formed in 2019 by Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) and Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC), two powerhouse conferences in NCAA Division II football.
This year, the GLVC was represented by the Truman State University Bulldogs. After finishing third in their conference and having 18 players make the All-GLVC team, the Bulldogs are making their second appearance in the America’s Crossroads Bowl. Notable Bulldogs were running back Cody Schrader, defensive back Ben Watson, defensive tackle Robert Greco, and defenseman Collin Alves. Schrader finished the season as the GLVC co-offensive Player of the Year with 1855 yards rushing, the highest in all of Division II football. Watson, Greco, and Alves were all selected to the All-GLVC team.
Representing the G-MAC this year was the Hillsdale College Chargers. The Chargers finished their season tied for second place in the G-MAC and will be the league’s inaugural representative at the America’s Crossroads Bowl. Notable Chargers are senior Alex Anschutz and junior Zach Herzog. After earning first-team All-G-MAC recognition, Anschutz and Herzog were named to the Division II Conference Commissioners Association All-Super Region 1 second team.
The America’s Crossroads Bowl was founded in 2019 and has been sponsored by the City of Hobart and the South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority(CVA) since its inception. This bowl is played at the Brickyard Stadium in Hobart, home of the Brickies. National bowl games like this one bring well-earned attention to Hobart and the Region by bringing in fans and tourism dollars from around the nation.
Hobart Mayor Brian Snedecor had this to say about the impact this bowl game has on the City of Hobart.
“City of Hobart is extremely honored to serve as the host community for this event,” said Mayor Snedecor. “Working with the South Shore CVA and the School City of Hobart, we believe this sends a strong message that Northwest Indiana is becoming a destination for collegiate sports. We believe this has benefits to the Region's businesses and hospitality industry. Hobart has a rich history of football championships, and it is our goal to build upon this legacy!”
Along with the City of Hobart, South Shore CVA is also excited to host this event.
“Having an NCAA Division II event can just really put the City of Hobart and the South Shore on the map,” said Chief Marketing Officer for South Shore CVA, Heather Becerra. “We want to make sure that every visitor for the Crossover Bowl comes to Hobart like ‘I've never heard of that before. Let's go there. Let's take a trip there and visit there. Let's stay in a hotel, let's go to the restaurant, let's go to the Hobart Art Theater.’”
In addition to bringing in fans to enjoy Hobart in all of its glory, this game was streamed through both conference’s websites and is available to watch on Comcast Channel 900 in Michigan and Comcast/Xfinity Channel 81 in Indiana. This gave fans all around the United States the ability to see the Brickyard Stadium in all of its glory this December. Bringing games like this to the Region begins to solidify Northwest Indiana’s place as an elite football destination not only in the state but also in the country.
The first half of the game was a defensive battle with no touchdowns from either offense. Truman State controlled the ball most of the second quarter and put together some impressive drives, but the Hillsdale College defense came up big to hold the Bulldogs to just two field goals. Truman State was also impressive defensively in this half, only allowing one field goal and forcing multiple punts to disrupt Hillsdale’s offensive drives.
In the second half, the game picked up with an explosive four-play drive from the Hillsdale College offense that resulted in a 56-yard passing touchdown. Truman State came back almost immediately with a rushing touchdown from Schrader. It didn’t stop there for the Bulldogs as they went on to score two more unanswered touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs to victory.
The Chargers once again came up big defensively late in the fourth quarter with an 88-yard fumble recovery touchdown from Anschutz. The big defensive touchdown wasn’t enough for the Chargers to stage a late-game comeback as the Bulldogs drove the ball late and scored on a 44-yard rushing attempt from Schrader. The final score in Hobart was a 34-17 victory for the Truman State Bulldogs.
A great game and a great time for fans and Hobart residents, the America’s Crossroads Bowl is redefining the landscape of Division II football and football in the Region. Having elite programs visit Northwest Indiana to compete on the national stage will continue to grow the community in more ways than one.
To learn more about the South Shore CVA and its partnerships, visit www.southshorecva.com.
To learn more about the City of Hobart, visit www.cityofhobart.org.
