Bob Glover                           Mike Arana

Chris Hott                            Cory Caesar

Doug Meyers                        Ryan Geib

Josh Neace                          Jeff Renn

Tom Phelps                          Justin Sawicki

Kenny Williams

 

Hobart, IN:  Three weeks after the most horrific incident in HSFL history, the league took the field for the final time in 2003.  The game saw the unexpected return of two of its long-lost veteran greats-- Cory Caesar and Doug Meyers, neither of which had played since 2000.  The Glover Bowl was played for the regular season championship, with the season series tied at only 2-2 due to a decreased schedule and games against other teams.

 

The game started slowly, with each team trying to feel its way back into their respective offensive flows after not playing together in over a month.  Josh Neace and Kenny Williams had each missed multiple consecutive games for Team 1, and Team 2 was without either Aaron Kratochvil or John Berlin to play quarterback.  Once the offenses got going, the game moved along quicker and Team 1 took a 5-4 lead into the half.

 

The teams traded scores to start the second half and Team 1 kept their lead at one, 7-6.  The Team 2 defense stepped up down the stretch, and Team 1's offense, despite not making any turnovers (other than on downs), could not put up the necessary points.  The game was forced into overtime, but Team 2 came out on top with a 12-10 victory.

 

The trio of Bob Glover, Josh Neace, and Tom Phelps has been the basis of Team 1 for years now, and they all came out with top-notch efforts in the 2003 finale.  As always, Glover led the Team 1 offense to a solid showing, throwing for 6 touchdowns and running for 2 more.  He also played solid coverage defense on Justin Sawicki for most of the game, and added an interception.  Josh Neace played what may have been his best game of the season, catching several passes, including 3 for touchdowns and running for another.  Neace also played an excellent game on the defensive side of the ball, making several big tackles.  Tom Phelps capped off an excellent return season by scoring 2 touchdowns, and providing another solid receiving threat for Team 1.  Phelps also provided an unusually intense pass-rushing presence for Team 1, and added a sack.  Chris Hott continued his quietly impressive second year, with another sound defensive effort.  Hott provided another solid tackling presence for Team 2, but he did revert to his old offensive struggles for the first time in weeks.  After missing several weeks, Kenny Williams made a surprise return for the finale.  He made a few excellent defensive impact plays for Team 1, including a sack.  He was used sparingly on offense, although he did have a long touchdown reception.  Doug Meyers made his return to the HSFL, playing his first game since 2000.  Meyers split time with Williams on defense and played fairly well, but his primary impact came on the offensive side of the ball, despite not having a reception all game.  Meyers provided something Team 1 has sorely lacked for the past three seasons:  a reliable short yardage running game.  Meyers carried the Team 1 offense at times, and scored a touchdown in his return.

 

Jeff Renn played his best game in weeks to lead Team 2 to the victory.  Renn played the majority of the game at quarterback, but Team 2 ran most of the time, as usual, and Renn still got his share of carries and yards off of scrambles.  He scored 5 touchdowns and threw for another.  Mike Arana also seemed to step his game up a notch after what most have considered a sub-par year for him.  Arana played his best defensive game in weeks, but also made unusually heavy contributions on the offensive side of the ball as Team 2's top receiving threat.  He scored 2 touchdowns on the day.  Ryan Geib turned in another good effort for Team 2.  He started the game by carrying the offensive load on the ground, but his role lessened as the game went on.  He scored 2 touchdowns, and played another respectable defensive game.  Justin Sawicki was uncharacteristically quiet in the season finale.  He caught his fair share of balls, but the lack of a solid Team 2 passing game, along with a few drops, held him to only 1 touchdown.  He did break up several passes on defense, single handedly stopping a few Team 1 drives.  Like Meyers, Cory Caesar made his return for the first time since 2000.  Caesar played an excellent game in his return, considering the long layoff.  He took the quarterbacking duties for a handful of plays, and caught some passes as well.  He threw for a touchdown and ran in the game winner.