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Chicago Tribune
12-08-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Drawing Power Four interest, Hobart's Bryce Tolliver intends to ‘just dominate.' On both sides of the ball.
Hobart's Bryce Tolliver was just getting started last season. Tolliver, who had an area-high seven interceptions as a sophomore, expressed his approach to this season in direct terms. 'I'm going to just dominate every single person across the line from me,' he said. 'They're not stopping me. I'm that confident in myself, and I'm ready, and I'm going to prove that. I'm just ready.' That readiness applies not only to defense but also to offense and special teams, according to the 6-foot-1, 175-pound junior cornerback/wide receiver. Tolliver focused almost exclusively on defense last season, but he has prepared to vastly increase his role on offense. 'I've been working so hard this offseason,' he said. 'I got my stamina right. I want to show how I am at wide receiver. I want to get my name out there for wide receiver.' Tolliver, who had 23 tackles last season, already is well on his way to getting his name out there at cornerback. 'I was really good at reading routes,' he said. 'I was a ball hawk at corner. The ball is in the air, that's my ball. 'It's just thinking, 'You can do it.' When you go out on the field, be a dawg, go crazy. Just dominate everybody in front of me.' Tolliver believes he has put himself in position to raise his level even higher. 'I worked on my technique,' he said. 'I've been improving on my craft a lot, my footwork, my speed.' Tolliver is also a hurdler and sprinter, and he hopes to utilize that speed at receiver for the junior-laden Brickies (6-5), who gained valuable experience last season. They shared the Northwest Crossroads Conference title with Andrean and Hanover Central before losing in the Class 4A sectional semifinals to New Prairie. Tolliver should be a major contributor as Hobart tries to get over the hump in Eric Schreiber Jr.'s second season. 'He's extremely athletic,' Schreiber said. 'He's rangy. He's just a really good kid. He's really grown up a lot. He probably won't come off the field much this year. We're excited about what he can do on the field.' Include junior quarterback Aleks Tatum in that group. 'Bryce is great,' Tatum said. 'He gives me a great look on defense, but he's also going to be one of our best receivers this year too. He plays both sides of the ball, so it's a little love-hate relationship in practice. But Bryce is going to be a great guy. I'm excited to see what he's going to do this year.' Tolliver likes the way his connection with Tatum has been developing. 'It's going to be great,' Tolliver said. 'Me and Aleks are ready. We're going to go crazy. Me and Aleks are starting to click. We're building that chemistry.' Tolliver has also been building a promising future. He has drawn interest from colleges such as Indiana, Kentucky, Northwestern and Purdue, as well as most of the Mid-American Conference. 'He's gotten a lot of looks,' Schreiber said. 'We're expecting him to get a lot of offers. There's a lot of potential to what he can pull. 'We'll see what he can put on film this fall and really show what he can do for teams at the next level.'
Chicago Tribune
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Ladan Weinman is determined to be ‘uplifting' for Hobart. Keirys Click showed her the importance of that.
If Hobart senior outfielder Ladan Weinman disappoints herself during a game this season, she'll probably be the only one who knows it. Weinman refuses to be the player who drags a team down with her. 'Ever since I was a kid, it always bugged me whenever there was a kid who let their energy affect the team dynamic,' she said. 'I've made it one of my goals to not be that player. 'If I make a mistake or an error, I'm not bringing that to the team. I want to be someone who's uplifting in the dugout.' With that positive mindset and a seemingly endless reserve of energy, Weinman helped the Brickies win a sectional title last year for the first time since 2016. She also used her speed, finishing with seven steals and 16 runs scored. That's a key part of her game, according to first-year Hobart coach Josh Coons. 'She's excellent in the outfield,' Coons said. 'She tracks the ball really well and is a super fast kid who's going to chase down a lot of stuff in the gaps. 'And not only is she fast on the bases, but she has great instincts — always one base ahead, looking to be aggressive.' Weinman displayed a similar skill set on the basketball court this past season, when she averaged 4.8 points. She capped her basketball career with an appearance in the 14th annual Indiana Elite North vs. South Showcase in Lebanon last month. But Weinman said softball has always been her primary sport, and she has spent the months since the Brickies' postseason run doing her part to ensure they have a chance to repeat. 'Any time my coaches asked if someone wanted to catch more fly balls or take more hitting reps, I've always wanted to show up,' Weinman said. 'The feeling we had last year after winning all of those games was irreplaceable, and it'd be really cool to do it again with these girls.' Weinman is irreplaceable, too, according to sophomore infielder Addi Gaffin. 'It's just her personality,' Gaffin said. 'From warmups to practice, she's just very energetic and is such a fun, positive person to be around. She's passionate about every aspect of the game.' Weinman's enthusiasm extends to her ever-growing list of extracurricular activities. She's a tutor, is an assistant coach in youth basketball and is heavily involved in the Business Professionals of America. Weinman, who said she has a 4.68 GPA and is ranked No. 3 in her class, has been accepted into Purdue's Mitch Daniels School of Business, where she will study business management. Weinman said former teammate Keirys Click, a freshman at Illinois, is one of her greatest influences. 'I'm very hard on myself, and I used to not have this energy when I was younger,' Weinman said. 'Keirys brought so much excitement to the game. Even when she made a mistake, she still brought this unreal energy to every game and practice since I met her in sixth grade.' That's what Weinman hopes to replicate as a senior on a team full of underclassmen who will look to her to set the tone. 'I want to be that for the girls, someone who brings a positive mindset and picks someone else up, even when you're not doing your best,' she said. 'If we take it one step at a time, there are a lot of goals we can reach this season, and I'm really excited to see where we go.'
